Plenty of Chiffchaff and a belated Comma

The quite fresh SW wind continues, the sea is already quite well developed and the winds are forecast to be much stronger overnight. Rain early on stopped by mid morning, after that plenty of sunshine with the odd shower.

South shore

Chiffchaff  2 singing in the wooded area behind Red Nab 08:15

Wheatear at least 3. One on Red Nab at 08:30, but not at 09:30. One in the corner of foreshore at 09:45 and 10:15 (same bird) and another on Red Nab 10:30. Kevin saw two on Red Nab at lunchtime, one of these had brownish wings, not the clean black of the morning birds, so definitely at least one additional bird.

This is the slipway Wheatear showing tail detail

This one on the rocks (concrete) just south of Red Nab

Rock Pipits 3 (Red Nab, Lighthouse and Waterfall)

Shelduck 27

Wigeon 16

Grey Plover 1, presumably the lame bird, resting on the saltmarsh 

Jack Snipe 1. This was at high water, but today's tide of 8.4m isn't enough to cover the marsh. I accidentally flushed it, but it was on the track around the saltmarsh, where ground water is seeping through. But the tides are rising quickly now, Sunday (9.6m) should be high enough, then more or less all next week.

This is Fishers building in the inner harbour. Its roof was extensively used by
gulls for roosting and nesting. I say "was" as the roof and wall panels are no more.
I don't know if the whole building is to be dismantled or if the panels are to be replaced.
Watch this space, perhaps literally!

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Mute swan 9 on the main pond including 3 juvenile, plus two nesting pairs on other ponds.

The aggressive male has cleared the "no swimming" pond of everything except a Moorhen.
It came over to challenge me, so I took this shot of his ring 4BAT (I've got his number now! MD)

No Coot seen today

Moorhen just 3 individuals seen

Mallard 3

Common Snipe 1

Chiffchaff at least 6

Goldcrest at least 1

This over wintering Comma is actually from Wednesday.
Kevin saw it along the dog walk path.

Avocets!

The fresh SW wind continues. Overcast for most of the day with a few light showers. A few sunny spells towards evening.

Pete managed an hour sea watching 07:20 - 08:20

Avocet 2 - flying south over the sea with a small flock of Curlew. Avocets are not recorded here every year.

Gannet 1 adult

Red-Throated diver 2

Common Scoter 4

South shore 

Wheatear 1 male on foreshore then Red Nab at 10:00. Later Alan Larsen saw 1 male on Red Nab then the rocky foreshore to the south, possibly the same bird.

Rock Pipits 6 (1 foreshore, 1 Red Nab, 2 lighthouse, 2 waterfall - the lighthouse birds not seen earlier, but were on territory when Alan checked)

Nothing else on the roundhead scrub reported today.

Shelduck c60

Wigeon only 4 seen

Heysham skeer - low water 15:45

Eider were well spread but at least 50

Wigeon 4 (2+2 both pairs left quickly south)

No Great Crested grebe seen

Red-breasted Merganser just 2 seen

Redshank routinely swim across the pools, but these were different. One actually flies in to land on the water. I presume it's more to do with finding a partner than finding food (MD)

They are not the most graceful swimmers!

This Knot looks like it's having a bath in the sea, but this is actually one of the drains fed by fresh water seeping from the water table. It won't be fresh at this point, but certainly brackish. This must be the best bathing spot, and this one is taking its time, there's quite a queue forming, but at least they are maintaining a social distance!

More Wheatears and Whoopers

The quite fresh SW winds continue, overcast at times but long spells of sunshine.

Pete managed quite a bit in a quick morning check:

Whooper swan 55 resting on the sea plus 4 north

Red-Throated Diver 1

Canada goose 2 south over Red Nab

Black-Headed gulls 60 2nd calendar year birds on Red Nab and outflows

Lighthouse area (MD)

Rock Pipits - two birds on territory near lighthouse and waterfall. A third bird appeared to be on passage

Wheatear at least two, probably three between 09:10 and 09:30. All mature males.

One was there when I arrived and immediately flew off north. Another arrived 10 minutes later, fed for a short while then disappeared. I thought it had gone, and it probably had. But on my return from the waterfall there was another one.

Male Wheatear on the final sea defence wall before the lighthouse 

They can afford to move through quickly, the scrub here, although not a large area, is clearly full of invertebrates. Presumably the hard packed surface and scant vegetation provides few decent hiding places. At least not from Wheatears, they fill up faster than a Formula 1 car!

This one catches two decent sized morsels in less than 10 seconds, although you will have to select the slow motion mode to see them.

No Wheatears have yet been reported from the normally productive foreshore south of Red Nab.

This male Stonechat was also feeding on the scrub. 

Again, this bird seemed to catching invertebrates, almost at will. 

It repeated this feeding method several times from this and other promontories. But at least it had the decency to hang around. It was here at 09:00 and seen again in the area at 14:00.

Blue Tit 1 - Blue tits rarely get a mention, but I can't recall ever seeing one here before. Must be some sort of movement.

Meadow pipits c5 - just the occasional bird moving over to north.

The first Wheatear arrives

Lightish SW wind for most of the day, but becoming quite fresh by evening. Overcast with light drizzle.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a quick check of the two main ponds while passing this morning:

Mute 6 adult + 3 immature on Main pond. 2 adult on "No swimming" pond 

Moorhen 4

Mallard 2 male

Gadwall 2 male and female

Canada goose - just one on the main pond, initially it was honking, but stopped as soon as it saw me.

I wanted a clip of it honking but didn't have time to get it in focus before it stopped. Even so, I posted it below as it does capture the quite impressive honks

I managed to get it in focus, just too late, but it did think about having another honk or two, either that or it's heaving sighs!

South shore 

A bit of north morning movement 

Meadow Pipit 4

Raven 1

A stroll along the sea wall late afternoon located:

Wigeon 45

Shelduck 66

Mediterranean gull 1 third calendar year bird 

Med on right with young Black-Headed gull

A couple of wing detail shots as it was flushed by tide

Rock Pipit - none seen anywhere on the south side today!

But this fine male Wheatear was briefly on the small area of scrub near the lighthouse. This is the first record this year

After leaving a, possibly exotic, deposit on this rock, it quickly flew off north.

Finally, the last word (possibly) on Green jelly blobs. Pete managed to drag their "correct" name out of his extensive memory - Green-leaf worm (Eulalia viridis) egg sacs.

I placed correct in inverted commas, as although I am happy that yesterday's egg sacs were from this species of green ragworm, I still suspect some of the more vivid egg sacs could be produced by other green ragworm species, plus I like a mystery, and to me they will remain forever "green jelly blobs"! (MD)

The return of the Blob

Low cloud all day, but dry and the visibility remained good. Light west winds.

Middleton Nature Reserve - report from Pete

Very odd record: lesser Redpoll ringed as 1st Winter on passage 11:10:20 retrapped today on return passage at Middleton along with one unringed bird.  One unringed goldcrest caught

South shore.

Rock pipit - just a Red Nab bird seen. The lighthouse area not checked.

Swan sp - 5 distant to NW 09:45 - possibly Whooper, based on recent sightings 

Wigeon 30

They were in the channel next to No.2 outflow, then took off and flew north.
I took a picture in case they weren't planning on coming back

Shelduck at least 130, but they also look to be ready to move on. Quite a lot of bickering and displaying going on. These two Sheldrake were displaying to the Shelduck (right). She seemed to have chosen one.

North shore

I went down before the water reached the rocks out from the children's play area. I wanted to see how the gut weed was doing (I know how to enjoy myself! (MD)).

No sign of any Brent but they may have arrived later.

I thought this was interesting, not as interesting as watching gut weed grow......but what is?

This flock of fancy(ish) pigeons dropped down on this small patch of rocks.

There is nothing for Pigeons to eat here, so I presumed they had a favoured 
surface water spring emerging here, to drink from

But, they didn't drink and appeared to be eating.

It was only later that I realised, they were probably collecting broken barnacles to act as grit in their crops. Presumably the birds are from a local coop and know the area well.

Back to the object of the trip. The gut weed is not only still available here, it is much more abundant than when I last checked about a month ago. It is clearly growing quickly in the warmer weather.

This is the typical growth on the rocks furthest out from the play area.
This is about 100m out, well away from most dog walking activity 

This is closer in, but still well within previous feeding range for the Brent.
Here the weed is c20cm long and growing on the mud as well as the stones

Hopefully, before the Brent head back, they will feed here more often and in greater numbers than of late.

Finally, forget Black Redstarts and Roe Deer, the subject that seems to have generated the most interest recently is Green Jelly Blobs (see posts 6th and 7th of March for details). So by popular demand:

A walk along the low water line on the south shore located several, but these were not washed up, they were still attached to their anchorage. Although the anchoring didn't look up to much and you would expect a decent wave would easily break it free. Perhaps it works on the same principle as a sapling bending in the wind.

This is in just a few centimetres of water and is being dragged back and forth by the gently lapping waves.

Warning! - the mud on the southern shore can be dangerous. Most of it is flat and firm and easy to walk on, but if you walk too far you can find deep, wide gullies of quicksand can be between you and safety. Not a walk for the inexperienced.

Mist thwarts early start

The wind was from SW early on before moving more due west. A mist descended early and didn't clear completely till mid morning. The sun broke through in the afternoon and remained sunny till evening.

Pete and Jean were in the area early on, but the descending mist quickly put an end to observations.

Eider 156

Pale-bellied Brent 2

Both the above from Knowlys Road.

Visible migration report, albeit truncated, from Jean:

4 Meadow Pipits, 

1 Siskin 

1 Pied Wagtail. 

It became foggy so no chance of seeing Whoopers or anything over the sea. Couldn’t even see the top of the power station. 

The Rock Pipit kept an eye on me at the Roundhead.

South shore

Skylark 1 was singing briefly over the old Pontins land. Once a common summer sound around the area, but now only heard from off passage birds. Perhaps, there's a chance this year.

Rock pipit - at least 4 (2 near the rocky outcrop on east shore, 2 Red Nab, 1 on foreshore, could have been one of the Red Nab birds - plus Jean's lighthouse bird earlier)

Wigeon only c25 seen, but tides weren't ideal

Shelduck at least 75

A few of the Shelduck near Red Nab

I like this clip, watch the one paddling in, it seems in quite a rush, just so it can "hang around" doing nothing! Apart from the Shelduck, this clip includes: Wigeon, Common and Black-Headed gulls, Redshank and Oystercatcher.

I assume this Knot is the same approachable bird photographed by Kevin earlier in the week. It appears to be healthy, but I've never seen a Knot walk so far without pecking at something.

Still, it's always nice when wildlife walks towards you. (MD)

Pale-bellied Brent goose - an update from Pete Woodruff 

A leisure walk today, parked at Knowlesly Road, watched 10 Brent Geese off play area for about 15 minutes until they took flight at 14.35 towards Heysham

The vernal equinox

Today is the official beginning of spring.

The wind started quite light from NW, but freshened as the morning went on. A few sunny spells, but mainly overcast.

Middleton Nature Reserve early morning - ref Alan

13 Whooper Swans flew north west towards the bay at 07.35

Two or three pairs of probable Meadow Pipits flew across the reserve SE to NW.

Three Canada Geese using the recently cleared area on North side of reed bed.

North shore - low water 09:35

A walk along the low water line from Half Moon Bay to the skeer.

Meadow Pipits, increased movement from yesterday, when there were very few away from the shore line. Not all the birds seen were heard, but at least 25 were Meadow pipits in about 30 minutes.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 6 on the south side of skeer

Goldeneye 3 - 1 male and two female type birds swimming together near the skeer

Eider, Great Crested grebe  and Red-breasted Merganser were well spread and not easy to count in the choppy conditions, but numbers looked similar to yesterday.

A walk back along Heysham Head foreshore

Rock Pipits - a very minimum of four birds and two territories between the Head and the high cliffs.

I wasn't welcome and was led away from the area, presumably by the respective males.

This Rock pipit escorted me away from the territory below the high cliffs.

The wind turns and more stuff starting to move

The west winds moved to the north, but remained light. Overcast with sunny intervals, but remained dry all day.

Jean managed a session from Heysham Head this morning:

07:40-0920 (all north unless stated)

Meadow Pipit 55

Skylark 2

Siskin 2

Goldfinch 12

Chaffinch 11

Linnet 18

Pied Wagtail 6

Raven 2

Black-headed Gull - a gang of 20 floated then flew into the Bay

Pink-footed goose 70 high to north 10:20.

Low tide channel and Heysham skeer 

Pale-bellied Brent 4

Red-breasted Merganser 18

Great-crested Grebe 11

Eider 55 around the skeer but the ones nearer Morecambe weren’t counted.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

A very enjoyable walk around the reserve in the afternoon (MD)

It started with this, slightly bedraggled looking, male Kestrel on the office roof.

Nothing particularly rare today, the best being:

Chiffchaff  2 singing

But a good variety of species:

Tits - Great, Blue and Long-tailed (I'm sure there would have been Coal around too)

Corvids - Jay, Carrion crow, Magpie

Finches - Green, Gold, Bull, Chaffinch 

Robin, Dunnock, Wren

Wood pigeon

Pheasant 

Little Egret

Teal

Moorhen 

Great Spotted Woodpecker - this female was calling

Insects:

There were several queen bees flying, not looking for flowers, but nest sites. The ones I managed clear views of, appeared to be Buff-tailed bumblebees.

This doe Roe Deer was on the northern boundary

Apart from lack of antlers, which the males will be growing again now, you can tell
that this is a female by the tuft of hair (it's not a true tail) growing from the white rump.

This is how I saw her before she saw me, her head was down feeding. The roaring in the background is the traffic on the road to the ferries.

In this clip she sees me, has a good look, and decides I'm not worth bothering about, which pleased me greatly. You can hear bees buzzing during the Mexican standoff.

 If you avoid sudden clothing and sudden movements you can be easily ignored. A trait that I quite like! She didn't look pregnant, so may have a fawn(s) under cover nearby, so I left her in peace and returned the way I came.

Plenty of passerines around

The light winds continue from the west. Very misty to start with, gradually clearing during the morning, with the sun not completely breaking through till lunchtime. It then remained mainly sunny all afternoon.

An early check of the foreshore and saltmarsh to see if anything was grounded located just 1Rock Pipit!

There was grounded stuff just inland though, the best being:

Lesser Redpoll 4 - near the pond behind Red Nab but immediately flew into the power Station grounds.

Chiffchaff  2 singing

There were lots of birds in this small area from Red Nab to Moneyclose Lane. So I decided to list all the species seen in a 10 minute amble along the tracks (MD).

Resulting in a reasonably impressive 19 species, without counting the gulls and waders passing overhead.

Tits - Great, Coal, Blue, Long-Tailed

Finches - Green, Gold, Redpoll, Bull, Chaffinch

Corvids - Carrion Crow, Jay - no Magpies despite several along Moneyclose 

Thrushes - Song, Blackbird

Chiffchaff 

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Wood Pigeon 

Robin, Dunnock, Wren

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Mute swan - 6 adult plus 3 juvenile on the main pond.

Plus two pairs nest building on two of the other ponds

One of these has a blue ring,
it seemed that everything I photographed today was ringed!

Canada goose 2 - still on the peninsula on the main pond

Coot 3

Moorhen 7

Mallard 5

Teal 4

Tufted duck 1 male

Pheasant 2 males calling (I can't bring myself to cal it singing!)

Chiffchaff - at least three singing males (one near the bottom car park), plus one silent bird

Chiffchaff 

This fine male Chaffinch was calling. Plus a Chiffchaff singing at the start of the clip.

Goldcrest - at least 1

Goldcrest

The Bullfinch are still eating the tree buds, these look like blossom buds, I don't know the species. A wren provides a couple of bursts of song.

Female Bullfinch 

There have been lots of frogs around, but this is the first toad I've seen this year.

It looked like it was warming itself on the road surface, between the marshes,
probably after emerging from a pile of landscaping chippings close by.

Mergansers displaying - unfortunately to wrong species

Light NW wind, hazy early on then becoming bright and warm in the sunshine.

North shore low water channels

Eider 210

Great Crested grebe 11

Red-breasted Merganser 16

This group of 8 merganser were quite agitated and the arrival of a male Eider prompted at least two of the males to display towards it.

It's a dicey place for a good looking Eider

Presumably seen as a threat more than a suitor (MD)

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Goldcrest at least 2

South shore

Wigeon c100

Rock Pipits 3 (1 saltmarsh, 1 foreshore and 1 Red Nab - lighthouse area not checked)

This is the Red Nab bird

Skylark 3 north

Grey Plover 1 - Kevin mentioned that the bird he saw here earlier in the year appeared to be limping. Today's bird definitely was.

Despite the bad leg, it managed to over winter successfully