The sea not really providing......yet

Strong SW wind with squally showers for most of the day, but by evening, not a cloud in the sky.

Pete checked the sea for a while from the north wall:

Kittiwake 1 adult at the seaward end of outflows during a squall.

Shag 1 (looked to be a 2nd calendar year) flew into the bay

I had a walk along the south wall, mid afternoon, but didn't see anything of note over the sea (MD).

Pale-bellied Brent goose 12 at least, quite late in the ebbing tide on Red Nab.

Wigeon c200

Rock Pipits 2 on Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a quick look on the way home, the duck numbers are reducing now, hopefully some of the Gadwall will remain here to breed. And a Shoveler family would be nice, but less likely.

Mute 6 adult plus 7 x 2nd calendar year 

Moorhen 8

Coot 1 (now on the main pond)

Mallard 10

Gadwall  7 - one female with two male suitors plus another female with three male suitors 

Wigeon (pair) 

Tufted Duck 2 males (one on each pond)

Shoveler 3 - mature male plus two female

Little grebe 1

Little grebe in summer plumage

Hopefully more tomorrow, I definitely have more time tomorrow.

Not much, but a bit different

A steady west wind all day, high cloud with the occasional glimpse of the sun in the morning, overcast all afternoon.

I only had time for a high tide check of the saltmarsh area today (MD)

Wigeon c140 out from the saltmarsh 

Red-breasted Merganser 3 ( pair plus 1 male flying around)

Rock Pipit 3 (2 together + 1)

Reed Bunting 1

Common Snipe 4

Jack Snipe 1 - flushed as I walked around the saltmarsh edge. Quite a bonus really as high water today only covered half the marsh. I managed my usual soft focus silhouettes, although perhaps slightly better than average.

Jack Snipe

I continued along the east shore as far as the faux castle (the edge of the recording area)

Shelduck - just one 

Curlew 13 (one flock)

Grey Plover 2

Ringed Plover 8

Turnstone 2

Dunlin 1

Oystercatcher - just a few on the saltmarsh 

Redshank - none at all, this is unusual for here, there is normally a reasonable sized roost.

Grey Plover about to land

I like this shot, I managed to get all of today's Grey Plover, Dunlin 
and Shelduck on one frame.

Similarly, these are all of today's Turnstone and Ringed Plover
Not sure what is wrong with the bottom bird, but it was struggling to keep up

Tomorrow's wind is looking promising, unfortunately I'll not have a chance to check anywhere, till later in the day.

Well....the weather was better....eventually

Heavy overnight rain again, but it eased off by late morning. The sun came out by lunchtime and remained largely sunny for the remainder of the day. The fresh wind was WNW all day.

I just had time for a short check of Red Nab at high water (10:10), it was still raining heavily at that time (MD).

Pale-bellied Brent goose 47 - the clip below shows 41 coming in, the smaller birds in flight are Wigeon. A little later another 6 Brent flew in from the south.

Wigeon c150

No Shelduck today

Rock Pipit 2

I didn't get a chance to get out again until low water (17:00), so I checked out the skear in the light of the setting sun.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 38 (almost certainly many from this morning's count) - there was one group of 13 in the SE corner, with smaller groups from 2 to 5 swimming and flying around the skear, but by low water they had all made their way to the SE corner. Most were still searching for scraps of weed. The sun was setting behind me, providing both nice lighting and rendering me invisible to the birds, so I took this clip of the activity, apart from the Brent, there are: Oystercatcher, Redshank, Curlew, Little Egret and Black-headed gulls (Turnstone, Knot and Dunlin were just out of frame)

Meanwhile, the experienced colour ringed Canadian Arctic birds (ringed as a breeding pair of adults in 2014) were taking it easy. The male is on the right, I didn't know for sure that the bird on the left was the female, but they are seldom separated by far, she duly revealed her ring detail. 

Two Pale-bellied Brent and an Oystercatcher 
Flying over a sea of Oystercatchers

Eider 100+ they normally dive to feed but these were browsing the bottom in shallow water. Not sure what they are feeding on.

Peregrine Falcon 1

It was such a pleasant evening, I called in to Middleton Nature Reserve on the way home, to see if the Jackdaw were still roosting there. At 17:30 there were c40 Jackdaw milling around, but no more by 17:45, when they all moved off to the east. So presumably the main roost has moved east, more towards the recycling centre.

..........day two!

SSE wind with very heavy overnight rain continuing till lunchtime, it eased slightly in the afternoon but still some periods of heavy rain.

My closing comments yesterday of "can't wait", were of course tongue in cheek, although I don't really mind walking in the rain during the winter. You can at least wrap up well and keep warm and dry. The problem is that it is not really practical for photography, but that was mitigated today by there being very little around to photograph. The wind was in a poor direction and the tides indifferent, nevertheless I had a look (MD)

Imperial Road - just off the bypass to waste recycling centre

Grey Heron 2

Mallard 6

Teal 15

Wood Pigeon 24 feeding together 

South shore - "high" water 09:15

High water just about reached Red Nab, so a creditable:

Pale-bellied Brent goose 28

Wigeon c100

Shelduck 24

Cormorant 26 - there are always plenty around but this was a larger than usual number resting on Red Nab

This clip shows some of what was going on at Red Nab today

This shot provides a comparison of the smallish size of Brent Geese when compared with the large Sheldrake pictured below.

Shelduck left with Sheldrake right with Pale-bellied Brent geese

No Shag again in the Harbour - Pete advises that it is unusual for young birds to stay beyond the new year, let alone this late.

Goldfinch 36 - one flock near small anemometer, there is often a flock here, but typically only c12 birds.

Heysham skear - low water 16:15

Not a lot really

Eider 38

Pale-bellied Brent Goose 17 - 13 + 2 + 2 resting/feeding along western and northern edge of the skear. This clip shows the relative size of both species.

This is a couple stripping a rock of its last vestiges of gutweed.

No sign of either Great Crested Grebe or Red-breasted Merganser today

Hopefully more tomorrow, but I'm not optimistic. We'll probably have to wait for storm Dudley to stir things up later in the week.

Just a precautionary footnote:

I've had some technical  problems with the blog today. At the moment, it isn't preventing posts, but if there isn't one tomorrow it's a technical issue - there is always something to see.

A good soaking...........day one of two!

Quite fresh SSW wind with rain pretty much all day.

Pete and Jean managed to check the south side sea, but nothing on the outflows or behind the ferry.

Black Redstarts 1 + 1. A brief glimpse in passing of the Power Station bird, before it disappeared behind several fences within the Power Station. If you want to see a Black Redstart, much better to check out the Sandylands bird (better in that it is not in a security sensitive area and generally easier to find). This is Pete's description of today's sighting location: by plastic gnome north of blue house, Sandylands, then flew to sea defence rocks.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Mute Swan 6 adult 7 second calendar year 

Moorhen 8

Coot 2

Mallard 13

Gadwall 30 (numbers reducing)

No sign of the Wigeon pair

Shoveler 3 (2 female 1 mature male)

Tufted Duck 2 male

North Shore low water

It had rained on and off all day, but it really made and effort this afternoon and lashed it down all the time that I was out on the shore (MD)

Eider c120 - this is the largest group, the benefit of a strong wind is that you can keep your camera "dry" with your back to the wind. (Not an overly exciting clip, but there was little to choose from today!)

Great Crested Grebe 2 - this clip is slightly more interesting, but unfortunately rubbish quality. The grebe has just caught a reasonable sized fish. But note how easily it is swallowed.

Although the fish looks large in relation to the grebe, I think it is only a large Whitebait. The only other fish that colour here would be a small Bass, there are a few still around in winter, but a Bass that length would be much too round to swallow so easily. Whitebait are very thin cross section, there was one on the beach here yesterday, I had presumed that it could have only become stranded, on such a calm day, if it had been disoriented by being chased by something. This is yesterday's Whitebait.

Yesterday's stranded Whitebait, smaller than the one today's grebe caught. Presumably
 it ended up running aground after being chased. A gull will have  found it soon after this. 

Red-breasted Merganser 2 (pair)

Red-breasted Mergansers

Waders, again mainly Oystercatchers. 

Curlew - A flock of 20 lifted from the skear and flew off inland to the east.

Also in small numbers: Redshank, Knot, Turnstone and Dunlin

Pale-bellied Brent goose 18 minimum - just a check from Knowlys Rd on my way home.

The forecast tomorrow is for more rain......I can hardly wait!

Not much, but a hint of movement

A cold SE wind and clear skies resulted in an overnight frost. The cloud cover quickly increased but still plenty of sunny spells. The wind had moved to SW after lunch.

South shore - mid morning ebbing tide

Wigeon c150 - Red Nab was clear of water, these neap tides barely reach it, but the Wigeon were in the channel along No.2 outflow

Shelduck 38 - bizarrely these have been feeding on the mud till these neap tides. There was no other wildfowl on Red Nab today, but it was "right" for the Shelduck to feed here. I did notice that they were taking a sip of water regularly from the pools, and possibly using it to wet the gut weed. This may give them an advantage over the shorter necked Wigeon for feeding here when the weed is "dry", but doesn't explain why they tend not to feed on the rocks when the feeding is easier.

Rock Pipit 6 (saltmarsh, 2 on Red Nab, sea wall, ringed male at lighthouse and male displaying near waterfall)

Again, no Shag seen in the harbour

Skylark 3 together flew south over Ocean Edge at 11:00.

North shore

Pale-bellied Brent goose 25 - 9 out from the play area plus 16 along the skear edge in the SE corner. They are still finding some broken weed, plus there is signs of the gut weed growing again here, although it is far from "lush". I noted last year that within a couple of weeks of the Brent leaving there was gut weed all around the skear.

It doesn't look exciting, but this is what they prefer to feed on. It is a piece of sea lettuce broken from its bed by the weekend storm. This piece was along the beach and quite isolated, but the wind and the tide will concentrate whatever there is into the skear corner.

Sea lettuce fragment left on the beach by the ebbing tide.
This is what the Brent in the skear corner are after.

Eider 72 counted close in to the skear

Oystercatcher c2,000

Knot c1,000

Also: Curlew, Redshank and Turnstone - no Dunlin seen today

Possibly more to come, but probably not.

Much of the same, but signs of change

A fresh SW wind, mainly high cloud and sunny spells till mid afternoon then a few showers.

Heysham Nature Reserve (MD)

It was a cold wind this morning, so a short walk around this sheltered reserve was pleasant. Plenty going on although just the regular residents.

There were almost as many mammals on view as birds, rabbits everywhere, looked like they were looking for more than food! A couple of Grey Squirrels and a Roe Deer, female I think.

Bullfinch 4

Goldfinch 10+

A mixed tit feeding flock passed through the alder copse. You only get a glimpse of each as they move through the scrub quickly, so I strung four clips together, Long-Tailed, Blue, Coal and Great Tits. Note the Long-Tailed and Blue Tits are ringed:

In contrast to the camaraderie of feeding flocks, this Blue Tit on Middleton yesterday seemed to be defining its territory boundaries.

Talking of territories, this Robin wasn't happy as the Tits passed through. Once again, it reacts to the click of my camera as I alter focus. Although this is an obvious click on the video, in reality it is very quiet. It must just be the right (or wrong) pitch for small birds hearing range. 

Sparrowhawk 1

Mallard 2

Moorhen 3

North shore inner skear

These very low neap tides only just uncover part of the inner skear.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 45 - originally they were still feeding on broken weed on the water line, but as the tide turned they all moved to the rocks out from the children's play area. This is a nice clip of two on the water, you can see the clumps of weed washing in, but this is mainly wrack and ignored. They seek out the broken pieces of sea lettuce.

Eider c80

Waders were mainly Oystercatcher, but also Knot, Redshank, Turnstone, Curlew and Dunlin.

Dunlin, blending nicely into the background 

This 2nd winter Herring gull has a small crab. It has done very well finding one on the shore this time of year. After "disarming" the crab, it is swallowed whole. Also, Dunlin, Redshank and Oystercatcher.

Just out of the recording area, Craig saw the Sandylands Black Redstart.

Nothing new, but at least the sun shone!

A lightish west wind, some light showers, but the sun shone for most of the day.

Just my afternoon outing so far (MD)

North shore mid afternoon on the rising tide

Pale Bellied Brent goose 45 - they were still managing to find enough broken weed on the tide line, till the tide reached the rocks. Then at 14:05 they flew to the rocks out from the children's play area. 

This clip starts with a group of four, which includes the Canadian arctic ringed pair. You can see bits of weed in the water, although most of it is brown weed now, which I've never seen them eat. Another flock of 8 birds fly in and join the main group.

Shortly after the group of four flew over and joined the main group too, you can make out the colour rings on the two lead birds.

Pale-bellied Brent geese, including the colour ringed birds

They are surprisingly difficult to count, on the shore I counted 37, then counted 28 and 14 flying over to the play area. But on this clip of them feeding near the play area I can count at least 45. There are also Turnstone and Black-Headed gulls.

Mediterranean gull 1 adult - this is the same regular bird, although at this resolution you can't make out its crossed bill tips. I videoed it here on Monday when it flew in with a group of Black-Headed gulls and started drinking greedily. Today it sipped at the fresh water run off, like a fine wine connoisseur. I speculated on Monday that it and the BHG were washing down a recent feast, today it just looked to be enjoying a pleasant drink.

This was a surprise, and a credit to the Council. These steps were partially blocked by large boulders after the weekend storm (see picture on Monday). But today they have already been cleared, not as easy as it sounds.

The steps below Whinnysty Lane now cleared of the boulders from the weekend storm

Middleton Nature Reserve 

I actually had a short walk around today, but saw little more than than my regular quick visits.

Wildfowl, pretty much the same, but only 7 immature Mute Swans (2 absent). The "no swimming" pond was peaceful today even with only a few less Gadwall (34).

Woodcock 1

Buzzard 3 (1+2) beyond the eastern boundary of the Reserve, but within the recording area boundary.

Roe Deer - again none seen, but many of the seldom trod tracks had fresh Roe Deer footprints.

One of the less used tracks showing typical Roe Deer tracks

Drizzle.......pretty much sums up the day

Lightish WSW wind with low cloud and light rain all day.

I didn't have much time today, but doubt I would have seen much more if I'd strolled around all day (MD).

Indeterminate wind, tides at a point between spring and neap, and the constant fine rain (the sort that gets you wet), nothing likely to produce any different wildlife.

South shore mid afternoon 

Pale-bellied Brent goose 3 on Red Nab at 15:00, this is quite early in the tide for Brent. At this height tide, it's all down to the level of disturbance on the north side as to whether any at all come to the the south side.

Wigeon c200 - these at least were enjoying the weather, not because it was lovely weather for ducks, but because it was sufficiently dreary to deter (most) people from walking along the sea wall. So they took advantage to feed close in to the wall, some actually feeding on the gut weed on the sloping wall.

Shelduck 42 - half each Red Nab and saltmarsh 

Oystercatcher - these arrive from their feeding grounds, sometimes in their thousands, to roost on Red Nab, so much so that they rarely get a mention. But I'm sharing this clip of a few flying past the lighthouse today, not so much for the video, but the light winds meant that you can hear them calling as they pass.

Rock Pipit 1 - the ringed male Lighthouse bird was standing guard over the nest site again.

The male lighthouse Rock Pipit, looking quite dark in the rain

No sign of any Shag again.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

The only wildfowl on the main pond were Mute, Mallard and Moorhen. The following were all on the "no swimming" pond

Gadwall 38

Wigeon 2 (pair)

Shoveler 4 (2 female plus 2 male)

Tufted Duck 3

Moorhen 4

Coot 2

Little grebe 2

It was a noisy pond this afternoon, the male Gadwall were displaying and several birds were vying for positions.

These two at least, seemed happy with the outcome.

It was still quite early (16:00) when I left, but there were no sign of any Jackdaws gathering, perhaps the strong winds have forced them to roost elsewhere. I'll have a proper look one day when I have more time.

Unfortunately, I'm busy again tomorrow, but I should manage to get out somewhere in the afternoon. 

Just out or the recording area. Pete saw the Sandylands Black Redstart 

It's an ill wind.........

South winds today, SSW in the morning more SSE in the afternoon. Mainly overcast with some showers.

North shore

These are the steps below Whinnysty Lane, they took a battering during the weekend storm. 

An earlier storm this year started the damage, but the weekend storm left this,
these are not small boulders!

Pale-bellied Brent goose 25 - a lady at yesterday's event asked how the sea and shore birds manage through the storms. The answer is that most healthy birds can cope with short spells of most extreme weather. And storms sometimes can provide new opportunities, today the Brent were taking advantage of such an opportunity. There were none feeding near the children's play area, instead they were strung out along the low water line near the green marker, feeding on broken weed left behind by the storm. They looked so much more at home feeding miles from any disturbance!

The beach slopes down quickly here, these birds would not have been visible from the shore.

This clip was on the way back looking from the skear, it wasn't practical to take a shot of all the birds as they were strung out over several hundred metres of shore line.

Another consequence of storms is that some birds find themselves displaced, two species were on/around the skear that are only seen rarely here.

Wigeon 7

Common Snipe 3

Also:

Great Crested Grebe 6

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Eider 100+

On the way back, the rocks around the children's play area were still deserted apart from a group of Black-Headed gulls with 

Mediterranean gull 1 (the regular bird that also frequents the lamppost) - in this clip the Med starts top left (then follow the white wings). The whole group fly to a groundwater run off, they all seemed to need a drink. It was 10:40, so perhaps they were just returning after a breakfast near the lamppost (MD)

South shore

First an update:

Siskin 1 seen by Kevin near the small anemometer on Friday

Today

Pale-bellied Brent goose 44 - these will include this morning's birds. Three lots arrived at Red Nab, 34, 2 and 8.

Wigeon 200+

Shelduck 15

Lapwing 16

Common Snipe 15 flushed from saltmarsh edge by the rising tide

Rock Pipit 4 - saltmarsh, Red Nab, sea wall and waterfall 

I have had some enquiries about yesterday's guided walk along the south wall. These are the details, I know Deborah is planning future, similar events.

Organised by: Deborah Woods Community Engagement Officer as part of The Bay:A Blueprint for Recovery (it’s a multi partnership project with Eden Project North and the Lancashire & Cumbria WildlifeTrust, The NHS and Postcode Lottery)