More Knot on the Near Naze

A small proportion of the Knot went on to the Near Naze today on the incoming tide and a few colour combinations (7) were read, but it was hopeless once they decided to settle and roost with three birds being in full view for ages standing on the wrong one leg!   This one is a bit of a mystery but I'm sure the international team will have it sorted soon!

Brent Goose - two pale-bellied on Red Nab outer section at 1130hrs

Rock pipit 1 near Lighthouse

Buzzard 1 on fence in field west of recycling centre

Merlin works wonders, and.......good news!

Rock Pipit with sea slater at harbour mouth - thanks Kevin

Merlin 1 male - spooking the knot this am leading to a chunk landing on Near Naze with one Dutch flags, one Formby Pt flag and two Icelandic flags read


Heysham skeer low water 16:00
Pale-bellied Brent goose - 65 originally feeding in the bay just east of conger rock (this bay is just to the left of C ref 3/2/20 post). They later moved to the drain fed pool on skeer (D).
Eider c20
And the good news......
Shag 1 resting on rock on south side, before flying off south.

Not much of a picture, but good to see the recent diesel spill didn't drive it away from the area (or worse). Presuming, of course, that it is the same long staying bird.

Brent scraping the bottom of gut weed barrel!

Sub title - Seafront Views

Pale and Dark-bellied Brent geese. (MD)

The Brent seem to have exhausted the gut weed easily available on these neap tides. i.e. Doesn't rise high enough to reach the weed near the sea walls or go out far enough to access the main supply in the corner of skeer.

A total of 83 Pale-bellied and 1 Dark-bellied were located today in two visits.

10:30 there were at least 20 feeding amongst the rocks between positions A and B (see post 3/2/20). These were quickly joined by two groups of 6 and 5 flying in from west.

They circle around before landing.

A second check at 15:00 (actually a fruitless check for the "missing" Shag) found 45pb trying to get into the corner of skeer (position C).

Unfortunately, the combination of landing a dinghy and a dog walker eventually proved too much.

They flew to the drain fed pool on skeer (position D). But they didnt feed in pool, instead they scraped for the meagre pickings around the pool. This gave me a chance to inspect 90 legs. Not one ring. They remained in this area after I left, and must have been getting enough food as they didn't return to corner even when they were left alone.

I then noticed that there were more geese in front of the children's play area (position A). But they were not feeding. Then, presumably after a reasonably undisturbed interval they scurried further inshore and started feeding.

The children's play area can be seen in the background.

All the birds seen were Pale-bellied, with the exception of this juvenile Dark-bellied

The inevitable dog walker eventually flushed them, revealing a total of 39

They flew to the corner (position C) where they were still feeding when I left, as were the birds on the skeer.

Pink-Footed goose c100 north 11:00

Tuesday:
A circumnavigation of the Power Stations perimeter, in the vain hope of locating the elusive (gone?) Black Redstart, managed only a single Rock pipit.

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)