Ducks hit the heights

Heysham obs
Good numbers of ducks on Middleton but sadly disturbed and scattered by late pm dog walkers notably the mutts accompanying someone with an overworked and ineffectiveI whistle

Middleton
Pochard- 3 males
Tufted duck - 14
Scaup - juv male
Teal - 60 plus being scattered
Mute swan- one young had gone

Outfalls
Little gull - 2 2cy

Full house of the same

Heysham obs

North wall pm

Twite - 31

Linnet - 5

Goldfinch - 20 plus

Outfalls

Little gull - 3 2cy am. Two later

Kittiwake - ad

Iom ferry

Kittiwake - 11 following

Harbour

Guillemot - 5 above and 5 in underground res at same time 

Kittiwake ad

Middleton

Tufted d - 12

Scaup - juv m

Pochard - 2 m

Linnet - c50

Pheasant - 1

Red nab
None adult male black redstart reported

Quick whizz round

Heysham Obs
Didn't have time to do the north harbour wall otherwise:




South harbour area
Guillemot - 3, later 7
Kittiwake - ad & 2CY in harbour, later (after ferry) 7 adults outfalls




Offshore low tide
Eider - 13
Med Gull - ad
Pink-footed Goose - 23 south




Outfalls
Little Gull - 2 x 2CY early morning, later (after ferry) adult and 5 2CY
Med Gull - adult




Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 12
Pochard - 2 males
Little Egret - 2
Mute Swan - in the process of kicking the young out with one especially targeted, including by the rest of the young, adopting raised wing, lowered head aggression posture




Moth
Winter Moth

Need some ferries!

Heysham obs
Had a good moan about watercraft yesterday but the bigger versions are very effective at bringing extra birds in during 'not quite right' wind directions where nothing much comes in of its own accord
Just realised all the 1 cy need to be 2 cy after 1/1!
Coastal stuff
Little gull - two 2cy, one adult outfalls
Kittiwake - 3 ad, one 2cy
Guillemot - 5 in harbour

Middleton
Scaup - 2cy male
Tufted duck - 12
Pochard -2 males
Little egret -  2

'Me me me' and xxx everyone/everything else

Heysham Obs

https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=6f00e71027f95045&page=play&resid=6F00E71027F95045!474&parid=6F00E71027F95045!109&type=5&authkey=!AGSnf5mGH_nub6E&Bsrc=Photomail&Bpub=SDX.Photos

Don't know whether anyone can make head or tail of the above link, but this reveals more details on this bunch of xxxxs who saw fit to prevent up to 11,000 waders roosting today.  It can be viewed on the above link under the heading 'Human Pollution"

According to Lancaster City Council, the windsurfers/kitesurfers do have a designated area and its called the Battery Car park.  Unfortunately they appear to have both a designated area and any other area where they can be 'allowed' to perform by the owner of any access to the foreshore.  As has been said before, informative notices have or are supposed to have been put in place in this area which include foreshore best practice.  The trouble is that, unlike the excellent efforts at nearby Ocean Edge, the situation at Potts Corner is seemingly all "lip service" with no attempt by the owner of the access to do anything about serious disturbance (also including pony and trap, horses indulging in synchronised swimming etc.).  Have you any intention of doing anything? - if so now might be a good time to support the efforts at Ocean Edge and Shorefields instead of just talking the talk, yet letting all sorts of inappropriate people use the access

Birds today
Guillemot - at least 4 in harbour area
Kittiwake - 3 ad, 1 1CY harbour
Scaup - 1CY male model boat pond

Thanks to Pete Cook

Pochard - 2 male model boat pond
Little Gull - 2 1CY and ad Heysham 2 outfall    

Scaup at Middleton.Photo. Janet Packham

Little Egret at Middleton boating pond

Black redstart sneaks out of power station

Heysham obs
Black redstart - male on red nab rocks for short time around lunchtime
Little gull - up to 3 1cy and ad first thing, just two later
Med gull - 2
Guillemot - 4
Eider - 2
Kittiwake - ad
Twite - 18 with just 3 ringed
Linnet - 5
Goldfinch - 26
Red breasted merganser - 8

Middleton
Scaup - 1cy male
Tufted duck- 12
Teal - 87
Pochard - male
Gadwall - 3

Thanks Graham and Malcolm

Same decent selection

Heysham Obs

Coastal coverage on and off plus Middleton NR
Red-throated Diver - one out
Little Gull - 11 outfalls (5 adults), one 'out'
Kittiwake - 5 harbour/outfalls, 18 'out' in dribs and drabs
Guillemot - 8 in harbour, none seen offshore
Scaup - 1CY male model boat pond pm but no diving duck on there in am
Gadwall - 7 Middleton
Little Egret - 2 Middleton
Tufted Duck - 9 Middleton
Ringed Plover - 9 heliport
Med Gull - ad heliport, at least one ad Fishers roof

Brief visit mainly spent seawatching

Heysham Obs
Sea from Ocean Edge 1030-1100
Kittiwake - flock of 14-15 'out'
Red-throated Diver - 3 out
Great-crested Grebe - 8 out
Eider - pair out very distantly
Little Gull - adult out

Outfalls
Kittiwake - adult
Little Gull - 3 1CY

Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 1CY male
Tufted Duck - 9

Moths
Amazingly a different Dark Chestnut (yesterdays had damaged forewing) and a Parsnip Moth (38 in Millhouses trap, mainly Mottled Umber)

Heysham Harbour this afternoon

Year tick for 2013!!

Heysham Obs
Happy new year!  A nice little pre-rain window today

The star of the show was a Heysham year tick for last year - a Dark Chestnut in the moth trap - todays moths are always logged as the night before!

SD35 & 36 10 km square survey
Kittiwake - ad harbour, ad & 1CY outfalls
Guillemot - at least 8 in harbour
Twite - 10
Linnet - 13
Red-throated Diver - one 'out'
Med Gull - 2 ads fishers roof and area
Song Thrush - 1 mound
Little Gull - up to 9 stage 2 outfall
Red-breasted Merganser - 3

Others
Snipe - at least 4 Ocean Edge foreshore
Ringed Plover - 11 Ocean Edge grass

Model boat pond
Scaup - 1cy drake
Little egret - 2
Pochard - drake

Productive end of year but waders seriously displaced by dog exercisers

Heysham Obs
A 1CY drake Scaup was unexpected on Middleton model boat pond at least late afternoon with a tiny increase in Tufted Duck.  Possibly from Glasson marina?

A couple with a woolly alsation and a couple of black of white things (one with a black head and mainly white body) displaced 11,000 waders from the foreshore between Ocean Edge and Potts corner today with the dogs very wide-ranging.  Fortunately the tide was dropping rapidly and the birds were able to find suitable feeding off Middleton saltmarsh.  Are the notices up at Shorefields yet?

The male Black Redstart made an appearance on the rocks at Red Nab as I was watching the Isle of Man ferry in - target being the Bonxie which had been seen off Rossall on at least two of recent days.  No sign. Thanks for emailing, Roger, to say the Black Redstart was also at Red Nab at 1030.

Coastal stuff
Little Gull - 7 adult, two 1CY Heysham 2 outfall
Red-throated Diver - one flew 'out'
Guillemot - 7 in harbour, possibly more
Kittiwake - 22 behind IOM ferry, mainly 1CY - many peeled off and flew out before reaching harbour.  One adult by the harbour waterfall
Black Redstart - male on Red Nab rocks 1030, then again when next checked at 1215, then went back into Power Station near small reedbed
Red-breasted Merganser - 3 in harbour, two off Red Nab
Ringed Plover - 10 on the saturated grassland along OE foreshore
Med Gull - two adults north harbour wall by anglers
Twite - late afternoon visit to feeding station saw 15 (plus 3 Goldfinch) - no Linnets
Jack Snipe - 2
Snipe - 21
Little Egret - 2
Wigeon - 91

Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 1CY drake (from Glasson?)
Tufted Duck - small increase to 12
Linnet - 70 on the rubble mound area - a really good winter flock (NHW birds?)
Teal - 100+
Pochard - female Tim Butler pond
Gadwall - 2 tim butler pond