Siskin surprise

Heysham obs
A flock of c30 Siskin were alongside the wetland area on Heysham nr before flying towards ocean edge.

Middleton Nr
Scaup - 2cy
Pochard - 4
Gadwall - 4
Teal - c30
Grey wagtail
Skylark again - hope it is a local bird

North wall
A mixed catch of linnet and twite were mainly unringed birds with the twite catch including two machrihanish- ringed birds, one from autumn 2013

North wall linnet invasion

Heysham obs

North harbour wall
Linnet - flock of 25 plus at least 3 others
Twite - flock of 26

Model boat pond
Scaup - 2cy

Same again

Heysham Obs
Middleton NR
Scaup - 2CY male
Gadwall - 10
Tufted Duck - 11
Pochard - 3
Teal - 30
Mallard - 4
Reed Bunting - 1
Little Egret - 1
Oystercatcher - 7


North wall
Twite - 29-31 including metal ringed bird not ours and machrihanish green/white bird
Linnet - 15
Goldfinch - 3
Chaffinch - male (ringed)


Harbour
Kittiwake - 5 (4 adults)
Guillemot - 1


Outfalls
Little Gull - at least adult and 1 x 2CY

 Middleton flooded due to a faulty pump

Kittiwake in the harbour

Young little gulls hit the outfalls

Heysham obs
Outfalls
Little gull - ad and 6 x 2cy

North wall am
Twite - c30
Linnet - 13
Goldfinch - 10

Sporadic Saturday

Initial records only, from a walk down north harbour wall at lunchtime. Mainly to see if any black redstart in this area. Answer – None seen

No finches on feeding station, just 4 feral pigeon and a pied wagtail.

However, flock of 28 linnet/twite huddled (from wind and rain) in stunted tree at corner of compound. All facing away. No rings noted.


Flock c2,000 Knot in

Gulls:

Herring, LB Backed, Common, (1) Kittiwake but no Mediterranean.

2 little gull on seaward side of outflows.

(MD)

Additionally

0900hrs - Middleton Model Boat Pond

 

Drake Scaup still present

1 No Little Egret

6 Pochard including 4 Drakes

Song Trush singing!

 

1100hrs - No.1 Outfall

 

Adult and 2 x 1st Winter Little Gulls

4 No. RB Mergansers including 2 Drakes

 

1200hrs - Harbour

3 Adult and 1 2CY Kittiwake

 

1300hrs - North Harbour Wall

Adult Med

5 No. Twite sheltering from torrential rain!

 

After a bright start the weather deteriorated, had a look for the Black Redstarts but never saw either unsurprisingly.

 

Thanks to Malcolm and Ian for todays records.

 

Nice selection

Heysham Obs


Ocean Edge foreshore/Red Nab
Black Redstart - female type seen at least 1200-1230 but not earlier
Meadow Pipit - 1


Outfalls
Little Gull - ad & 2 x 2CY
Wigeon - 141


North harbour wall
Twite - 27, including green/white Machrihanish bird
Linnet - 13
Med Gull - 2 adults


Harbour
Kittiwake - adult


Middleton model boat pond & others
Scaup - 2CY male
Pochard - 2 males and female
Tufted Duck - 17
Little Egret - 1
Mallard - 14
Teal - 66
Redwing - 36
Meadow Pipit - 5
Goldfinch - 30
Linnet - 28 & another c28 Ocean Edge saltmarsh

Interesting Greenfinch recoveries

Heysham Obs
Two Greenfinch caught during a late autumn passage in early November were ringed at Eskmeals, Ravenglass, Cumbria about a month previously (all other long-distance from the north have been from the north-east of here) and even more surprisingly, the other was ringed at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset as a 2CY female in January 2013.  Bearing in mind it was almost certainly on north to south passage when caught at Heysham as an adult female, where has it come from and is it intending to winter so far south again?  A Whitethroat ringed late August at Middleton was re-caught at Portishead, Somerset about a month later............and therefore rather slow to leave for Africa


Routine sightings today, mainly Middleton: Scaup 2CY male, 18 Tufted Duck, 54 Teal, 7 Gadwall, female Pochard. 11 Mallard, 3 Little Egret, 48 Linnet, one Reed Bunting and best of all, a Skylark


Dark Chestnut in moth trap

Pigeon Pie?

Heysham Obs
Fem type black red seen lunchtime red nab area

North Harbour Wall
Two brief visits both during heavy showers produced on first visit only
Goldfinch 2
Linnet 3
Med Gull 1 adult

Second visit saw the feeding area filled with enough Pigeons to make a very big pie with, but no Finches seen.

Harbour
Kittiwakes 4 - 3Adults & 2CY

Middleton Model Boat Pond
Scaup 2CY Male
Little Egret
Tufted Duck 6
Pochard 2Male & 1Fem

JM

Brief glimpses

Heysham obs
The f/imm black redstart showed v briefly at red nab before flying into power station grounds mid pm.

23 ringed plover Oe beach

15 twite, 6 linnet and 3 goldfinch plus male chaffinch nhw

Female Black Redstart reappears or just appears

Heysham Obs


Ocean Edge
Female Black Redstart along Ocean Edge foreshore just south of Red Nab mid afternoon (thanks Malcolm).  Suggest you walk the whole length of the foreshore round to the saltmarsh but please do not access on foot via the main gate - use the usual path through the nature park & park by the anemometer.  Ocean Edge is on annual closure at the moment and all traffic beyond the reception area is site maintenance work.  The main office is open however if you want to buy a caravan


North Harbour Wall
Finches increased during morning up to about 40 early afternoon including
Twite 15+
Goldfinch 12+
Linnet  8+
Chaffinch 1
also Robin and Dunnock
Med Gulls 3 Adults
Rock Pipit - 1


Harbour
Kittiwake 2 Adults & 2CY


No sign of any Guillemot


Heliport area
Ringed Plover 27, Dunlin 31, Knot 790, Turnstone 27, Oystercatcher 3,270, Redshank 310, Curlew 1


Middleton Model Boat Pond
Scaup 2CY Male
Little Egret
Pochard female