Czech Med and Finches

North Harbour Wall

Brief visits over the last three days, to top up seed at the feeding station produced the Czech ringed Med Gull on each occasion. Also up to 45 Finches, just Goldfinch and Linnet, today comprising 23 Linnet and 11 Goldfinch

The only record to add to this lot is an adult kittiwake behind a delayed afternoon ferry on 1st January

Twite bonus

Heysham obs

The two coastal 10k squares were given their nominal coverage for the 10k square survey. In both cases WeBS data to be added for routine species when the count is carried out

SD36V.
Linnet - 22
Twite - once with Heysham site ring
Goldfinch -  8
Wren - 2
Dunnock - 1
Robin - 2
Pied wagtail - 1
Med gull - 1ad

SD35Z
Guillemot - one
Red-breasted merganser - 1
Great crested grebe - 3
Robin - 2
Wren - 1 (next to wooden jetty!)
Dunnock - 1
Magpie - 1
Carrion crow -  2

Other stuff: cormorant, wigeon, turnstone, curlew, oystercatcher,bar-tailed godwit, grey plover, redshank, knot, Dunlin, great black backed gull, lesser bb gull, herring gull, black headed gull, common gull, feral pigeon,

Cettis doubleton

Heysham Obs
The bad news for year listers is that I couldnt find any Guillemot.  The good news is that there were two Cetti's Warblers in Middleton central marsh this morning but very elusive.

Harbour area
Med Gull - Czech adult north harbour wall
Cormorant - 6 in harbour
Red-breasted merganser - male by waterfall

Middleton (thanks Malcolm)
Cetti's Warbler - 2
Tufted Duck - 9
Teal - 28
Water Rail - 2+
Coot - 1
Mute Swan - 2 pairs & 2 young
Pink-footed Goose - 20 S

Bits

Heysham obs
No coverage yesterday

Harbour area late pm
Pintail - 6 out
Mallard - 4 out (unusual)
Guillemot - 1
Dark-toned common gull - 2cy south (only seen briefly)

Monday 28th December

Heysham Obs
Med Gull fest!

Harbour area (thanks also to Malcolm)
Med Gull - three adults appeared behind the IOM ferry - two smaller ones together, including the NHW Czech bird, starting to get a bit of summer plumage and a very large bird in full winter plumage
Kittiwake - one adult very briefly behind IOM ferry
Guillemot - one near waterfall
Linnet - 8
Goldfinch - c30

Quiet warblers

Heysham Obs
A day for a long careful grilling of wetland nooks and crannies in perfect conditions

Loud and aggressive multiple dog (including Staffies and Alsatian) walkers set the agenda at Middleton with a polite request to keep their dogs to themselves met with abuse (especially the words 'old man'!!) and at least two other dog walkers seeing/hearing them and turning round and heading in the opposite direction.   Lots of minor complaints about this lot, especially from Red-veined Darter photographers, but most people seem to just head in the other direction for a bit of peace and quiet.

Middleton NR
Redwing - one
Cetti's Warbler - one called twice in central marsh
Wren - loads including six singing males!
Water Rail - 2+

Heysham NR wetland area
Chiffchaff - one seen a few times and called once alder woodland boardwalk area (collybita)
Goldcrest - just two - no crests at all by entrance gate
Woodcock - one
Water Rail - 1
Coal Tit - singing!!
As certain as can be no wintering Cetti's here

Boxing day haul

Heysham Obs
A few bits and bobs in the rain courtesy of Malcolm's efforts

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/harbour
1 common snipe
1 skylark (saltmarsh)
5 reed bunting
8 linnet
12 ringed plover
1 kingfisher (Red nab)
3 Great-crested Grebe
1 guillemot (harbour mouth)

Minimal

Heysham Obs
Very poor today with absolutely nothing, other than an adult Med Gull to attract any year listers!  We are about 6 key species down on 'normal', especially if the Guillemots have in fact gone and not having a session in the underground reservoir (no 'resident' Rock Pipit, Purple Sand, Shag, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Twite)

What we do have are a new habit - Cormorants roosting on top of the platforms by the waterfall - watch this space for being able to read ring numbers and storm-sheltering Great-crested Grebe with up to 5 inshore (thanks Janet)

 3,000 oystercatcher 500 knot 150 redshank 20 turnstone heliport roost today

Ad Med Gull on railings north wall.  Up to 9 Linnet and double-figures of Goldfinch on seed

No moths! (we do check)

Up to 40 teal, 5 Snipe and 7 Tufted Duck Middleton yesterday (thanks Malcolm)

Czech Med

Heysham Obs
Just the Czech Med along the north wall on the morning run; nothing obvious on the sea in 15 mins and common seagulls on Fishers roof.   Ferry not very productive - closely followed by Seatruck which then moored offshore and presumably 'held' most of the birds!  Just checked a few long range forecasts and its going to be mild and wildish right through until severe blizzards on 27th March!  Sandbags against the door if you are away this Christmas?

The IOM ferry link by the way is under 'Ben my Chree'

Sea 1200-1220
Pintail - 10 out (flock)
Kittiwake - 19 in very distant and 5 in probably associated with ferries
Great-crested Grebe - 5
Guillemot - 2

North wall
Czech-ringed Med Gull early morning
c25 'finches' but flighty

What is a high tide roost?

Heysham Obs
Please note the link to the midday IOM ferry details - sometimes the wake of this is quite productive, especially if wind/sea conditions are verging on cancellation, providing it hasn't passed an outbound ferry shortly beforehand!  Today produced 5 x adult Kittiwake and an adult Little Gull.   The map will also give general info on eg any incoming freight ferries but I think these are currently in darkness

Heysham Heliport wader roost.  Feedback from others would be good here.  It suddenly struck me this morning that a nice pleasant couple who flushed all the birds from the heliport, "hadn't noticed them" and were "not aware what a high tide roost was" were almost certainly from an inland location down south (certainly not local).   So the stuff we take for granted re-high tide roosts and low tide feeding areas will presumably have been very unfamiliar territory.  Still does not explain how they didn't notice 4,000 Knot and 4,500 Oystercatcher swirling about!  Or they were simply and very convincingly flat-batting what was a very conciliatory approach from me, allowing me to waste my breath carefully explaining the tidal cycle for these birds?  Most of the birds departed and the rest were soon given the heave ho by a jogger, but we don't expect joggers to notice anything, do we?

Come on Peel Energy, please get your act together re-fencing proposals - every time the roost starts to build up after a few days of grotty weather, it is seriously disturbed on the next "nice" day and the birds have nowhere else to go on the higher high tides nearer than Middleton saltmarsh or (if not wave-lashed) the Sunny slopes groyne.

Sea 0915-0945
Red-throated Diver - one out distantly
Kittiwake - tightly packed flock of five adults lifted off sea then re-landed
Guillemot - one in harbour

Ferry 1220ish
A lot of birds, some quite a way out
Kittiwake - at least 5 adults carried on into the Bay
Little Gull - adult slowly making its way out, perhaps not even associated with ferry