Spring migrant trickle

Low double figures of Goldcrest and 4-5 Chiffchaff around this am with low double figures of Meadow Pipit and alba Wagtail overhead. 1 Grey Wagtail over and headed to sewage works.

Jay- 2 by Pagoda on Reserve.

Two Raven at the heliport area welcome - scarce recently

3CY Iceland Gull at the waterfall early am

106 Eider in the low tide channel

Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler on territory Middleton

Mammals:  Roe Deer - 2 crossed Heysham NR plateau at 10.30 from marshy area below old classroom.

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly - 1 seen in Reserve car park am

Four singletons of four species in the moth trap:  Diurnea fagella, Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, March Moth

Iceland Gull still in residence

Must like it here as quite a bit of the recent weather could be labelled 'departure conditions'

Completely dead, having said that, overhead today

Just 14 Snipe but no Jack Snipe OE saltmarsh

Male Wheatear (still?) in this area

60 Cormorants on the wooden jetty and 24 Turnstone on the lower deck

Common Quaker in the new moth trap

Spring trundles along and Iceland Gull lingers

Some good coverage by Janet and Malcolm today but unfortunately still struggling with logistics at Heysham NR and (eg as the visiting birder yesterday found) the office is still closed most of the time as there is only one key at present and regular migrant ringing and vis mig coverage has yet to get started

Ocean Edge afternoon

Just the one Wheatear seen today

Middleton am
22 Meadow pipits were grounded on/around field to east of Tim Butler. Drifted off north in three groups (8, 8 & 6).
1 burst of song from Cetti's in western scrape.
1 Buzzard
7 jackdaw (5 & 2) high to north
1 Gadwall
3 Tufted
2 Teal

Harbour
3CY Iceland Gull giving close views at last as it fed around the waterfall in the SW corner of the harbour this am.  This can actually be viewed with a telescope from the end of the 'Twite corridor', to save the long walk round, but best to check Fishers roof first

Decent mix

Iceland gull 3cy at waterfall early am then flew towards wooden jetty

Jack snipe - 3 oe foreshore

Chiffchaff - 2 middleton, one singing

Wheatear - male oe foreshore

Wheatear

Male Wheatear in the old sandworks

14 Snipe and single Jack Snipe Ocean Edge

No sign of Iceland Gull but gulls very unsettled

At least 7 Goldcrest HNR - definite migration

No evidence of overhead eg pipit passage in murky weather

Friday 10th March

Iceland Gull still present early am

8 Whooper Swan over Middleton and a further singleton seen from ferry (Malcolm & Stephen)

Iceland Gull and more Stonechat

The Iceland Gull was back asleep on Fishers roof this am (per Jean)

Three Stonechat were on Middleton western marsh this morning (one male) (per Malcolm)

Stonechat top the bill

Stonechat - male and female along recycling centre road
Iceland Gull - negative on two brief am checks
Cettis Warbler - singing central marsh
Thanks for the pics Janet:

tuesday : Iceland gull persists

Plenty of nice weather for it to call it a day but the Iceland gull was still asleep on fishers roof late morning

Singing male Cetti's warbler middleton fence pond

Other stuff not sent to me yet

Stonechat highlight

The Stonechat passage is getting going with some decent counts already south of here and today's is our second so far - another female, but this time on Heysham barrows

Iceland Gull - 3CY still Fisher's Roof
Red-throated Diver - one in wp quite close in feeding in a low tide riffle
Eider - c90
Stonechat - female Heysham barrows by old go kart track

Malcolm's email from Middleton (thanks)
Cetti's singing from western scrape this morning. I was really pleased! No other Cetti's singing from other areas, so perhaps this one has been having a reconnoiter and decided to return to its old haunt.
4 Reed Bunting, including one singing male.
Buzzard being mobbed by crows.
The pair of mute that claimed the "no swimming" pond, decided to oust the pair from the model boat pond last week. That leaves us with only two pairs and a vacated "no swimming" pond. I have gone down to the reed mace there a couple of times, but no sign of bittern.

Mute 2 pair
Coot 2
Moorhen 5
Little Grebe 1 ("no swimming" pond)
Gadwall 5
Tufted 3
Mallard 7
Teal 4
Water Rail 3
Common Snipe 6
Cetti's Warbler 1
Common Buzzard 1