Bonxie attack!

West breeze early on freshened slightly during the day. Mainly sunny.

Heysham skear - low water 10:40 

On these neap tides, the water only goes out as far as the middle of the middle skear. This has the effect of concentrating the large gulls that are grazing the seed mussel beds.

This is just part of the largest group of grazing gulls, there are c400 in this frame,
plus there is a smaller group to the east and another on the northern edge of the skear

So, there were upward of 600 gulls mainly Herring on the middle skear. I've been walking on and around the skear for over fifty years, but I have never before seen what happened next! (MD).

The birds started lifting off the skear from the northern edge, not just the gulls but the Oystercatcher too. The wave quickly moved across the skear and soon every bird was in the air. I thought it must be an Osprey so I was trying to check the sky through the swathes of birds, then a Herring gull was chased over my head, no more than 5m above me, by a.....

Great Skua (Bonxie) - 10:10. suddenly it was like being in a huge spin drier with 500+ screaming (there is no other word for it) gulls swirling around me, I occasionally managed a glimpse of the Bonxie, the white wing flashes remarkably intimidating, but no chance of getting my camera on it. It probably lasted less than a minute, the Bonxie would have been chasing the gulls to get them to drop what they were eating, but most almost certainly would only have had seed mussels. 

As the frenzy eased slightly I noticed a large dark bird heading off to the east and tried to get a record shot.

This is about the "best" shot. It is slightly clearer if you open the  image
Even as it flew across the bay, it lifted the gulls resting on the sand bars

I have seen the occasional Bonxie here in the past, but nothing so dramatic as today. I suppose so many large feeding gulls concentrated like this, is a huge lure for any passing Bonxie (I'll check again in the morning, at least I can expect the "lure" to be in place again).

Eider 17

Great Crested Grebe 3

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Whimbrel 2

Turnstone c60 - well spread around the skear

Dunlin 1 with

Sanderling 8

Summer plumage Dunlin with four of the Sanderling moving to summer plumage.

Four of the Sanderling with a Turnstone in this clip.

Heysham Nature Reserve (Janet)

The warm weather brought out the insects. There were lots of Damselflies, as well as lots of "flies"

The dipping pond was covered in "flies"

There were several Common Blue butterflies 
Mainly males

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from John:

Short ringing session this morning, not ideal conditions, breezy and sunshine early on.

Only five birds caught and no moths in the trap set overnight.

New birds caught were single Sedge and Reed Warblers. 

Retraps were a Willow Warbler, Great Tit and a Lesser Whitethroat.

The Lesser Whitethroat was originally ringed in 2017, and had not been caught again until today.

No Grasshopper Warblers heard during the time there.

I had a quick look around after lunch (MD)

The aggressive male Mute had almost cleared the main pond

just two left which he had driven up the east bank.

I was surprised that the mute was tolerating this Greylag sat on the peninsula.

But as I walked away, I heard the mute fly across the pond to "see it off". But the Greylag just honked a few times, then, literally, stood up to it. The mute pretended that it had flown across the pond to do some urgent preening, then sidled off......

The female mute was still on the "no swimming" pond with her 9 cygnet. As Janet said, they may soon move to the main pond, and will be tolerated by male, but I just think he wanted the prime feeding pond back, irrespective of family.

Mallard 2 male plus 2 female one with 10 chicks.

Gadwall 1

Teal 2

Jay 2

No Grasshopper or Cetti's warblers heard

Insects:

Butterflies as Sunday, but at least 4 Small Heath now.

Silver Y moth

There were several areas where damselflies were flying in clouds, but only two dragonflies seen, both Broad-bodied chaser. 

One immature flying near the small scrape near the yellow barrier - looked to be a male.

The other was probably the same female I photographed Sunday, was just east of the golf course.

The aggressive male mute, lives up to its name!

Very heavy early morning showers. What air movement there was early on was from NE, but by 10:00 it was westerly and remained so and freshened during the day. Overcast till late morning then mainly sunny.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Alan:

Ringing this morning was interrupted by a very heavy 45 min rain shower. Nets were set before 06.00 but had to be closed between 06.45 and 07.45. After the rain there were plenty of birds moving around within the reserve but the catch was low.

Grasshopper Warbler 1 retrap from earlier this year. There were two singing birds in the western marsh.

Sedge Warbler 2 plus 3 retraps, one of which was from 2020

Reed Warbler 2

Common Whitethroat 1 plus 1retrap from 2020

Willow Warbler 1 retrap from earlier this year

Blue Tit 1

The female mute is still on the "no swimming" pond with her 9 young

This striking pose from Kevin

Meanwhile Janet took this shot of the male trying to clear the main pond of the other mute.

Janet expects the male to relocate his family here soon.

A nice shot of a Song Thrush.

This tree is just west of the reserve on the southern boundary of Ocean Edge
(There is a public footpath that runs along here and the south of the reserve)
Yesterday, this male Great Spotted Woodpecker was resting on its tail.

Today, in the same tree, this female was looking for food.

South shore 

A check just after the heavy shower located

Wheatear 2 together at 07:45

By 10:40 there was just one

A particularly chunky individual 

By 14:20 there were 2 individual birds

A more streamlined bird but quite rufous

So a minimum of 4 different birds.

House Sparrows disappeared from the saltmarsh area just a week or so after lockdown started. Today two had returned

Whimbrel 2 near Red Nab

Rock Pipits 2

It was strangely quiet near the lighthouse, no sign of activity near the waterfall, the lighthouse bird moved on the ringed male when it came too close, but for the most part the ringed bird was feeding in the scrub, then flying into the Power Station grounds. Unfortunately I didn't see it carrying any food away. 

This clip is the ringed Rock Pipit feeding with a Starling, it always amazes me how much food the birds find here, from such a spartan area. The Starting finds a grub, probably a leather jacket.

This male Linnet is keeping an eye on  me as I approach it's nesting area (MD).

Report from Pete:

Female Whinchat horse paddocks.  

Single Sandwich Tern and 8 Swallow north on seawatch.

Female Wheatear north harbour wall (at least five Male linnet on the mound on gorse) 

Grasshopper warbler not frustrating today...... Plus first dragonfly

Light variable breezes again SE first thing NW by the afternoon. Light showers in the morning then largely sunny.

No Wheatears on Ocean Edge foreshore this morning

Blackcap - there were two males together plus two singing near the small anemometer. Two singing is typical here but presumably the two together were new in.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

I checked the western section in the morning (MD)

Blackcap were the most abundant singing warblers at least 6

Lesser Whitethroat 3 singing, which is more than I have been hearing recently.

Also Common Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, plus:

Cetti's warbler 2 - 1 singing from the slope to the west of the western marsh. This prompted the western marsh bird to sing too.

Grasshopper warbler 2. There was one singing quietly from the scrub on the ridge that forms the SW boundary with Ocean Edge. The other was where I left it last night on the hill in the western section between the small copse by the egress road and the golf course. But this morning it was more obliging!

Grasshopper warbler 

I even managed a clip of it singing.........with the bird actually in the clip! This is at 09:40.

I returned after lunch to check the eastern side of the reserve.

Mute status unchanged.

Mallard 3 male 2 female

Don't know where the Mallard with the 10 chicks has been for the last few days,
but they are growing quickly. All 10 were present.

Cetti's warbler 1 - the central marsh bird was singing. Giving a total of 3 for the day

It was a bit quieter Warbler wise in the afternoon, no Grasshopper or Garden warbler heard, but all the other regulars present - a total of 9 species for the day.

The Long-Tailed Tits have fledged young. 

Newly fledged Long-Tailed Tit

At this point I was surrounded by at least five young plus several adults. It seemed a lot noisier than this clip suggests.  

Insects:

It was quite warm in the sunshine and light NW breeze, things were emerging.

Butterflies included: Speckled Wood, Orange Tip, Green Veined White, Peacock and first records of the year for.

Small Heath

Small Copper

There were lots of Damselfly around, most too insipid for me to identify (MD).

Think this could be one of the varied female forms
of a Common Bluetail

There were some more easily identified, including several Common Blue.

This was a pleasant surprise, a Broad-bodied Chaser. Near the shallow scrapes created for this species at the west side of the western marsh. I believe it to be an immature female, but I've left the images in full resolution, in case anyone wants to open them to check the detail.

Otter status - there was another spraint marking a stone on the edge of the main pond.

Evening Grasshopper Warbler was a consolation

Light breezes again mainly fro NE to east. It started raining about 08:00 and pretty much continued on and off for most of the day till 18:00.

South shore

A check just after the rain started located:

Wheatear 3 on Ocean Edge foreshore

Rock Pipits 2 between lighthouse and waterfall.

No sign of Rock Pipit(s) that held winter territory on the rocky outcrop to the east of the saltmarsh 

The lighthouse area Rock pipit.

A check of the foreshore at 16:45, while it was still raining, located:

Wheatear 7

By 18:00, the rain had stopped and all but 1 Wheatear had left.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

This nice Mute family shot by Phoebe Russell shows that I 
miscounted the cygnets yesterday. There are an impressive nine.

Janet confirmed, that apart from the Mute above there were 6 on the main pond plus 2 on Tim Butler pond.

No sign of the female Mallard and her brood again today.

A brief check of the west side of the reserve at 17:00, still light rain (MD)

Swallow 4 + 1 

House Martin 5 + 4

Both the above were low heading south

Grasshopper Warbler 1 reeling from a bush on the hill on the NW of the reserve. I nearly always find Grasshopper warbles both satisfying and frustrating at the same time.

Satisfying - as their song is unmistakable and usually clearly identifies where it's coming from.

Frustrating - as even knowing where it is you seldom get to see them.

Today was such a day! It was singing  heartily, and I didn't want to disturb it, so I satisfied myself just videoing a bush!

Although the bird is in this bush or the scrub just behind, this clip doesn't show it, but it does allow you to hear its song (apologies to birders who will know very well what they sound like, but many of this blog readers are not experienced birders, and may not recognise the song). It was still raining slightly the shadow at the top is from my hand keeping the rain off the camera - you might want to turn the volume up.

You could doze off counting all the seals!

Very light variable breeze, mainly overcast with some sunny spells

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from John:

A very quiet ringing session this morning. Three nets set but only five birds caught in nearly four hours. New birds were:

Lesser Redpoll

Willow Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Grasshopper Warbler. This bird was caught on the east side while a second bird was singing on the west side.

also a re-trap Coal Tit.

Heysham skear - low water 08:00

Just a quick check

Eider c30

Great Crested Grebe 8

Red-breasted Merganser 1

Turnstone c80

Swallow 4 east

Pete watched the sea for an hour as the tide was flooding:

Mammals:

Grey Seal 10 drifting in with the tide - a high count for Lancashire.

Harbour Porpoise 2 just beyond the buoys out from the north wall.

Birds:

Sandwich Tern 8

Guillemot 8

Razorbill 1

A quick check of the south shore located

Mediterranean gull 1 second calendar year

2cy Med Gull ocean edge foreshore

Middleton Nature Reserve - early afternoon

Mute swan - 5 on the main pond. The "no swimming" pond pair have 8 chicks. The other nesting pair are still sitting on the nest, but a brief interlude allowed a look and unless the nest is very deep it is empty.

The "no swimming" pond mute family

The other "active" nest appears empty,
at least there shouldn't be any unpleasant battling this year.

Gadwall 5 males

Mallard 3 males (the female with chicks not seen today)

Cetti's warbler- just the "no swimming" male heard

Swallow 5

Swift 3

We have just received the details of the Herring Gull seen in the Harbour 1st April.

LIfe history of Herring Gull Left: White N:85C on Dark Green ring and Right: Metal

Date	Activity	Location	Movement	Duration
05 Jul 2019	Ringed as a nestling	Bowland - Brennand West,  UK. SD640552
01 Apr 2021	Colour marks read	Heysham Harbour,  Lancashire	26km  NNW	1y 8m 27d

Distant Osprey

The wind was like a windscreen wiper today. Started of NNE then drifted round to NW before moving back to NE. Some prolonged rain with sunny spells between.

Ringing report from Alan:

At Last, a Lesser Redpoll, ringed elsewhere! This spring we have caught 95 of this species to date, including 16 today, so we were due for a ringed bird and it turned up this morning (unfortunately the details can take a while)

The catch this morning was:

Sedge Warbler 3 plus 1 retrap

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 1

Willow Warbler 1 retrap

Long tailed Tit 2 retraps

Blue Tit 1 plus 1 retrap

Greenfinch 2

Goldfinch 1 plus 1 retrap

Lesser Redpoll 15 plus 1 ringed elsewhere 

A Grasshopper Warbler heard singing for a period around 06.30 in the centre of the western marsh was notable. It was quiet for the remainder of the morning

Heysham skear - low water 07:30

The seed mussels are currently winning the battle on the middle skear.
This is the same area I photographed 1st May. Then is was mainly honeycomb 
worm with pockets of seed mussels forming on old dead mussels

Seed mussels grow quickly. This is a detail now, the old mussels are more or less
buried again and the seed mussels are filling the gaps between the honeycomb
worm, but the tubes are still active. I'll watch this space (MD)

Eider 17

Great Crested Grebe 5

Red-breasted Merganser 1

Sandwich Tern 3

Turnstone c80

Dunlin 1

Osprey 1 - just a distant speck to the NW, it seemed to be flying to SW in a line that would take it towards Rampside. I just managed a record  shot before it dropped down and was lost against the hills.

High and distant Osprey taken from Heysham Skear

This is a Lesser Spotted Dogfish (a species of small shark) swimming. They have two dorsal fins, you can see them both. These are bottom feeding fish and are not normally seen at the surface. The tide has just reached this pool, I'm pretty sure this fish must have have been placed in the pool to recover after being caught earlier in the tide by an angler, and was just swimming out when I "spotted" it.

This is a still from the clip, you can see the spots on the dorsal fins
This fish is c60 cm long

On the beach by the skear a Bar-Tailed Godwit was "resting" with the Oystercatchers, but on these tides it come in too quickly for a long rest.

These three Mute Swan were on the sea out from Knowlys Rd later in the tide.
Possibly the three that occasionally disappear from Middleton
thanks to Steph for this one.

Lighthouse area - mid afternoon

This Herring gull is nesting on the upstand near the waterfall again

The north face of Fishers roof is almost complete, but awash with workers so the gulls were taking advantage of the wooden jetty.

Mainly Herring gulls, plus Turnstone on the lower tiers

Rock Pipits 5 possibly 7!

There were two feeding along the south sea wall between No.1 outflow and the wooden jetty, when they made their way to the sloping wall next to the lighthouse I wondered if one might be the ringed male. I started to video, and it immediately obliged - I do like a helpful bird!

So, the ringed male with a second bird, another male displaying near lighthouse, plus two near the waterfall including a displaying male. Two flew together across the harbour towards the sandworks, possibly the two previously on the sea wall, but they were still there when I walked back. If they are all breeding and are successful it's going to be a very busy area soon!

This young Robin near the dog walk path, was one of two recently fledged birds. Even at this age their stance is unmistakably Robin.

Rock Pipits continue to confound

Once again the day started with a light south breeze, which freshened slightly as it moved to the west by the afternoon. Sunny periods with some light showers.

Sea report from Pete:

Not a lot today just 13 sandwich tern out and two blogging with four swallow in early stages only of incoming tide

(There were birds of interest in the bay early on though - Pomarine Skua - a flock of seven were seen flying in to the bay past Walney pier at 06:40)

South shore

Wheatear 3

Rock pipits at least 5. One on the south wall/Red Nab.

These two, near the lighthouse, neither of which are ringed.

There were two more near the waterfall, this is the male patrolling his patch of harbour wall.

Presumably where he stops is the end of the defended territory, he then flies back to the upstand near the waterfall and repeats the performance.

So, four Rock Pipits seen along the wall, but no sign of the ringed male, there appears to be more going on here than just two adjacent territories.

It was a noisy area this morning, as well as the displaying Rock Pipits there were also 5 noisy Linnet.

Willow Warbler 1

Pink-Footed goose 80 

The structure is the end of No.2 outflow. The Pinkfoot flew in and were heading towards 
Middleton, but they turned round flew past Potts corner and followed the estuary as far
as Cockerham marshes where they appeared to land

This excellent picture of a Siver Y from Kevin

The first migratory insect of the year on the South wall.

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid afternoon 

Mute swan 6 on the main pond

This is the immature bird, right, it seems to have adopted these two adult.

The "no swimming" pond pair's chicks have hatched - at least 5
There is at least one other pair breeding

Male Gadwall moving to eclipse 

Little grebe 1 on main pond, the Tim Butler birds not seen.

Warblers:

Cetti's warbler 2 - the Fence pond male was quite vocal plus a couple of bursts of song from the "no swimming" pond.

All the regular species heard and seen. No Grasshopper or Garden warblers heard.

The underwing of this female Orange Tip demonstrates 
how effective it is as camouflage, when the butterfly is at rest.

There have been a few unidentified Damselflies seen in the last week. They are difficult to see when they settle in the undergrowth. I managed to identify one, at least, today.

Immature male Common Blue Damselfly

I think this is a Large Red Damselfly - I'll amend if advised otherwise (MD)

This Shelduck landed on the main pond and it was immediately joined by a Lesser Black-Backed gull. The Shelduck was obviously thirsty, and the LBB joined in - as ever with gulls, they just don't seem to know when to stop! I don't think the Shelduck was impressed (MD).

Some passerines passing

The wind again started SSE before moving more south by lunchtime. Plenty of sunshine again but several showers.

Sea and visible migration report from Pete:

Funny morning only did 0700-0900.  The sea produced 

5 Sandwich Tern

3 northbound Whimbrel

35 Knot u-turning.  

A loose ‘gang’ of migrant passerines made their way up the north wall heading towards the cafe:

2 female Whinchat

3 Wheatear

Willow Warbler at least 2

four lots of redpoll heard flying over

Guillemot 8 seen floating in by Kevin later on

South shore early morning

The "big" news is that the car that was stuck in the drain from the saltmarsh 
has been removed

Only the saltmarsh and foreshore area checked

Wheatear 6

Middleton Nature Reserve mid morning

A few shots from Janet

Common Whitethroat 

The female Mallard with her 10, quickly developing, chicks

Two Shelduck also paid the main pond a visit

A male and female Orange Tip, making the most of the sunshine.

Heysham Head foreshore - high water 12:00

I went down at high water, hoping to better understand the Rock Pipit situation, I am little wiser! (MD)

Wheatear 3

Rock pipits - none seen around the very northern point were a pair/displaying male have been active until today. 

There were three birds below the high cliffs. They seemed to be comprised of a male standing guard whenever I went too close to his territory. Plus two feeding birds, one tolerated by the male the other chased away if it got too close. Unfortunately, I didn't see any bird carrying food in its bill, although both feeding birds did occasionally fly high over the cliff tops.

This is a clip of what I believe to be a male. I'm posting this for two reasons, first I like the sound of the waves against the rocks. But, I suppose, more importantly, to show this bird's quite distinctive plumage. It has a high density of spots forming a heart shape on the right side (wrong side for a heart) of its chest. This is a genuine feature not just an effect of the light. I picked it out several times in different lighting conditions.

This next clip, is partly for interest, but also to act as a warning. It shows the torrent of ground water at it emerges from the bottom of a crack in the cliffs. There are several of these cracks along this section. This is not water from the water table, but just rain water draining through the soil above the cliffs. The water is not visible above where it emerges, just the crack, but you can imagine the internal erosion going on.

The significance, of course, is that these cliffs are constantly being weakened. Many have large overhangs, which may remain for years or may drop tomorrow. It is safe, although sometimes slippy, to walk below the cliffs, but don't go too close, and know your tides.

This is the Herring Gull spotted by Gareth and Lesley Powley in Heysham Harbour 30/03/21. We have now received its details, it's done well to be spotted in a range of places, for such a young bird.

These are the comments from the Manx ringing group.

T8WT' is a Herring Gull ringed as a chick on the Calf of Man in 2019. 

There have been three sightings in Ireland and now your sighting in England.

We get many more Manx birds reported from Ireland (north and south) than we 

get from England, so thanks indeed for the report and photo.

visit_date	capture_time	location_name	gridRef
23/06/2019	15:30	Cow Harbour -COM (Cow Harbour)	SC1666
26/09/2019	00:00	Gormanston Beach (Gormanston Beach, Co. Meath)	IO1829866362
12/08/2020	00:00	Millquarter Bay, Strangford Lough, Down	IJ6043
28/09/2020	00:00	Knockinelder Bay, Down	IJ6351