Pinkfoot movement gains momentum

Light north to NW breeze, freshened slightly throughout the day. An overcast start then sunshine through the middle of the day, before ending up overcast again.

Report from Pete:

Curlew Sandpiper 1 juvenile was inshore feeding with just six ringed plover and three Dunlin. These were flushed and flew towards Potts corner.  Tide miles away at this stage so not with tideline waders

nearby 14  Mediterranean gulls (13 ad one 2CY)  ocean edge mudflats and Red nab.

There were still some Meds on mud out from the saltmarsh when I checked later  (MD)

Off heysham Head

Shag 1 x 2CY 

Great Crested Grebe 14

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report from Jean:

There were classic conditions for Pink-footed Geese to migrate from Iceland as a cold front moved south on Tuesday night. A nice clear sky corridor formed with a north westerly airflow to bring the geese directly overnight to northern Scotland. At 5am many flocks were over Dumfries and Galloway and by 0930 several flocks had reached Heysham. By 5pm many geese had made it to Norfolk. More geese likely tomorrow.

Pink-Footed goose 597 high to the south 

7 skeins totalling 287 between 09:30 - 12:15, largest 85 at 10:00

6 skeins totalling 310 between 12:30 - 13:15, largest 120 at 12:50

Other than that the only vis was 5 Grey Wagtails, of which two were caught and colour-ringed

Ringing:

Grey Wagtail 2

Goldfinch 6 (one was a retrap)

Greenfinch 6

Chaffinch 3

Goldcrest 1

Chiffchaff 1

Willow Warbler 1

Blue Tit 4 (two were retraps)

Great Tit 1 (which may not be from Heysham - awaiting details)

Robin 1

Dunnock 3 (two were retraps)

South shore early afternoon (MD)

Red Nab 

Rock Pipits 3

Linnet 2

Grey Wagtail 1

Grey Wagtail 

Foreshore 

Wheatear 3

Robin 2

Everything seems to eat Blackberries!

Saltmarsh 

Starlings c120 on brambles

Linnet 18 on marsh

Shore out from the saltmarsh/foreshore 

70+ Ringed Plover and c40 Dunlin feeding close in but Curlew Sandpiper had not returned 

Dunlin resting in a shallow drain

The tides are dropping again now, but are still very high (9.1m). It comes in very quickly over the near flat shore. This clip shows a Bar-Tailed Godwit with Knot plus a Dunlin and Oystercatcher, running to keep ahead of the rising water.

They quickly get fed up of this and the beach was soon deserted.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

Grey Plover 30

Knot 80

Dunlin 16 + the inshore birds

Pinkfoot start to return

Almost calm in the morning the very light north breeze freshened slightly as it shifted to NW. Sunshine for most of the day.

Heysham skear - low water 08:45 (MD)

Pink-Footed Goose 30 south at 08:35, I expected others to follow, but that was it!

Shag 1 x 2nd calendar year feeding

Great Crested Grebe 3

Red-breasted Merganser 8 (1, 2 & 5)

Grey Heron 1

Little Egret 6

This was strange. This gull dropped from the sky as if its wing was broken and flayed in the water. The other gulls thought it was strange too as they all took to the air above it. No sign of them being spooked by a predator, they just seemed curious. The large splash is from a dropped mussel, I think the smaller splashes are just "droppings". I couldn't see if the gull recovered, but the others quickly returned to their feeding.

Half Moon Bay 

Janet saw two Small Copper

Small Copper, looking very fresh

South shore  - high water 14:10 (MD)

Rock Pipit 5 on Red Nab

Wheatear 5 along foreshore 

Skylark 1 grounded on Ocean Edge playing field

Skylark 

It seemed to be finding plenty to eat

Linnet 15 on saltmarsh 

Lapwing 45 on saltmarsh 

Redshank c100 roosting on the eastern side of the saltmarsh till flushed south by tide

Curlew Sandpiper 1 juvenile in association with the Redshank 

Curlew Sandpiper, unfortunately with the bright sunlight behind it

This was a little later, but presumably the same bird, Curlew Sandpiper showing its white rump

Curlew Sandpiper (left of centre) with Redshank 

Ringed Plover 7, this one was particularly confiding 

Ringed Plover

There were dragonflies around the saltmarsh.

Common Darter 2 female

Migrant Hawker 1 female and 1 male

Female Migrant Hawker 

Rain (and pain) almost stopped play!

Quite a fresh SW wind in the morning eased and shifted to NW by the afternoon. The morning rain was steady but quite light, although it didn't feel light in the fresh wind. More infrequent showers in the afternoon.

South shore late morning (MD)

Every time I go for a walk, my wife gives me "advice" about falling over - Don't do it!

It's good advice, and normally I remember, but yesterday I must have forgotten and ended up crashing onto my hip. Didn't feel too bad yesterday, but could barely walk this morning. Fortunately it eased as I walked, and I probably ended up walking further than I should.

Not much of note along the sea wall, just

Wheatear 1

Rock Pipit 1

On the saltmarsh 

Lapwing 19

Linnet 6

Goldfinch 8 on teasel around saltmarsh edge.

Kestrel 1 male over and continued south

There was very little on the shore either, but at least I remembered not to fall over today!

Ringed Plover 3, were the only waders close to shore

Towards the waterline were

Oystercatcher c300

Curlew c30

Grey Plover 18

Knot 2

Grey Plover moulting from summer to winter plumage 

Near Naze

Wheatear gang of 7 late morning (Pete)

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

I couldn't resist a passing check of the two main ponds in the afternoon.

Mute pair plus 7 well grown cygnets 

Coot 2 - one on each pond

Moorhen 4 - two on each pond

Gadwall 4 (2 each male and female) "no swimming" pond

Shoveler 2 (male and female) "no swimming" pond

Female (top) and male Shoveler 
They might have been on the same pond, but showed no inclination to be together

Pied Flycatcher

 Light east to SE wind with plenty of sunshine till late afternoon then overcast with light showers.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report from Jean:

The highlight of today was a female/imm Pied Flycatcher.

Small birds were flitting about in the bushes but the nets were too visible in the bright sunshine so only a few were caught for ringing:

Chiffchaff 4 (1 was a retrap from Middleton NR)

Goldcrest 2

Robin 1

Blue Tit 3

Long-tailed Tit 1

Greenfinch 1

Robin 1

Goldfinch 1

Vis was also low key:

Chaffinch 25

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Grey Wagtail 3

Sparrowhawk 1 (plus 2 others seen which may have been resident ones)

Raven 2

Swallow 4

Meadow Pipit 12 (one flock)

Tree Sparrow 2

Seven Jays were on the reserve.

Also, from Pete (M)

White Wagtail 1 adult male at Ocean Edge

Common Whitethroat by Heysham NR Office

Middleton Nature Reserve 

John's ringing today included:

Cetti's warbler 1 

Chiffchaff 7

Blackcap 2

Grey Wagtail 5

Blue Tit 1

Robin 1

All new birds

South Shore

Report by Pete Crooks:

Morning incoming tide:

Wooden Pier – 1 2nd CY Shag, 125 Cormorant

Heysham Harbour South Wall – 2 juv. Wheatear, 2 Rock Pipit

Red Nab – 7 Mediterranean Gull (4 adult, 1 2nd winter, 2 1st winter),
2 Sandwich Tern (1 adult, 1 juvenile)
Oystercatcher – 3 colour-ringed (too distant for details) and 15+ metal ringed among large flock prior to Red Nab being covered by the tide.
Also: 2 Rock Pipit, 1 juv. Wheatear

I'd checked Red Nab earlier in the tide (MD), at that time a Kingfisher was feeding.

Another Goby, it seems to catch them readily. I suspect that after it has caught "enough", it flies off to wherever it is currently calling home, to rest.

Lapwing 26 flew south from saltmarsh long before the tide reached it.

Linnet c30 feeding on saltmarsh 

I checked the mud out from the saltmarsh. Once again the main large group of waders were along the water's edge moving south. Made up of, at least:

Curlew, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin and Bar-Tailed Godwit (just 4 seen)

There were 100+ Ringed Plover with c20 Dunlin feeding close to the shore.

This juvenile Ringed Plover found itself "left behind" and had to run to catch up.

This small mixed flock of Grey Plover and Knot landed along a drain.

Grey Plover and Knot in various stages of moult from summer plumage 

This is them landing

A  Curlew Sandpiper was also with the Dunlin close in. Unfortunately, the sun was not at a great angle, and I slipped in the mud as I tried to get a better angle. I went flying, and so did the waders!

Juvenile  Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper plus quickest ever resighting

A light north wind to begin with, but it wobbled around from east to NW in the afternoon. Largely overcast with sunny spells 

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

Fewer birds on the move today, the highlight being a small flock of Tree Sparrows:
Chaffinch 2
Goldfinch 7
Tree Sparrow 5 and possibly another flock of 6
Grey Wagtail 6
Pied Wagtail 1

3-4 Jays were squabbling in the trees

Ringing:
Grey Wagtail 4
Goldcrest 6
Blackcap 2
Greenfinch 2
Goldfinch 2
Dunnock 1
Blackcap 1

One of the Grey Wagtails that was colour ringed here yesterday at 08:55 was seen just over 90 minutes later at Bank End, 8km SE!

South shore 

First an update from yesterday:

Shag with at least 82 Cormorant on the wooden jetty (Pete)

I just checked from Red Nab to saltmarsh (MD)

It felt deserted today!

No passerines on Red Nab and none along the foreshore till right at the slipway end.....

Wheatear 1

No finches feeding around the saltmarsh edges, strange, perhaps a small raptor had flushed them.

Rock Pipit 1 on Rocky outcrop 

Lapwing, just 3 today, the Osprey would have been fine if it had showed, but it didn't.

I had a walk out onto the mud - not something you should do on a rising spring tide, without sound knowledge of the area and tides. Even then you get precious little time as the tide quickly covers this almost flat area of shore.

A large group of waders on the waterline were too distant to count but included Grey Plover and Knot. But the spring tides leave the mud wet and many small waders feed nearer the shore 

Ringed Plover 70+

Dunlin 10

Curlew Sandpiper 1 juvenile 

Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper with Ringed Plover

The sun was shining at this point, in the above shot its breast and throat are in the shade making its throat look a cold grey. The shot below half of the throat is in the light, revealing it to be a peachy shade.

Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper with Dunlin

Redshank 100+ on saltmarsh 

Little Egret 10 on saltmarsh 

Some of the Redshank, Lapwing and Little Egret on saltmarsh 

Janet took these shots at the north end of Moneyclose Lane

Painted Lady 

Painted Lady and Red Admiral 

A comedy of errors!

Light north to NW wind. Mainly dry but a few showers.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by Jean:

The main theme of ringing today was Goldcrests and Grey Wagtails:
Goldcrest 9
Grey Wagtail 8
Chiffchaff 4 (1 retrap)
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Blackcap 1
Greenfinch 4
Chaffinch 2
Goldfinch 4
Blue Tit 5 (2 retraps)
Great Tit 3 (1 retrap)
Wren 2 (1 retrap)
Dunnock 1 (a retrap)
Sparrowhawk 1

Jean took this shot of one of yesterday's Grey Wagtails, it has been colour ringed as part of the Observatory's ringing scheme (see scheme details on the side bar).

There have been several sightings locally as well as many around the country. If you do spot one, please record the rings colours and sequence (photo if possible) and pass details to Pete (or any other member of the team if easier) contact details are on the side bar. 

South shore - high water 11:25 (MD)

There were 50+ Linnets and Goldfinch feeding around the saltmarsh slipway

Reed Bunting 1 also near the slipway 

Reed Bunting 

Robins everywhere, there were 5 between the slipway and Red Nab.

Wheatear 5 - 2 on foreshore, 1 on sea wall and 1 near lighthouse 

Rock Pipit 5

Meadow Pipit 9 - none grounded just birds heading south

Swallow 2 south

Eider 2 near wooden Jetty 

I had done and timed everything just right this morning. I set off early and had a good check along the foreshore and sea wall, before returning to the saltmarsh for 09:20. This is what the creek (where yesterday's Osprey was feeding) looks like before it's filled.

I walked around to the east side and sat on a block. I could now look down the quickly filling creek with the light behind me, camera ready. After 5 minutes the creek wasn't as full as when I arrived yesterday, but would have been as full as when the Osprey started feeding yesterday. I have absolutely no patience! So I decided to edge my bets and walk out onto the mud to check the waders on the tide line. I would still be able to see the Osprey if it turned up. To get to the shore you have to cross a slippery section of mud, so I stashed my camera. 

It was 09:45, the Osprey turned up right on time! 30+ Lapwing immediately lifted from the saltmarsh and started harrowing it. I presumed it would chase them off and begin feeding, so I walked back to my block and got my camera out. But it had gone and the Lapwing were returning to the saltmarsh. Even so, I was sure it would return, but it didn't.

There were no Lapwing around yesterday, I don't know if it had cleared them or if they had already left.

Either way I missed out on filming today's bird (glad I got some decent shots on the two previous days). I have no idea if it is likely to return here tomorrow, but the tide will reach the creek about 10:00, if you fancy a look (let's hope it's not much ado about nothing tomorrow).

By this time the waders on the beach were already moving on, so missed out on them too!

Redshank c120 on saltmarsh 

Ringed Plover 12 Red Nab

Dunlin 2 Red Nab

Ringed Plover and a Dunlin

Howard took this nice shot of Eider climbing out onto the Near Naze rocks

Osprey doesn't leave empty taloned today!

The wind swung round from the east in the morning to north by evening. After a dry start there was rain mid morning, but a bright evening for a change.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report from Jean:

Middleton NR was just on the cloud edge all morning with blue sky to the west and dark grey rain clouds to the east and almost overhead. At 10am the rain cloud was overhead and birds headed for cover in the bushes which is when a flock of Chiffchaffs was caught. Luckily the 'rain' at first was only very light and it was possible to wrap up the nets while they were dry. It was just in time because at 11am proper rain occurred but we were in the shelter of a car by then.

Vis before the (proper) rain:

Swallow 47

House Martin 6

A late SWIFT 1

Grey Wagtail - 26

Chaffinch 2

Linnet 1

Meadow Pipit 23

Goldfinch 13

Skylark 1

Goosander - 4 in one flock heading south

Gadwall 4

Ringing:

Grey Wagtail 13

Chiffchaff 8 (2 retraps)

Blackcap 1

Sedge Warbler 2

Reed Warbler 1 (a retrap)

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Meadow Pipit 1

Long-tailed Tit 2

South shore - high water 10:30 (MD)

No sign of the Kingfisher this morning 

Wheatear 8

Rock Pipit 3

Meadow Pipit c8

Swallow 2 south

Osprey 1 - the tide had barely reached the saltmarsh, even so it was hovering and diving towards the saltmarsh, unfortunately I was still at Red Nab. I "scampered" along the foreshore, stopping periodically to film a clip. All the birds were having a go at it, this compilation shows gulls and Carrion Crows mobbing it and Meadow Pipits (I think) zipping past.

By this time the rain had started and I was using my old (nearly worn out) camera, so struggled keeping it in focus for long. This clip shows it diving and then pans out to show location. At this point I was about half way along the foreshore. Even so enough detail was seen to see that it was an adult and not ringed.

This clip ends with its final, successful, dive. Unfortunately, I was still just too far from the slipway to see the water, perhaps as well as I lost focus during the dive anyway!

This last clip is only poor quality, but I'm posting it anyway as I like the Osprey's "shudder" to shake off the water. It is heading south with its catch, almost certainly a small Grey Mullet.

Twenty seconds later I reached the slipway and could see where it had been diving. The creek on the left hand side. We are moving back to spring tides now, and this will be be the first time in almost a week that the water will have reached this far. Plenty of time for mats of algae to form along the creek sides. A mullet shoal must have moved in to feed on it.

Grey Mullet would have been feeding in the creek on the left.
They still will be in this shot, but one less!

If the Osprey is still around and hasn't already caught something, there is a reasonable chance of an encore tomorrow. The tide will reach this creek between 09:30 and 09:45.

Heysham skear - low water 17:30 (MD)

Great Crested Grebe 5

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Eider 1

Mergansers and an Eider

Little Egret 6

Waders: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone plus

Ringed Plover 13

Dunlin 2

Knot 2

Knot

Black-Tailed Godwit 1 (they have been very scarce here in recent years)

Black-Tailed Godwit with Oystercatcher 

Overhead Osprey

 The SE breeze continues. Mainly overcast with some light showers during the day, some sunny periods around lunchtime. Once again, heavy thundery showers started by early evening

South Shore - high water 09:30

The plan was to watch this morning's tide bring the waders close inshore. That didn't work! (MD)

Kingfisher 1 feeding on the large pool in the centre of Red Nab. It caught three Common Gobies in quick succession, quite surprising really as this pool won't have been "restocked" since the last spring tides.

Kingfisher with quite a large goby

This clip, shows it swallowing one

Linnet 18 feeding on the mustard seed at Red Nab

Wheatear 6

Rock Pipit 2

Meadow Pipit 3

Whinchat 3 female/immature - one just east of Red Nab and two at saltmarsh 

Whinchat near Red Nab

One of two saltmarsh Whinchat

Swallow 5 south

Lapwing 28 on saltmarsh 

But something didn't feel "right" the tide was making up the beach, but it was deserted, not even an Oystercatcher! Never mind, I like walking on a deserted beach so I walked out, and soon discovered why the beach was deserted......

Osprey 1 - unringed adult. 08:45, I'm guessing it had been patrolling the area for a while, but it now decided to head north over Ocean Edge, the gulls weren't happy!

09:00 - by this time I was alone at the water's edge. The Osprey returned. In this clip the Osprey is flying over the beach and looking to the sea on the left of the clip. Possibly looking for any dead fish being washed ashore?

It wheeled round and did another circuit, but this time continued directly over my head and on towards the Lune estuary 

Osprey 

The Oystercatchers returned, bringing with them 3 Bar-Tailed Godwit and a few Curlew

A flock of c100 Dunlin and Ringed Plover came from the south and circled before landing on the beach

Dunlin and Ringed Plover

Normality was returning 

This last shot is the "dried out" pool on Red Nab near the sea wall. But it is no longer dried out, the recent heavy showers have restored it to a "freshwater" pool. Two reasons for the inverted commas.

1. Not "fresh" in the sense that you would want to drink it.

2. Not "fresh" in that it will still be slightly saline from salt left by seawater that evaporated rather than seeped away.

Still, an interesting environment, but it won't last long, Sunday's or Monday's spring tide will fill it with seawater again. Worth keeping an eye on though, different  environments can lead to different sightings (MD)

The now, only slightly brackish pool at Red Nab

Plenty of stuff grounded and some interesting recent ringing recoveries

A very heavy downpour about 11:00 last night, almost certainly followed by more showers, but it was fine by the morning. It was overcast and dry till lunch then another heavy shower. Sunshine in the afternoon led to thunder showers by evening. East to ESE light wind all day.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

42 birds of 11 species caught today between 07:30 - 10:45 at Middleton NR:

Grey Wagtail 4 were colour ringed

Chiffchaff 11

Willow Warbler 2

Sedge Warbler 2

Reed Warbler 1

Blackcap 4

Lesser Whitethroat 2

Meadow Pipit 1

Blue Tit 9

Great Tit 1

Long-tailed Tit 5 (2 were retraps)

Vis included:

11 Grey Wagtail (4 caught and ringed)

37 Swalliws

1 Snipe dropped in

5 Meadow Pipits

62 Goldfinch headed SW in 3 groups (30, 25, 7)

4 Gadwall flew in

Some interesting recent ringing recoveries:

Willow Warbler

LCN244                juv          10/08/2021           Lytchett Bay Poole Harbour (Dorset)

Re-trapped                            06/08/2022           Middleton NR 370km N 361 days

 

Sedge Warbler

ALL6172              Juv          01/08/2022           Middleton NR

Re-trapped                            13/08/2022           Hilgay Wetland (Norfolk) 274kmSE in 12 days

Our first Sedge Warbler from Norfolk out of many thousands ringed – autumn movement usually between SSE and SSW        

 

AXH0237             Juv         01/07/2020           Middleton NR

Re-trapped                          28/07/2022         Nanjizal Land’s End (Cornwall) 480 km SSW 757 days

I had a walk around in the hot afternoon sun (MD)

6 Gadwall  and 1 Shoveler on "no swimming" pond

Water Rail at least 3 squealing, including 1 somewhere on the industrial site side

Common Sandpiper 2 seen both on main pond and the "no swimming" pond, but think they were the same mobile birds

Common Sandpiper - another slightly uncommon underwing view

Two Common Sandpiper

House Martin 5 together south

Despite it being hot, the rain must have dampened the insects down as there were not many

Dragonflies:

Emperor several

Common Darter 3

Butterflies:

Red Admiral 6

Speckled Wood 6

Small White 3

Meadow Brown 1

This Speckled Wood was displaying to a potential mate, but I suspect the potential mate's mating days are over......

Silver Y moth

Achaius oratorius - wasp

South shore 

I checked this morning (MD)

Meadow Pipit 9 grounded plus 3 over to south

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit 2

Rock Pipit

Robin 5 grounded

Wheatear 5 - Janet also saw one below the Barrows on the north side. This is one of Janet's pictures of a typically sleek Wheatear 

I've posted Janet's picture here as a comparison to a, definitely not sleek, Wheatear on the foreshore. The larger birds are normally associated with birds that breed in the far north, as far as Greenland. But this might just be a big bird.

It obviously has its feathers fluffed out............

....but whichever way you look at it, this is a big Wheatear

Linnet 6 

No sign of the Kingfisher on Red Nab today, but the neap tides were not often visited last winter (the freshwater stream only has fish in it when the saltwater fills it, allowing the sea fishes to move along it). Mark Jones reports that there was one on the dipping pond on Heysham Nature Reserve, a week ago.

Shag 1 resting on wooden Jetty

Sandwich Tern 2 adult flying towards the Lune estuary - this is one of them, the other not far behind.

This next clip is of a Chiffchaff in the Nature Park catching a fly, it happens too quickly to see in real time, indeed too quickly for my camera to catch, but this shot is a blurry still from the end of the clip, showing the end of the fly!

Finally, this clip is from Middleton Nature Reserve this afternoon. It shows Black ants "farming" aphids. This is a great example of a symbiotic relationship, the ants protect the aphids from predators and the aphids provide the ants honeydew (the aphid's waste). Don't suppose the bramble is impressed though.