Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Today's title will only mean anything to those of you who were brought up with two, black and white, tv channels. Apologies if you have had problems viewing images on this blog recently. Hopefully the problem is now resolved - we'll see.

The returning Whitethroat have been particularly ellusive so far this year. It took Kevin 10 minutes trying to get a decent shot of this Lesser Whitethroat near dog walk. As he says, the bird won!

This Grey Heron is taking advantage of the significant wetland enhancement undertaken at Heysham Nature Reserve this winter. This picture by Janet is from the gondola hide.

Low water edge out from Half Moon Bay
Sandwich tern 2 in
Whimbrel 2 plus 1 in, later 5 were on the skeer edge.

There are 4 Whimbrel in middle foreground here, but not easy to see. Species confirmed with calls as well as visual. Open image in "a new tab" to get a slightly better view.

Picture of a Little Egret - just because I like it (MD)

And finally, the Great Black-Backed gull came to pick up what was left of yesterday's supper (see yesterday's post). Fortunately two tides with the shrimps and crabs left the flounder light enough to be carried away tonight.

Some come, some go

 The early NE breeze strengthened and shifted more to east as the day progressed. Still warm in the sun.

Middleton Nature Reserve - morning
Mute 2 pair
No geese this morning.
Coot 3 adult plus 2 chicks
Moorhen 6
Tufted duck 1 pair
Gadwall 2 male
Mallard 1 pair
Little Grebe 2 seen

Warblers - all the following seen and or heard: Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sedge (2), Cetti's (3), Lesser Whitethroat (1), Common Whitethroat (3). Still no sign of Grasshopper warbler here, surely can't be long.

Heysham Nature Reserve - morning
Butterflies abounded on this reserve, which is largely protected from the wind. Including: Orange Tip, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Speckled Wood.

Exercise walks at the reserves, are about taking pleasure from the nature around you (MD) -  Wren and Jay pictures by Janet.

Low water shore line out from Half Moon Bay
Red-Breasted Merganser 9
Great-crested grebe 2
Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

This Great Blak-Backed gull had found this flounder (probably discarded as "too large to swallow" by a cormorant). It wasn't for sharing it!

 

Knot.
There wasn't much of the skeer showing, but quite a decent area of it was covered by c4,000 Knot. They were not feeding, they just stood as they do at roost. Then as the tide moved them on, they formed one dense flock. After a spot of murmurating, they gained height until the flock became just a smudge, then disappeared. It would seem that they were moving on.

This gives an idea of how dense the flock was before it gained height.

Whitethroat arrival draw

 Today's breeze came from the NE, still warm and sunny though.

No terns seen/reported today.

Grasshopper warbler - another, or possibly the same as yesterday's bird, in bush to east of woods near Half Moon Bay cafe 09:00. No sign when it was checked later. None singing on Middleton or Heysham reserves.

Sedge Warbler 1 singing Heysham reserve

Middleton Nature Reserve - morning ref Kevin
Lesser Whitethroat 1 singing
Common Whitethroat 1 singing
Both above are the first reported this year
Canada goose 2
Shelduck 1

Red Nab area - early evening

Knot 4,500

Little Egret 3 in off the sea

House Martins 2 north

The spring weather has been good for butterflies. At the moment, even a short walk locates one or more of the following:

Peacock

Comma

Brimstone

Small Tortoiseshell 

Speckled Wood

Orange Tip

Male and female Orange Tips by Janet - Thanks

Grasshopper Warbler arrives

An almost breathless misty start to the day. Later a westerly breeze picked up. Sunny.

Grasshopper warbler - 08:00 one singing from bush near Half Moon Bay cafe. First of the year, but probably missed some. No reports from Middleton.

Sandwich tern - 07:30 at least 5 (2, 2, and 1) feeding out from Half Moon Bay. Difficult to tell exactly how many as they kept disappearing into the mist.

There is nothing dainty about the feeding method of a Sandwich tern.......

But it is effective - got one (MD)

Curlew - 16:40. Flock of 60 birds high from SE headed into bay

Some of the 60 curlew

Rock Pipit - both the Heysham Head and Harbour pairs are territorial, and one of the Harbour birds seen taking nest material to nest hole in harbour wall.

Greylag geese - for the past week Janet has been reporting a pair around the general area, but always just outside the recording area. Today, they came in for...

.....a paddle in Half Moon Bay

No.2 outflow back in operation

No.2 outflow has only been a trickle for the past six weeks. Today it was back to full flow, and seeming to be providing plenty of feeding opportunity for the gulls.

Thanks for the picture Kevin - let's hope this activity attracts passage birds.

Reports from the outer bay of Sandwich Terns, unfortunately we didn't have any observers in the right place at the right time to see if they came this far (I know Pete was chaffing at the bit, but he is abiding by the lockdown requirements).

The beach out from the Red Nab area was deserted except for one small group of Dunlin and Grey Plover, some turning to summer plumage.

I do like it when a bird makes an effort to identify itself (MD)

Middleton Nature Reserve - late morning
Everything was much more subdued today, the honking Canada Geese were absent, only one each Cetti's and Sedge warbler heard singing. Still plenty of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap about, but not quite so many and no territorial squabbling.
Tufted - just the male showing today........

Little grebe:
There was again just one each feeding on the main pond and the "no swimming" pond. Then a second bird came out from below the bushes on water line of the "no swimming" pond. The feeding bird immediately flew over to it, and appeared to "chastise" it. The second bird then returned to whence it came - looks promising

Back to winter plumage

Today's title refers to the observers, not the observed. A very cold NE wind meant  digging out the woolly hats and gloves that had been stored away for summer.

A 'guest appearance' from out in the sticks by Pete.  Thanks to people who have the Obs area within their daily exercise range - Shaun, Malcolm, Kevin and Janet.  Thanks very much to Malcolm for coordinating daily sightings.  If the CNC and Harbour police are reading this, please go easy on any birders who might be (safely) stopping and staring at the sea during their exercise period - the big spring seabird passage is coming up - see for example the daily log for 10th May last year.  Thanks.

Two interesting recent ringing recoveries:

Grey Wagtail 
Ringed:   Middleton NR as a juv on the rather late passage date of 7/10/14
Seen:  Warton saltmarsh, River Ribble estuary     25/1 and 22/2/15
Seen: as a female of a pair      Blackpool North Shore    4/4/20

Has this been in the Fylde all the time since ringing and recorded wintering by Ian Walker and latterly with potential local breeding status by Stephen Dunstan?    A long gap of 'invisibility' between the last two sightings!

Knot 

JL	Ringed	Altcar, Merseyside	22/09/2017
SR77260	Seen	Leighton Moss	14/4-18/4/18
	Seen	Griend, NETHERLANDS	02/08/2018
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	3/2-4/2/19
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	08/02/2020
	Photo	Heysham old Heliport	07/03/2020
	Photo	Heysham old Heliport	09/03/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	11/03/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	21/03/2020
	Seen	Terschelling, NETHERLANDS  53 22N 5 17E	11/04/2020

			0

 
It was quite probably ringed as a 1CY in 2019 which might have explained the Leighton Moss sightings whence it presumably didn't go via Holland to Greenland!   What its doing this spring may be a 'dog leg' migration via Holland, Porsanger (NW Norway) and then Greenland.  In this respect, no history of Icelandic sightings - favoured as the more direct route stop-over

Only records so far are from my (MD) stroll along the low water tide line out from Half-Moon Bay this morning.
Eider 25
Great-Crested Grebe 5
Red-Breasted Merganser 15
Sandwich Tern - 2 in 11:30

Middleton noisy!

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Lots of warblers were singing, calling and squabbling this morning. Two observers took their exercise  here (SC and MD). Records were not aggregated unless obviously different birds, so totals represent minimum number).

Cetti's warbler - Shaun again located all 5 singing males.

Sedge warbler - 2 together in central marsh, one singing. Later, 1 singing (likely same male) from east end of fence pond.

Willow warbler 20

Chiffchaff 7

Blackcap 7

Swallow 5 north

Buzzard 1 west

Wildfowl

Mute 2 pairs

Canada Goose 2 (again on main pond and significantly adding to the noise!)

Moorhen 8

Coot 2 plus only 2 chicks seen today

Tufted 2

Mallard 2

Little grebe 2 (hopefully the missing 2 sitting)

Red Nab area

Wheatear 2

Little change

Knot - the rings read yesterday of the influx of 16,500 birds all proved to be new. Confirning, what their behaviour suggested (many  sitting not standing), i.e. they had just stopped for a rest in their migration.
No reports received yet of how many roosted today. Any opportunity to check for colour rings by local exercise walkers would be helpful.
When - while the tides are still high (till Monday, perhaps Tuesday).
Time - about an hour before high water
Location - Near Naze,  the heliport surface and seawall.
Check for - Either yellow with code, orange with code (most regular) or four different colours two on each leg with an additional flag on one leg - just need the order and name of colours and which leg is which.
Method - Scope or camera needed
Thanks, if you give it a go. Even if no rings seen or read, an estimate of roosting numbers would be helpful.

Visible migration
Still a trickle of Meadow pipits c20/hr, Alba Wagtails c10/hr and Swallow 10 seen/reported during day.

Middleton Nature Reserve
Willow warblers and Chiffchaff are still plentiful, but Blackcap numbers reduced only 2 seen/heard. The only other warblers were the Cetti's, at least 2 heard.
Water Rail - I heard, hopefully indicating breeding.
Pheasant - there seems to be at least 3 males on territory

Low water channels
Pretty much as yesterday, but Shag was not seen/reported
Black-Tailed godwit 2 north plus this 2cy on beach

A good variety, but nothing new

Heysham skeer - low water 08:20
Shag 1 feeding on noth side
Great-Crested Grebe 6
Red-Breasted Merganser 16

These are part of a feeding group of 9 Mergansers on north side, there was a similar group of 7 on south side.

Meadow pipit north c60 in an hour

Half Moon Bay shore
Wheatear 2
Rock pipit 3, at least 1 resident
Swallow 5 north

Old Heliport area
Knot - 16,500 gathered on mud out from Near Naze as the tide was rising. Unfortunately spooked by someone walking along the heliport wall. At least 4,000 returned to south
Meadow pipit 30 in an hour
Alba wagtail 10 in an hour (both Pied and White)

Red Nab area
Mediterranean gull 1. 2cy with common gull on tideline off red nab - a really poor ‘mask’ and not obvious

Middleton Nature Reserve
Cetti's warbler - Shaun located all 5 singing males Mid morning (see yesterday's post). Plus:
Blackcap  8 singing + 2male & 1 female
WIllow warbler 7
Chiffchaff 4
No sign of yesterday's Sedge warbler. By the evening only one Cetti's singing.

Little grebe 2 each on main pond and no swimming pond
Coot the no swimming pond now have three chicks.

A face only a mother could love!

Sedge warbler singing

 Another warm sunny day, relatively calm early on but east breeze increased late morning.

Swallows - first one seen through Heysham 07:00, numbers increased during morning. A total of at least 18 seen/reported by 12:00.

Thanks for picture Janet

Heysham Nature Reserve

Willow Warbler, Chiichaff and Blackcap singing.

Water Rail calling
Speckled wood butterfly- in wooded area near Red Nab. Janet had one on HNR 6/4

Thanks Kevin

Red Nab area

Wheatear 1

Rock pipit 1

Middleton Nature Reserve

Covered by three observers taking their exercise here (Shaun, Janet and Malcolm), fortunately spread from early to late morning.

Early on there were just Willow Warbler, Chiichaff and Blackcap singing.

One of Willow Warbler singing - thanks Janet

By mid morning at least one Cetti's warbler was also singing. By 11:45 there were 5:

Western marsh

Central marsh - fence pond

Central marsh - north side, near brick building

No swimming pond

Tim Butler pond

Also by 11:45 there was a Sedge warbler singing at "no swimming" pond. This area was checked by both earlier observers.

Buzzard 1 blogging on eastern boundary

Kestrel 1 very high west

Gadwall 2 pairs

Tufted 1 pair

Coot 2