Brent movement on neap tides

Pale-bellied Brent (MD) Low water 12:00. High water 17:50. Tide height 7.2m.
11:00 There were c50 feeding amongst the rocks (position B on picture below) and just 3 on shallow water in corner of skeer (position C).
A walk on to skeer revealed that none were feeding in the previously favoured pool (just above and left of D), so I inspected it. There was little in the way of food remaining, just a few patches of closely cropped gut weed. It looks as if this pool was favoured for it's remoteness and has been stripped of available weed.
11:30 now 44 birds feeding in shallow corner (C) and none remaining on rocks (B).
A further 14 were feeding in the drain fed pool (top right of D). This pool is regularly brackish when it has been raining, this seems to be favoured by gut weed.
So a total of 58 - these should be showing well in front of play area (A) from 15:00 onwards today.

This picture was taken from the high point on path from Knowlsy Rd to the Childrens play ares.

A quick check at 15:45. The tide had reached point A and the geese were strung out in small groups from B to A, I didn't try to count them but certainly c50. 

On these neap tides, high water alone is not enough to flush them from this general area. Similar movement patterns should be repeated for the next two days, and possibly Thursday. By weekend, we are back to spring tides which are high enough to flush them from here, and hopefully on to Red Nab.

Better

Whooper swan 8 flying SE
Eider c51

Pale-bellied Brent 53 out from children's play area (PW and KW). By 15:00 the tide had pushed them close to wall. Unfortunately, they were then flushed by a dog. They flew north and returned 5 minutes later allowing this shot showing the pale wing bars on the juveniles.

They settled on water and fed in shallows, till they were flushed by another dog and flew off towards the south side.

The only ringed birds seen were the Canadian pair.

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Mute 11 adult + 5 juv
Gadwall 34
Wigeon 1
Teal 12
Mallard 4
Coot 2
Little grebe 1
Water Rail 2

Wind a nuisance, but doesn't provide

Brent goose - at 08:45 there were 11 pale-bellied on pool in the centre of Heysham skeer. Then at 09:00 a flock of c40 Brent flew in from west and landed and started feeding in rocks near the corner of skeer. By 10:00  (low water) the 11 were feeding on shallow water in the SE corner of skeer and the c40 still feeding in rocks. So there should have been c50 to be seen out from the play area as the tide came in. Unfortunately, the only known check was too late as the wind was already crashing waves up the sea wall.
Better conditions tomorrow should provide good views early afternoon (providing the birds oblige).

Eider c10

Nothing more interesting than Common gulls followed in the IOM ferry

Brent numbers reduce - tide height related?

Pale-bellied Brent 26 feeding out from children's play area on flooding tide (PM).They had gone by 13:00, possibly to Red Nab, not sure if anyone checked. This is still a high number for this area, but significantly down on the high counts on the +9m tides earlier in the week.

Mediterranean Gull 1 near play area.

Middleton Nature Reserve
Mute an additional 7 adult so 11 adult plus 5 juvenile
Gadwall 32
Coot 2

29th an 30th consolidation

Brent geese:
Thursday - out from children's play area (PW)
Pale-bellied Brent 60
Dark- bellied Brent 1
They flew south at 12:50 and all 61 birds were relocated on Red Nab. Later joined by an additional 2 pb (MD & PW).
They flew off in the direction of Pott's corner at 13:40

If not disturbed, the geese provide a good show close in to the sea wall at Red Nab.

Tomorrow's tide might just be high enough for them to feed at Red Nab, after that, diminishing tide height means that they are unlikely to be flushed from the children's play area (at least by the tide) for over a week.

Wednesday - out from the children's play area (MD)
Pale-bellied Brent 82
Dark- bellied Brent 1
There could easily have been more, accurate counting is difficult when they are feeding amongst the rocks.

They feed here long before the water reaches the rocks, but when it does activity is frenzied!

Rock pipits 1 Red Nab plus 1 Ocean Edge Salt marsh

Hopefully more later

.......... and grow

Brent geese (MD). A check on the skeer at low tide located at least 63 pale-bellied and 2 dark-bellied.
Pete W checked the birds feeding then waiting on water out from the children's play area.
Pale-bellied 86 
Dark-bellied 2

A late check at RedNab found only 10 pale-bellieed remaining. These flew off to Pott's corner when flushed by tide.
There were no Brent on the saltmarsh today.

Rock pipit 1

Hopefully more later

Brent numbers continue to grow

Pale-bellied Brent goose - (strangely only pale-bellied today). A new high count of 72 were feeding out from children's play area on incoming tide. (Ref Pete W). Then they waited on water till the tide was high enough for south side feeding areas to become available. Then flew off south at 10:50.
They skipped Red Nab (suspect there were people/dogs on the rocks as they arrived), but at least 70 of them went directly to the salt marsh and were still there at 12:15.

Also on salt marsh
Rock pipit 1
Stonechat 1

Red-Throated Diver 3 seen while waiting for IOM ferry

A quick check of Middleton Nature Reserve - late pm
Gadwall 35
Wigeon 1
Tufted 1 male
Teal 4
Coot 2
Little grebe 2 (one trilling)

Sunday

Brent Goose - Pete C recorded 29 pale-bellied and one dark-bellied out from the children's play area on flooding tide.
29 flew past Heysham Head, presumably on their way to Red Nab at 10:15.

18 pale-bellied plus 1 dark-bellied joined 9 others in Heysham Village bay. Late afternoon

Mediterranean Gull 1 adult (PC) near play area
Rock Pipit 1 near play area plus 1 at Half Moon Bay

Brent complete full circuit today

There was no odour of diesel at all today and still not any obvious sign of any damage. Hopefully we got away with it. We'll see.

Pale-bellied Brent goose - (MD). All the birsds seen today were pale- bellied. A full circuit of all the main feeding areas within the recording area were visited by the Brent, and there is nothing to suggest they won't follow a similar pattern tomorrow.
10:05: 55 flew in from the north past the wooden jettey towards Red Nab. Presumably they had been feeding out from children's play area till displaced by tide.
All 55 fed on Red Nab

Including the two Canadian ringed birds

10:45: They were displaced by the tide and all 55 flew to the partially covered salt marsh

They were still feeding there when I left at 11:15

14:00: Out from children's play area. The birds were waiting on the water for the outer rocks to become exposed. Two counts by different birders of 58 and 60
14:15: They moved in to feed amongst the rocks
14:40: By now the skeer was becoming exposed and all the birds flew there to continue feeding.

Middleton Nature Reserve - late afternoon
Barn owl - 15:15 one flew over the main pond bottom carpark towards the gun club.
Gadwall 37
Coot 2
Little grebe 1

Record Brent numbers - but erratic!

The smell on the shore today from the remnants of the diesel spill was much fainter. It reminded me of entering an engineering workshop, at first you can smell the lubricants but after a few minutes you don't notice it.

Brent Geese - (MD). There were none on Red Nab as the tide covered it. I wasn't expecting any. But I was expecting a repeat of yesterday's showing in front of the children's play area on ebbing tide. I checked at 13:30 and again 14:30. Nothing!

15:00 : They were all on the skeer.
Walking out I found 39 in this pool right in the middle of the skeer.

These are only a few of the 39 Brent on this central pool.

There were another 11 on the water near conger rock on south side. These were still visible when I reached the north side and found another 13 on the water. As I walked back the birds on the middle pool had split onto two pools one had 30 the other 14, so they had either been joined by 5 more birds, or I under counted on the way out.
So a total of 68 Brent geese. There could have been more as I was restricted as to where I walked so as not to disturb the ones I saw. At least 65 Pale-bellied, but these 3 on the left looked to be 2 adult and a juvenile Dark-bellied.

Couldn't locate Shag

Rock Pipit 1 on Ocean Edge salt marsh

Hopefully more later