Unremarkable webs

Decent counts of routine species today but the oddities like med gulls and shag as well as the Brents were awol.

21 Snipe were forced off ocean edge saltmarsh but the tide is not high enough until tomorrow for Jack Snipe

No finch gangs by the office with feeding a bit hit and miss this week and only an unringed Robin of minor interest during a short ringing session

New WhatsApp

A new WhatsApp group has been set up covering the Lancaster and District BWS recording area which covers North Lancs down to Fluke Hall, south Cumbria up to the northern edge of SDs 48, 58 and 68 and that bit of North Yorkshire which comes into SD66 and 67 around Ingleton and the Benthams.  It doesn't cost anything and it doesn't mean you have to sell your soul to Facebook or the twitterati to be on it.  Just have an iPhone type thing, don't have the common retiree habit of keeping it switched off all the time to save the battery and be prepared to share your scarcity info like others share to you (+/-private land/sensitivity/breeding birds etc) 

All this above waffle is to cover up the fact no-one saw anything today with a cursory fruitless check of the harbour waterfall as good as it got

Goosander in the bag

A tricky Heysham year list species fell today when a drake  Goosander headed north close inshore

No scoter seen in careful search

Three Brent geese still present north of play area after tide dropped

As you were at Middleton with the Shoveler pair still in residence, 11 Mute Swan and six Meadow Pipit

Polish ringed BHG still by waterfall

Wednesday

the three Brent geese near the play area

Brents again

The three pale bellied Brent geese were on the inner shore as per yesterday’s post

Shag - 3cy harbour mouth
Grey Seal - one harbour mouth

These last two were seen whilst watching a birdless Ben into port

Low tide Brent located

Last winter the routine of the Brent geese, feeding at Heysham, was to feed on the north side, typically out from the children's play area just north of Knowlys Rd, until displaced by the higher tides. When they would move to Red Nab/Ocean Edge at high water.
This year they have only been seen at high water at Red Nab and Ocean Edge. The reason they have not been seen on the north side became clear today. They are feeding so close to the sea wall as to make them impossible to see from the normal vantage point on Knowlys Rd.

The first image below shows today's location of 3 pale-bellied Brent geese. This is just north of the play area. The birds are easily visible from the promenade, but surprising well camouflaged in this terrain.

This second picture shows the birds more clearly. Both pictures were taken at low water.

The Brent were still on the same rocks just before high water, finally being flushed off at 3:30 by a couple of dogs. They only flew as far as the skeer just out from Heysham village.

A Mediterranean gull (not the Czech ringed bird) was also on the shore at this time. The pictures below were taken from the NW outside corner of the children's play area.

This first one shows the Brent feeding, and the Med gull on far left. N.B. Pete has identified the Brent as being two adult birds with a juvenile.

This is the best (albeit grainy) picture of Med gull.

And finally the Brent moving on (MD)

The low tide channel revealed 240 Eider, but no Scoters today

Two Siskin caught by the office, one ringed elsewhere

Sunday

Adult Mediterranean gull on Red Nab

Rock Pipit - one near gate 38. Half Moon bay bird not showing

2 Reed Bunting Ocean Edge salt marsh

Saturday

Middleton Mature Reserve

The mute seem to have sorted themselves out into 3 pairs (main, Tim Butler & no swimming ponds). Plus the 4 immature on main pond.

Moorhen 8

Coot 1

Gadwall 21

Mallard 5

Tufted 3 (2m)

Shoveler 2 (m&f)

Teal 5

Common snipe 3

Meadow pipit 2

Red Nab - high water

3 pale-belied Brent geese 

Routine low tide channel

Reasonable visibility for a low tide seaduck etc count this am

Great crested Grebe - 7
Common Scoter - just one female
Eider - 240
Cormorant - 63
Rb merganser - 2

Later in the tide, the three PB Brent Geese materialised on Red Nab

Brent’s again

The three Brent geese were on red nab on the incoming tide

Ringing recovery
Grey Wagtail
Ringed - Middleton Nr 31.8.18 as Juv
Seen: Penwortham, Preston on 23/12/18 34kSSE