Back to a freezing cold blocker

Heysham Obs
Early morning stuff was distant and uninspiring apart from the continuing presence of 65 noisy Twite piling into the nyger, presumably thinking about fat reserves for the arduous and perhaps overdue migration to west Scotland

North harbour wall 0700-0830
Twite - 65 - 4 unringed, rest Heysham ringed
Goldfinch - 2
Auk spp - very distant gang of three 'in'
Red-throated Diver - 6 'in'
Great-crested Grebe - 2 'in'
Kittiwake - flock of 5 'in'
Common Gull - c95
Sandwich Tern - c11 blogging early on, none by 0815hrs
Meadow Pipit - c25 north in 1.5 hours
alba Wagtail - 5 north in 1.5 hours

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Wheatear - male and female
Mediterranean Gull - ringed 3CY
Little Gull - 2CY on rocks - seemed to arrive just after high tide

Middleton NR
Tufted Duck - 12
Gadwall - 2 pairs

Mammal
Roe Deer near entrance gate to reserve - perhaps this one photographed yesterday by Janet

Marsh Harrier and Sand Martin open their accounts

Heysham Obs
Whilst checking the waders to the south of Ocean Edge, the main 'vis' line this morning was connected with - Heysham can be a difficult site in this respect. Birds were coming in-off from the direction of Rossall and making landfall between Potts corner and Ocean Edge

The vis included a very noticeable concentration of Meadow Pipits between 0930 and 0940 with a 'flock' of 82, suggesting they had all moved on from a gathering ground on the Fylde.  In total, 262  headed NE between 0925 and 0945, but the subsequent 40 minutes 'only' produced 91

Quite a few night migrants appeared during the course of the day

Grounded
Goldcrest - at least 15
Chiffchaff - at least 7
Wheatear - minimum of 5 (4 OE foreshore)

Thanks Janet

Coastal sightings
Meadow Pipit - see above - more to be added later
Marsh Harrier - cream-crowned, cream fore-winged individual in-off at 0945hrs on a north-easterly heading coming ashore at the southern end of Ocean Edge
Sand Martin - single with Meadow Pipit at 0940hrs
Twite - 61 on seed - two unringed & definitely no sign of Machrihanish bird
Bar-tailed Godwit - 2,700
Knot - 3,100
Dunlin - 2,200
Grey Plover - 125
.................all these were flushed by the Marsh Harrier and headed further south & landed off Potts Corner.  There were no waders within 400m either side of the DONG cable wire, despite no personnel moving up and down - the same pattern as observed yesterday

More sightings to be added from earlier in the morning

Mammals
2 of these on Heysham N R:

Thanks Janet

Massive Meadow Pipit movement but otherwise disappointing

Heysham Obs
Three hours on the north harbour wall and most of the morning on and off around the office

Meadow Pipit - probably about 200 per hour over the reserve 0700-1030, c60 1030-1130 with at least 450 in three hours over the north harbour wall whilst mixing and matching seawatching with vis
alba Wagtail - c15 over reserve and 39 over north wall
Goldfinch - 5 NE
Greenfinch - 1 NE over north wall
Chaffinch - 1 NE over north wall
Lesser Redpoll - 1 NE over north wall and three ringed on the reserve
Black-headed/Common Gulls - small passage north with 48 BH (flock of 23) and 20 CM
Teal - one u-turned!
Pink-footed Goose - 160 north in two flocks
Sandwich Tern  5
Carrion Crow - flocks of 4 & 6 north
Gannet - 6
Red-throated Diver - just 5
Common Scoter - 10
Twite - 71 with 2 unringed out of 35 examined
Chiffchaff - one north wall, one singing by NR office early morning
Goldcrest - 2 reserve & 2 Middleton

Little Egret - one half-moon bay
Med Gull - ringed 3CY outfalls
Grey Wagtail - 1

Moth
The longest mothless spring ever was broken today with the first Common Quaker of the year 

Meadow Pipits from Dawn

Heysham Reserve
Decent numbers of Kittiwake, Red-throated Diver and Meadow Pipit

There were no obvious grounded night migrants this morning.  Either they had passed straight through in the relatively calm and clear night, or they are not here yet.  Meadow Pipits, which often get going during the morning were on the move from dawn though.

Nets were set for migrants at dawn, but by the time it was proved that none was around there was not time to set up a whoosh net for Meadow Pipits, consequently the catch was low.

Meadow Pipit - 300 to 400 seen from 06.30 to 11.00 brought low by cd lure (only 5 trapped).
Probably much larger numbers high overhead but not seen against the very clear sky.

Chiffchaff - 1 ringed individual trapped only.

Landscape Strip
A thorough search for a reported injured gull along Moneyclose Lane was unsuccessful.
Sparrowhawk - 1 in the screening belt.
Jay - also 1 in the screening belt trees.

North Harbour Wall 0730-1300
Twite - c35 early.  Later, numbers of 95 to 100.
Linnet - small number amongst Twite. Difficult light there on a bright morning
Kittiwake - 334 in 16+ flocks 'in', 28 blogging & at least two other tightly packed gull flocks on the water a long way out
Common Scoter - 17 out
Red-throated Diver - at least 60 -  a good day count for here
Scaup - flocks of 6 (in pairs)
Goldeneye - 3
alba wagtail - 10
Meadow Pipit - 66 seen and heard but probably 10x this number - the blue sky made seeing birds difficult and when located there were often up to 8 birds for one squeak, also when looking at seabirds Meadow Pipits were passing through the view in the scope.
Pink-footed Goose - 149 north in three flocks, largest flock 80+
Greylag Goose - 4 headed north then turned and flew SW
Skylark - 1

South harbour and area
Purple Sandpiper - 1

Mediterranean Gull - adults and the ringed 3CY


Mammals
Red Fox - 2 seen around reserve entrance road at first light.
Grey Squirrel - 1 sunning itself at the foot of a tree in the screening belt
Harbour Porpoise - one offshore

Alan Draper, John Mason, Jean Roberts, Gavin Thomas (thanks for  the pic), Ian Walker

Seabird cameo

Heysham Obs
Just 30 mins today and half of that was watching what was happening to  the waders south of Ocean Edge.  The 15 mins watching the sea were much better than of late!  A group of 3 Gannet and 9 Kittiwake headed in and when they reached level with Black Combe, the Kitts started to climb.  The Gannets followed them, then thought better of it (never seen any 'overland' when reaching the inner bay, unlike other species) and head out of the Bay, still quite high then swung in the direction of Cockersands.  The Kittiwakes continued to climb.  Then a close dark morph Arctic Skua headed slowly into the north-east wind until lost from sight towards the stone jetty.  Good to see a summer visitor which is perhaps a little earlier than usual!

North wall 0900-0915
Arctic Skua - dark morph 'in' at 0913hrs
Gannet - three u-turning as above
Kittiwake - flock of 9 'in' and gaining height
Twite - 19
Linnet - 1
Meadow Pipit - 9 N in 15 mins

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Dunlin - 2,600
Knot - 2,700
Bar-tailed Godwit - 870
Wigeon - 4
Mallard - 2
Black-headed Gull - 246

A few quality sightings but general migration still slow

Heysham Obs
A steady stream of Meadow Pipit and one or two Chiffchaff apart, not a lot happening migrant-wise today with the sea particularly disappointing.  However a flock of Waxwings flew noisily over Middleton NR and a Short-eared Owl caught a vole on the higher ground there before being driven off by gulls.  The Scaup flock was still in situ in the tide race and increased to 11 birds.

North wall 0744 onwards
Sandwich Tern - 2 together 'in'
Scaup - flock of 11 floating out on the tide (5 male)
Twite - 55 (possibly including one or two Linnet - in silhouette on the sea buckthorn)
Red-throated Diver - up to 5 off-passage on the sea

Vis mig
Meadow Pipit - c170 NE 0700-1030
alba Wagtail - 16 NE
Linnet - one NE
Waxwing - flock of 16 flew NW over Middleton at about 0800hrs

Middleton NR
Short-eared Owl - one quartering the high ground at Middleton early morning - caught a vole
Gadwall - pair

Office area
Chiffchaff - 2

Scaup flock highlights some small-scale durnal migration

Heysham Obs
Thanks to everyone for letting me know about the hacked email.  Sorry to cause inconvenience

North harbour wall to 0930hrs
Red-throated Diver - absolute minimum of 27, including flock of 16 summer plumaged birds gaining height as they flew into the Bay
Wigeon - flock of 7 NNE
Scaup - flock of 7 sitting on the sea & floating out (3 ad male)
Gannet - adult 'u'-turned
Twite - just c35 left
Kittiwake - flock of 40-50 NNE, then 2 NNE
A lot of small flocks of Knot and Dunlin whizzing about

Vis mig to 0930
Meadow Pipit - c220 NNE either from north wall or office but not the same birds at each!
alba Wagtail - 25 NNE
Siskin - 1 NNE
Goldfinch - 13 NNE
Chaffinch - 2 NNE
Coal Tit - 2 heading north through the reserve

Grounded night migrants
None!

Slightly more over the sea, less overhead

Heysham Obs
Fractionally more interest today although Meadow Pipits and alba Wagtails are in reduced numbers so far

North harbour wall
Common Scoter - flock of 17 out
Red-throated Diver, 14 in, including groups of 3+5
Raven - one purposefully north over the sea
Coal Tit - very noisy flock of 5 on the fence by the ex-sand-works, then flew towards Heysham Head along the seawall!
Pink-footed Goose - 4+47 NW
Twite - maximum of just 47 but a lot of activity in nearby yard
Linnet - one on seed, first for a bit
Purple Sandpiper - on rocks below seawall on dropping tide
Eider - 189
In addition, 3 small gulls together in the direction of the wind turbines were almost certainly Little but extremely distant!

Office area & general vis mig
Goldfinch - 7 north
Reed Bunting - one north
alba Wagtail - 12 north
Meadow Pipit - just c35 north during the morning (9 ringed)

Ringing in March
Don't normally post much about ringing totals, but the newly-ringed stats for March are quite interesting for the wrong reasons!  Note that most of the activity involved nets set next to feeders, which were just not producing "any" new birds apart from a trickle of Blue and Great Tits, a few migrants Robins and the occasional 'new' finch:  Long-tailed Tit (3), Great Tit (5), Goldfinch (6), Blackbird (2), Chaffinch (2), Greenfinch (8), Twite (9), Mediterranean Gull (1), Robin (8), Meadow Pipit (49), Dunnock (3), Blue Tit (5).  The grand total of this lot was more than doubled by Goldcrest and Lesser Redpoll in March 2012 - conspicuously absent this year, along with Chiffchaff.       

No April drool

Heysham Obs
Today was about as devoid of anything new happening than I can remember at this time of year. There is the bonus of a prolonged stay by the Twite flock and unscheduled expense on nyger seed but otherwise just a dribble of Meadow Pipit overhead. The seawatching was really dire with nothing worth writing down in the course of just over an hour

North harbour wall
Twite 73, including two unringed and the usual Machrihanish bird, along with an old pale blue over white/red which I don't recall having seen recently

Office area
Meadow Pipit - 55 NE

Middleton NR
2 Greylag, 2 Snipe

Thanks Janet

No summer visitors seen or heard

Meadow Pipits but what else?

Heysham Obs
The highlight today was ticking the requisite boxes for a "white Easter" as a few snowflakes appeared late morning. Very disappointing morning with less happening than yesterday and not even a compensatory Osprey through the massive amount of airspace given good coverage

North wall 0700 onwards
Watching paint dry
Kittiwake - flocks of 14+12 the "highlight"
Eider - 91
Twite - c70
Great-crested Grebe - 9
plus vis dealt with below

Vis mig combined office & NHW 0700-1130
Siskin - 1
Lesser Redpoll - 2
Jackdaw  - flock of 4
Carrion Crow - 1 high & purposeful
Canada Goose - 5 did a circle of the golf course
alba Wagtail - 42
Meadow Pipit - 377
Goldfinch - 5
Greenfinch - 1 (!)
Linnet - 3
Coal Tit - 2+1 north

Miscellany
No Meds seen
Wigeon - 33

The spring passage of Turnstone is well under way -the time of peak numbers here.  In contrast, Little Grebe seems to have declined in the last three years as a breeding species at Middleton and so far this year, there may only be two pairs.   Thanks to Sandra and John Truran for the pics

Night migrants
None unless two unringed Robins being chased come into this category

Ringing
27 Meadow Pipit and 2 Greenfinch