A day for the sea defences

A high tide (10.5m) and high winds meant the waves were crashing over the sea wall in places, especially along the 'promenade' below the power station. 

Outfalls
Little Gull 3 x 2CY
Mediterranean Gull 1 x 3CY

Ocean Edge
Ringed Plover 25
Little Egret 1
Pink-footed Goose 1

North Harbour Wall
Mediterranean Gull 2 adults
No Twite (no food) but 3 Linnets later on.

Heliport
Ringed Plover 37

Middleton NR
Scaup 1
Jack Snipe 1
Mute Swan  4 adults, 7 juvs
Teal 21
Tufted Duck 20
Mallard 4
Pochard 6
Gadwall 9
Meadow Pipit 1
Pheasant 1


Mammals
Nature Park
Common Shrew

Harbour
Grey Seal

Before the deluge

A quick trawl round while it was dry revealed the following:

Outfalls
Little Gull 1 x 2cY

Harbour
Guillemot 2
Kittiwake 1 adult

North Harbour Wall
65 finches - a mixture of Twite, Linnet and Goldfinch.  Got halfway through counting Twite when the flock flew off so a minimum of 34 Twite

Ocean Edge
Snipe 21

Middleton NR - Model Boat Pond
Scaup 1 x 2CY
Pochard 4 male and 1 female

Then it poured down for the rest of the day.

Observers - PeteMarsh, Malcolm Downham

Meds and Twite

Heysham Obs

North Harbour Wall
All three adult Med Gulls showing well on the railings early afternoon.
50+ Finches around feeding area including
Twite 25+
Linnet 15+
Goldfinch 10+

Middleton model boat pond
Scaup 2CY male
Tufted Duck x 5
Pochard male

JM

Wigeon at the old jetty near the outfalls

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