Happy New Year

A short visit today to cover SD36V for the 10km square survey and hope the area held something like a Snow Bunting

No such luck but a couple of half decent sightings:
Red-throated Diver - one flew out on the incoming tide
Med Gull - Czech bird did one patrol of the north wall
Linnet - 8
Great-crested Grebe - 3

Model Boat Pond
Mute Swan - bit of a battle as three extra adults were soon chased off by the resident pair and four young
Gadwall - 5
Pochard - the male makes the year list
Tufted Duck - 4
Mallard - 2
Little Egret - 1
Decent turnover of seagulls but nothing of note in 30 minutes

Waxwings

 Five Waxwing were seen by Peter in Plover Drive (Mossgate estate) area late morning. These flew off in the direction of the bypass, but could not be relocated.
Czech ringed Mediterranean Gull on North wall

183 Wigeon remained at Red Nab at high tide (some had already flown out).

Watched tide (9.27m) cover Ocean Edge salt marsh.
91 Common Snipe
2 Jack Snipe
3 Linnet
MD

Heliport highish tide count (unsuitable for consultants - only 20 minutes allocated)
Ringed Plover - 43
Redshank - 175
Turnstone - 31
Oystercatcher - 4100 (block 50s and about 600 flew off from near naze south)
Knot (careful count) - 920
Dunlin - c60
Lapwing - 15

28th Dec - 2nd Warbler

The very last bird of the winter bird survey of Middleton Nature Reserve was a Chiffchaff (collybita). This was not far from where yesterday's Cetti's was signing in the western scrape - no sign today.
Also at least 3 water rail squealing.
MD

27th Dec - Cetti's song

The first half of the winter bird survey on Middleton Nature Reserve included a brief burst of song from Cetti's warbler in the western scrape. This, I believe, is the first confirmation of Cetti's here since mid autumn.
Goldcrest on eastern boundary of golf club.
Also
Gadwall 5
Mallard 6
Pochard 1
Tufted 5
Teal 34
Little egret 1
Jack snipe 1
MD

Ferry fare

The Ben my chree was followed by:
Kittiwake - 1ad and 3 1CY - these continued into the bay
Med gull - 2ad

Gull turnover

There is a pretty decent turnover of gulls on the Middleton model boat pond with at least 70 in and 70 out in just 25 minutes, including at least 40 large gulls.

 North wall
Med gull - ad floating about

Model boat pond
Pochard - 1 mae
Rest of stuff in reduced  numbers with one gadwall, 4 tufted duck

Stationary technology

We're really high tec birders at Heysham, so I checked my IPhone ferry finding link at 1130hrs to see a little toy boat (the Ben My Chree) on a map somewhere off Fleetwood.  Peered out there but could not see it.  Then checked the interactive map ten minutes later, but it hadn't moved.  It transpired it was sitting it out until low tide in the rather dodgy conditions.  No chance of a procession of seabirds behind it.  Hope the passengers are fit to eat Christmas dinner.

Sea on and off late morning
Little Gull - one ad seaward end of outfalls briefly
Kittiwake - flock of 5 adult in
Razorbill - two out as soon as I got there (Suggesting some earlier?)

Middleton model boat pond
Gadwall - 3 (2 male)
Mute Swan - 3 1CY
Tufted Duck - 8
Pochard - drake

Interestingly all the seagulls flew and all the wildfowl went on alert when two nags went through the car park - I think it was the high vis jacket as thought they would have been used to these by now

Ducks consolidate

Middleton Nature Reserve
The increasingly aggressive mute have cleared the "no swimming" pond of ducks. All except the teal and an odd mallard are now on the main pond.
2 adult mute ("no swimming" pond)
4 juvenile mute (main pond)
8 tufted
1 pochard
5 gadwall
20 teal (Tim Butler pond)
4 mallard
1 little egret

2 roe deer
MD

Brief visit

ad kittiwake and ad med gull behind IOM ferry lunchtime

Pochard present

Middleton Nature Reserve
A male pochard has joined tufted on main pond. This is, I think, the first record this winter.
6 Tufted duck
1 Pochard
6 Gadwall
5 Mallard
4 Teal
1 Little egret
2 Pheasant
24 Redwing
47 Pinkfoot (south)
MD

Earlier 62 pinkfoot north