Elusive Chough

Seen 3pm below the high cliffs (thanks John) but not earlier by people scouring the place

Med Gull - ad following IOM ferry
Eider - 810 offshore - scattered with four main concentrations
Great-crested Grebe - 2 offshore and one harbour mouth
Stonechat - female below low cliffs
Snipe - one flushed from Heysham barrows!
Jackdaw - at least 8 horse paddocks

Anyone year listing on NYD!!  The one time it might be worth hugging a hide or better still car potatoing eg afternoon seawatch?  Heysham (thanks XC):

Whooper in harbour!

Bit of a novelty, especially this time of year - usually a spring and autumn passage migrant.  No obvious sign of the Chough today in the southern section at least.  One of the adult male Eider which was almost certainly off here earlier was seen floating in the choppy water past the Stone Jetty and was flashing an orangy bill as it bobbed up and down whilst floating in but there was no evidence of any 'sails'.  Watch this space when it goes calm.

Whooper Swan - adult in the harbour mouth

 Stonechat - female still half moon bay

Meadow Pipit - one half moon bay

Thanks to Janet for the second and third, no prizes for guessing who took the first

Christmas Day aerobatics

The Chough was doing figure of eights and generally enjoying itself along its territory along Heysham Head this am

Female Stonechat also there

Thanks Malcolm for the info

Shag reappears?

Either one very elusive 1cy shag around this last month or a scattered series of day trips from the 'pool' around walney

Chough - seen 0840 and 1230 above half moon bay
Shag - flew south close inshore past near naze at 1230

Brents reappear

Another dull misty day

Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult on the NHW
Brent Goose - Presumably the missing two flew past Caroline and Nick at 1/2 Moon Bay and I located them on Red Nab - one definitely pale-bellied, the other a 'shampoo view'
No reports of Chough despite Malcolm doing a dawn undercliff walk to try and locate the roosting site

Frantic Fog

A few bits were seen as it cleared, including the Chough location below the tall cliffs

Snipe - possibly as many as 56 on the rocks between Near Naze and the café
Chough - located below the tall cliffs (see 16/12 posting) during the mid afternoon and it certainly did not visit the other more open sites prior to that
Stonechat - mobile female along the barrows/headland
The first (and last?) Magpie of the year was ringed by the office!

Yaffling consolation

Wet and warm and misty again today and the Brent Geese seem to have been spirited away and the Chough presumably/hopefully having a day off from the spotlight 

Middleton NR
Green Woodpecker - calling
Cetti's Warbler - western marsh bird singing
Water Rail - 3+

North wall
Czech Med Gull - ring seen and confirmed

Heliport roost
Snipe - 15
Ringed Plover - a creditable 42
Turnstone - similar to the other day - 69
Little Egret - 2
Redshank - 390
Oystercatcher - 5500
Dunlin - 18

Red Nab and area
Redwing - lost bird on rocks below wooden jetty - misty confusion rather than a cold weather movement!
Wigeon - at least 250

Great White Egret adds to the mix

Birding not easy today especially when cloudy weather with fog changed to sunny weather with even denser fog around lunchtime!

Great White Egret - one flew low to the west over Middleton NR at 1053 hours but could not be relocated on the coast
Chough - on pager for midday in the fields above half moon bay and reported by dog walker mid afternoon below the cliffs
Stonechat - female below cliffs at half moon bay
Jack Snipe - one flushed whilst checking mist net rides Middleton western marsh
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - two alternating between Red Nab and Ocean Edge saltmarsh channel
Med Gull - Czech adult around anglers north harbour wall

NHWall feeding area - just 4 goldfinch and 2 linnet.

Chough and Brents still

Half Moon Bay
Chough - in the fields then at its hidey hole below the low cliffs
Stonechat - female

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Pale-bellied Brent - two
No Stonechat
Snipe - 14

Decent mid-winter fare in the morning

Coverage from Malcolm - thanks

 

Just did two short circuits, first round Half Moon Bay:

Chough calling from Sheep field direction, but didn't see it. 10:10 (see in am by dog walker in same area)

1 Stonechat (female)

3 Red Breasted Merganser (2 males)

31 Pinkfoot (north)

 

Then Ocean Edge and Red Nab

Pale-bellied Brent Goose - oddly just two today

 

39 Common Snipe

1 Jack Snipe

1 Stonechat (female type - but darker than HMB bird) pic attached

 

c20 Linnet