A sad day

Allan Mackenzie, a stalwart of Heysham ringing, indeed held it all together for the most part, when he lived here in the 1980s is seriously ill in Furness General Hospital.  If you knew Allan, please get in touch soon if you want to visit

Velvet Scoter, Iceland Gull and Chough in the usual places, but the latter was also doing a lot of flying back and forth, including along the north harbour wall, calling a lot this morning - getting restless

Little Grebe - one Tim Butler pond
Mute Swan - 4 pairs
Gadwall - 18
Coot - now two
Teal - 5
No Pochard
Tufted D - 3
Skylark - 3 N

Buff-tailed Bumble Bee Middleton

Still here

The Eider flock was scrutinised from chapel on Heysham Head 4.5 hours before high tide to see if the Velvet Scoter had flown off with yesterday’s Common Scoter flock, but no it was still with its winter mates, the Eiders.

There was some vis overhead:
Skylark 8 N
Pied Wagtail 3
Siskin (heard not seen) probably about 5

And over the sea:
Whooper Swan 3 NE

The drake Goldeneye was closer inshore near the skeer where at least 3000 Oystercatchers we’re feeding.

The Chough was in the second field opposite Half Moon Bay cafe.

More news later.
JR

Ocean Edge and south wall (Malcolm)
Skylark - 3 NE
Stonechat - the usual female now on its own again on OE saltmarsh
Iceland Gull - 3CY outfall pre-tide

Ringing recovery - thanks to Mike Jackson
Herring Gull
Y:F47           2CY   30/6/17     Harewood Whin landfill, nr York  53 96N  1 17W 
Seen/photo              5/3/18       Middleton NR Lancs      110km WNW

Middleton NR (Janet and Southport birders).  Pics from Janet - thanks
Stonechat - migrant female

Iceland Gull - on model boat pond mid pm
Gadwall - fighting having lived amicably together all winter!

Teal - 8

Migrant scoter flock

Nothing today to show much happening with Middleton disappointing for Malcolm.  NNEW Shag or Iceland Gull - not searched for by locals today

Middleton NR
Pochard - 1
Gadwall - 18
Teal -  less than 10
<10 p="">Water Rail - 1
unringed Grey Wagtail
No Cetti's - (PM checked as well)

Half moon bay area
Chough in second field

Heliport mown today

Stonechat - male in first field 1/2 moon Bay

Knowlys Rd VP at start of tide c1000
Velvet Scoter - drake slightly apart from and further out than Eider - one wingflap (but did NOT float in with Eider past SJ)
Common Scoter - tightly packed flock of 28 seemed to be mostly males
Eider - 620
RB Merganser - 5
Great-crested Grebe - 3 

One loaf and five fishes?

The 3rd W Iceland Gull was at the waterfall this morning eating fish and other maritime bits and bobs, but a whole loaf of mothers pride type stuff finally tempted it within range for Janet's pics at the Middleton model boat pond this afternoon where it had been bathing and resting on the last remaining ice.  Thanks Janet.

Stonechat - male and female in the corner of OE saltmarsh
Rock Pipit - singles Red Nab and the end of the north wall
Skylark - 5 SE during the morning
Wigeon - 311 (Red Nab flock)
Turnstone - 74 wooden jetty, c10 heliport
Jack Snipe - one heliport flew down on to rocks
Snipe - minimum of 5 heliport
Chough - second field when looked for on and off
Shag - juvenile on wooden jetty at HT

No winter thrushes reported today and tide wrong for Eider/Velvet searches

Two ringed Herring Gull read on the ice at Middleton.  This 3CY is probably from York but haven't had it confirmed yet - note the Iceland Gull next to it.  Thanks Janet.

Seaduck review

With his intimate knowledge of the shore off Heysham, Malcolm went out on to the outer skeers, next to the Kent channel (don't think he quite needed a Cumbrian passport!) during a daytime low spring tide opportunity a few days ago. 

 1. This is a mile and a half out looking back from the southernmost end of the furthest channel (the gunnel) that you can reach from shore. It's looking back towards your vantage point on Knowlys road. You'll notice that the old waste pipe marker is in between, making this your line of sight out for Eider.

2. This is the view in the opposite direction, looking straight into the gunnel, where this group of Eider were feeding. I didn't see the Velvet Scoter, but there were three Scaup.  All the birds were feeding frantically just before the run stopped.  There were five groups of Eider about the size of those on the pic, all feeding where the water was running through sub channels. Plus loads of smaller groups. No divers and just one Merganser.

Some further thoughts:

 

Pic 1. This is similar picture to the one I sent earlier, looking back to Knowlys Road, but not zoomed as much. In this one you can see in the foreground what the sea bed typically looks like at this range. I.E. No living mussels, just empty shells and small clumps of honeycomb worm.

Pic 2. This shows the small islands of live mussels in the main channel (gunnel). The Oystercatchers were going into the water to access these before they were exposed, and avoid being harried by gulls. Obviously prime feeding area for mussels.

Pic 3. This is similar, but if you zoom in on the upper middle Oystercatcher flying away, you can see the size of the mussel they were "catching". They all flew away from gulls to eat elsewhere.

Pic 4. This is just another picture of where the Eider were feeding, but it makes sense now. They are feeding on smallish mussels that the force of the water through the channel is dislodging from the mussel island beds. That's why they congregate where the flow is strongest just to the south of the island. Every island in the flow had a group like this.
This will be the time of "easy feeding". I.E. Plenty of available food, you just have to be the first there. Hence the frantic feeding. Dislodged mussels not eaten will get washed further south and spread over a large area. Presumably this is the food source earlier in the ebbing tide or early in the flood tide.

Same stuff today:
Stonechat - 3 OE saltmarsh, one 1/2 moon bay
Chough - second field above 1/2 moon bay
Iceland Gull - on waterfall early morning pre-tide
Velvet Scoter - distant black blob floating in off the Stone jetty at 1009hrs
Mute Swan - just 4 Middleton
Gadwall - 19
Coot - 1
more Middleton stuff to add - left notes at Heysham NR!

Iceland visits the model boat pond

Good coverage today by Malcolm and Justine.

Iceland Gull - waterfall area late am then found on the model boat pond mid-pm - presumably because the freshwater bathing at red nab underwater?

ice on ice model boat pond

Chough - second field most of the day
Velvet Scoter - not seen : no late afternoon tidal check
Stonechat - 4-5 Ocean Edge/Pontins foreshore, female HM Bay
Golden Plover - 5 along beach by old Pontins site and at least two behind medical centre
House Sparrow - one collecting nesting material near Pontins!!
Water Rail - one in dyke near footpath between ocean edge and pontins
Rock Pipit - HM Bay
RB Merganser - 2 males and one female off Heysham head close inshore at HT
Fieldfare - two urban Heysham
Redwing - about 10 reported
Song Thrush - two OE saltmarsh, one HM Bay

Stonechat influx

Ocean Edge foreshore was quite a haven for waifs and strays today and held at least five Stonechat and other odds and ends

Chough - second field north of half moon bay am at least

Iceland Gull - 3rd W on new waterfall am at least
Velvet Scoter - ad drake seen from Knowlys road lower section at 1510ish in flight with Eider.  Note the specific time - from this site need to be there with scope about 1530 onwards tomorrow
Med Gull - ad Knowlys road roost but no sign (as would be usual; invariably leaves late Feb) of the Czech bird
Ringed Plover - 20+ Knowlys road field at HT

Ocean Edge saltmarsh and area

Thanks for these Janet - Malcolm put a lot of legwork in today and the fare along the coast south of here was zilch despite some nice flushes - it was all concentrated on the saltmarsh or caravan site edge

Stonechat - 5 (2 males)
Meadow Pipit - 2
Redwing - 15-20 (including HNR)
Linnet - 2
Rock Pipit - 1
Woodcock - one HNR
Jack Snipe - 4 OE saltmarsh
Snipe - out of usual area birds in sheep field and on HNR (2)

Survival of the fittest and a brand new waterfall

A few birds struggling today, notably a Redshank in the seawall roost at the heliport which keeled over, rolled down the slope and drowned.  What a way to go.  As can be seen below, quite a lot of displacement including the first Golden Plover and Fieldfare of the year

Knowlys Road lower section vantage point
The Eider were doing there usual fly back north in the latter stages of the tide and included two plain-winged scoter spp, presumably Common slightly further out than the Eider line.
Velvet Scoter - drake flew in along the Eider line about 1430, having just previously been located floating out

Half Moon Bay fields
Golden Plover - probably two different birds - IOY
Fieldfare 1 - also IOY
Negative on Chough despite being there c30 mins

Heysham NR
Woodcock - 2
Snipe - 2
Redwing - 15+

Ocean Edge area (Malcolm)
Saltmarsh
Full of birds, including:
1 female Stonechat
6 Redwing, 2 Song thrush, 1 Blackbird all grounded.

1 Skylark
1 Dunlin was very confiding, flew in to less than 2m from me to feed (see pic below)

Jack Snipe - c10
Common Snipe - 10
Ocean edge foreshore.
Stonechat - male new in

Red Nab
Song Thrush - 1

Harbour area
The gulls in the harbour, including Iceland, were feeding under the opposite waterfall. Presumably something has changed to allow this one to provide a food source. This is good news for visitors for two reasons:
1. It is much easier to see from inner harbour
2. Remains uncovered on all but the highest high tide
Location shot attached (the Iceland is on this)

Big three in place

Velvet scoter - seen 1400
Iceland gull - on waterfall mid pm
Chough - mid pm
Rock pipit - three scattered along coast

Heat haze from the east!

Velvet Scoter - fortunately wing-flapped late afternoon as the heat haze was bad from the north wall!
Chough - second field above the café mid am at least
Iceland Gull - south end of harbour lounging around most of the day
Stonechat - the females at Ocean Edge saltmarsh and half moon bay shore were still present
Rock Pipit - one Red Nab
Bar-tailed Godwit - 30 both yesterday and today off the north side

Pleas don't send in Black-headed Gull yellow TM1C which is hanging about the Iceland Gull area to the BTO or Polish ringing headquarters - its a Polish ringed bird and if you let me know you have seen it I'll pass on the ringing details and give the Poles a list of observations and recorders at the end of the winter when it will presumably clear off.  Thanks for the pic and latest report, Mark