Wader checks and anglers going through the motions

Heysham Obs
No sign of any Purple Sandpiper today in coverage which saw:
Turnstone - 58 on wooden jetty
Ringed Plover - 28 on heliport
Oystercatcher - 4000 heliport

Fishing
30 anglers, two codling and a flounder - the cod bonanza seems to be over

Success! (for some)

 

Two short sessions

Heysham Obs

North harbour wall
Twite 4, Linnet 12, Goldfinch 2

Model boat pond
Pochard male, 6 Tufted Duck and increase in Lesser Black-backed Gull

Moth
Melanistic Dotted Border

Undisturbed heliport roost for a change

Heysham Obs

The view from the top of the Heliport with waders spilling over from the wall.

The heliport roost was not 'dog-walked until at least high tide today and this allowed 4000 Oystercatcher and 800 Knot to roost

No finches this morning on the NH wall

Congested NHWall

Heysham North Harbour Wall
Notwithstanding 4 cars, 1 large four-track and a camper van and some chatting fishermen, a decent finch flock of 40+ birds arrived and the majority dropped onto the feeding area. We were not able to fire the net since some were standing on the furled net. However, they flew and a reasonable proportion returned allowing 12 birds to be caught:

Twite - 11 including 4 retraps and 7 new birds.  Of the new birds 4 were probably adults - a high proportion.
Linnet - 1

Offshore
Kittiwakes - 7 flew into the Bay at 0830hrs
Hybrid crow, unfortunately not a "pure" hooded crow, flew into the Bay at 0840hrs

Heysham Reserve
No sight or sound of the Cetti's Warbler around lunchtime.

Near Naze
Knot - 800 at high tide

Red Nab
Oystercatcher - 1087 at high tide

Heysham One outfall
Wigeon - 170 at low tide

Other areas
Jay - 3 were seen flying to the NE over Trumacar Store at 08.30


ajd

Twitching the patch

Heysham Obs

Nothing much to report from me (Jean) - 155 Eider in the low tide channel.  Twitched the 3 Pochard at the Model Boat Pond on Middleton NR

Raven - this was the best bird seen today in recent context when it has suddenly become very difficult to see - purposefully south over Heysham NR at about 0840hrs

Med Gull - Czech adult north wall but just one Twite seen today.

Green Woodpecker shows well

Heysham Obs
A bit of a quiet (!) vigil by the dipping pond area for an hour produced great views of Green Woodpecker before it headed off over the golf course - gave four yaffles.   No sight nor sound of the Cetti's Warbler but it may have been up at the reed-bed end.  Ten species in song:  Blue Tit, Great Tit, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Wren, Song Thrush and (sort of) Goldfinch

Middleton NR (Justine)
Grey Wagtail - P/Y colour-ringed bird seen
Pochard - now 3 males
Pheasant - SEVEN on Middleton - the most for ages (2 male)

North harbour wall
9 unringed Twite caught

Moth trappers take note:  a woodland actinic trap in the Lune valley this morning contained 80 moths - near the place that had over 1000 Mottled Umber on 17th Dec last year!

Small scale spring activity

Heysham Obs
Not sure what you call someone with a big lens, no binoculars or telescope and a loud tape of singing male Cetti's Warbler?  Cant find it in Bill Oddie's Little Black Book. 

Heysham NR
Good coverage by Ian today - thanks.  He arrived after the abovementioned and no sight nor sound of the Cetti's Warbler today but the first Snipe on HNR of the season

Middleton and south foreshore area (thanks Malcolm)
2 adult + 6 2CY mute
7 moorhen
1 pochard (m)
16 tufted
6 mallard
2 gadwall (pair)
5 teal
1 skylark (flushed)
1 pheasant (m)
1 little egret on OE.
113 wigeon
Cormorant on waterfall.

SD35Z
Great Tit - one by Gate 38 - mega - almost as unlikely as Fair Isle!
Song Thrush - one by Gate 38 - wintering bird from NHW or new arrival?

North harbour wall
Twite - 15
Chaffinch - female
At least 25 other finches, possibly including more Twite
Eider - 175+

Water Rail twitch

Heysham Obs
Busy today, but one of us 'needed' Water Rail for the year and it duly performed around the dipping pond. 

Middleton NR
Model Boat Pond:
Gadwall - 2prs
Tufted Duck - 4M, 3F
Mallard - 2prs
Mute Swan - 6 juvs
Moorhen - 1
Grey Heron - 1

Tim Butler Pond
Teal - 2M, 1F
Moorhen - 1

No Swimming Pond
Tufted Duck - 2M, 4F
Mute Swan - 2ad
Moorhen - 1

Fence Pond
Moorhen - 1

Other species of note (perhaps?): Kestrel 1

12th February

Heysham Obs
Cetti's warbler showing from the boardwalk this morning but no other news today

Mallard fest

Heysham Obs


Heysham NR
Mallard - pair and single male in Heysham NR marsh
Cetti's Warbler - started calling briefly in response to flushing the pair of Mallard - between the boardwalk and the dipping pond along the stream
Water Rail - 1


North Harbour wall
Small catch of finches surprisingly comprised four unringed Linnet, three unringed Goldfinch, one retrap Twite with previous 2014/5 history, another retrap not seen this winter and one new bird


Moths
New Dotted Border