Peering through the mists......again

Very light southerly breeze. Low cloud/mist/drizzle all day.

Just my stuff so far (MD)

Heysham skear - low water 07:35

It was dark and misty......(I feel like saying full stop)

Brent geese - 3 flying around skear, at 09:05 a distant flock of 20+ flew towards the rocks out from the play area (which was out of visible range)

Pink-Footed geese - several skeins heard milling around above the mist.

Eider 18

Pintail 2 (duck and drake)

Great Crested Grebe 6

Still no Little Egrets

When you can see almost nothing, you can always watch the water. The lack of wind this morning does allow you to see just how quickly these 10 metre tides come in.

When I started this clip I was on the water's edge. By the time it finishes the water is three metres past me. You need to know that you have a safe path back when it comes in like this.

South sea wall

A pleasant walk along the wall starting 90 minutes after high water.

Pale-bellied Brent goose - I was expecting to see a largish flock arrive from the south, but it didn't happen. There were two already feeding on Red Nab.

Wren on Red Nab

Redshank on sloping sea wall

Female Red-breasted Merganser taking off from the pool on Red Nab

Kittiwake 16 -  4 adult plus 2 x first winter on the outflows. Another 10 x first winter in the harbour

This Black-Headed Gull grabbed this whitebait/sprat from No.1 outflow. It is almost snatched away by an adult Kittiwake, unfortunately you cant really see the Kittiwake in this clip.

Close up from the above clip showing the fish

Rock Pipit 2 - Red Nab/sea wall and lighthouse area.

Shag 1 immature on wooden jetty

A cosmopolitan mix

 First a couple of updates from yesterday.

Jeff Gorse paid a visit and enjoyed a walk along the south sea wall:

All the usual suspects in place Sunday PM (1.30-3) at Red Nab to the Harbour, 3 brent geese amongst large numbers of wigeon on the rocks at Red Nab, kingfisher and little egret fishing the same gully, several curlew and in the harbour area lots of kittiwake including this youngster which landed to preen almost at my feet

First winter Kittiwake

On checking her pictures, Janet realised that there were two different Grey Seals yesterday 

This female was near the wooden jetty

This one looks to be a male, was near No.2 outflow

And so to today. Very light variable breeze, overcast all day with the odd light shower.

South Shore

I just checked the saltmarsh as the tide covered it (MD). No Jack Snipe today.

Common Snipe 14

Wigeon 200+

Kingfisher 1 again flew from Red Nab towards Middleton Nature Reserve 

Reed Bunting 5

Skylark 1

Janet had a walk along the sea wall

Pale-bellied Brent goose 12 at least on Red Nab

This splendid Cormorant was also on Red Nab

Kittiwakes 20+ again mainly in the harbour. Janet took some lovely shots, these are just two of them.

First winter Kittiwake

Adult Kittiwake 

Young gull with a fish, I can't be sure what it is (fish or gull! MD)

Rock Pipit on the sloping sea wall

This Robin near the lighthouse was looking a bit bedraggled 

Kevin Eaves also had a look along the wall

Female Red-breasted Merganser near Red Nab

North shore

Howard managed to read another 5 colour ringed Knot at the high water roost, despite there only being about 1,000 birds today

This one is part of a Dutch ringing scheme

I checked the shore out from the play area on the ebbing tide in the late afternoon fading light (MD)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 24 - almost certainly including those on Red Nab earlier

Dark-bellied Brent goose 1

The lightning was strange, the sky was grey, the sea was grey and flat (looking like the sky) and a grey mist excluded all but the highest distant features. This is the main group of Brent arriving from the south side, it shows what I mean. The dark lines behind the brent are ripples in the channels, not the nonexistent horizon.

This is the Dark-bellied Brent feeding with 2 Pale-bellied. You can see the large pieces of weed being eaten. A feast after the short cropped weed on Red Nab.

I was stuck, I didn't want to risk spooking them. I had to wait till the tide ebbed onto the shore, before heading away from them. When it had ebbed enough I carefully moved past them at a safe distance along the waterline. Success! But I needn't have bothered, 10 minutes later they flew out and rested on the sea a while. I don't think they were spooked, I've noticed previously that after feeding a while they often take a break, presumably to allow some digestion. Although this pattern isn't always clear as they are often spooked on busier days. Either way it allowed this in flight shot as they flew over me.

The light was fading quickly, but the Dark-bellied bird is more obvious in flight.
It is just right of centre

Eider 11

Great Crested Grebe 1

Bar-Tailed Godwit 18 feeding

Black Tailed Godwit 73 in one flock heading north

Black-Tailed Godwit

Finally, Jean checked out a seldom visited section of the recording area: Borrans Lane off Middleton Road. It's in grid square SD4159 so is in the recording area 

Teal 8

Redwing 25 in the trees along the path to the large substation 

There are some horse paddocks, stables and dung heaps so there were plenty of birds there including 25 Goldfinch, 17 House Sparrows a Pied Wagtail and an unringed Grey Wagtail. 

The whole area looks like it might be brilliant if there are "fall" conditions in spring.

A check of Middleton NR ringing site

Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail heard in the central marsh.

Good and thorough coverage

Perhaps the last freezing night for a while, light SE breeze. Mainly overcast with a few afternoon showers.

South Shore

I just checked the saltmarsh just before high water (MD). I watched the whole of the saltmarsh being covered and again the Common Snipe surprised me, today by their relatively low numbers.

Common Snipe 15

Jack Snipe 5 seen, 1 possibly duplicated, but unlikely. A possible 6th could not be confirmed 

Reed Bunting 7

Skylark 5

Skylark 

This lark was calling as it flew, I was hoping my camera would pick it up, but it didn't. I just managed a couple of short clips, so I put them together.

Janet had a walk along the sea wall and took these nice shots.

Heron Flushed from its favoured rock

Kingfisher on Red Nab

Rock Pipit having a bath in the groundwater runoff on Red Nab

Not sure what this Black- Headed Gull has, but I'm not convinced that it is edible

First winter Kittiwake with a very edible sandeel or whitebait

Adult Kittiwake on the harbour "kittiwake pipe"

Grey Seal

Pete and Jean did a thorough count as part of this month's WeBS survey. 

This is Jean's report, it includes the snipe recorded above.

From Ocean Edge saltmarsh to Heysham Village Bay:

Cormorant 67

Shag 1

Grey Heron 1

Little Egret 1

Wigeon 198

Oystercatcher 7780

Ringed Plover16

Grey Plover 1

Knot 5425

Jack Snipe 5

Common Snipe 15

Redshank 351

Turnstone 9

Black-headed Gull 66

Herring Gull 24

Great Black-backed Gull 14

Kittiwake 24 (20 x 1st winter, 4 x adult, most in the harbour and a few on the outfalls)

A Grey Seal was fishing by the outfalls

Most of the Oystercatchers and all of the Knot were roosting on the heliport sea wall (with a few overflowing onto the top). The Redshank were mostly on Red Nab, with others on Ocean Edge saltmarsh.

Howard managed to read another 7 ringed Knot today, despite the Near Naze birds being regularly lifted by "snappers wanting in flight shots".

This Knot's flag is blotched, but after careful checks of both sides it was  
eventually read. It is already beginning to get its red summer plumage

Sniping and Knotting

Another freezing night with a sunny day. A very cold SE wind.

South Shore (MD/JP)

I checked at high water (MD). The saltmarsh was already three quarters covered. I didn't expect to see any Common Snipe, which tend to leave early towards Middleton Nature Reserve, but thought there may be a Jack Snipe or two. Didn't see any Jack Snipe, but was surprised by.....

Common Snipe 63 - most flew around looking for somewhere to land, the regular birds, tend just to head straight for the Reserve, so presumably these "additional" birds have been displaced from somewhere by the freezing conditions.

Comment Snipe

Bar-Tailed Godwit 8

Kingfisher 1 - presumably the Red Nab bird, flew across the saltmarsh towards Middleton Nature Reserve.

Reed Bunting 5

Skylark 3

Linnet 5

Rock Pipit 1 

All the above on the saltmarsh, a second Rock Pipit was on Red Nab

A walk along the sea wall to the harbour located 

Kittiwake 30 - 4 on the outflows 26 near the harbour waterfall 

I was quite pleased with my Kittiwake pictures today, but they pale in comparison to Janet's shots. All the rest of today's images are either Janet's then later Howard's. Being high resolution they really should be opened to enjoy the detail within.

First Winter Kittiwakes in the harbour 

Cormorants coming in to land - first winter bird on the right

Turnstone and a Redshank along the sea wall

North shore

Howard managed to read another eight colour ringed Knot at high water, first on the Near Naze, then on the old heliport wall. Howard's excellent pictures make this look much easier than it actually is, only a tiny percentage are colour ringed, and most of the time those that are tend to be hidden or partially hidden behind other birds/obstacles.

These shots show the profusion of Knot

None of the above are ringed, then, almost unbelievably, this happens.......

.....you wait ages for one colour ringed Knot to turn up, then two arrive!

We have had the history of two of the birds read on Thursday, one was ringed on Ainsdale Beach Merseyside, the other on Sanday in the Orkneys. These colour ringed schemes are not designed to provide entertainment for birdwatchers. They are to identify bird movements, so that hard evidence can be presented to protect habitats vital for them to continue to survive. Howard did well reading eight today, but that was largely as there was only minimal disturbance of the birds. Further checks will take place in this current phase of spring tides. The spectacle of the birds roosting on the Heliport wall is special, but you need specialist equipment to read the rings. If you go for a look please enjoy the spectacle from a distance.

Plenty of barwits

Another frosty night followed by a sunny day. Light variable breeze.

South shore - high water 09:45

I only had time for a check from saltmarsh to Red Nab (MD)

Saltmarsh 

Linnet 5

Reed Bunting 1

Lapwing c180

Some of the Lapwing, there are c100 here
You might just be able to make out a snipe in the middle of the first island 

Common Snipe 31 flushed by the rising tide

Some of the flushed snipe, heading for Middleton Nature Reserve 

Bar-Tailed Godwit 113

Bar-Tailed Godwit

Red Nab

Plenty of Shelduck and Wigeon, but the tide had almost covered all the rocks and there was no sign of any Brent geese. I assumed they had already flown to the south, and perhaps they had, but surprisingly first 27 then 3 flew in from the south.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 30 - these are the 27 flying in.

The sharp eyed amongst you may have noticed them flying past this Heron resting on a rock.

Grey Heron

It was just a few minutes after high water and some of the closer in rocks were just exposed. You can see how close cropped the Wigeon and Brent are keeping the gutweed on the rocks.

Knot 200

Dunlin 5

Rock Pipit 1

North shore

Janet spotted the  27 Pale-bellied Brent arriving out from the play area at 11:45

I had a walk out later in the afternoon towards low water (MD). I didn't see any Brent at that time.

The shore was covered in Bar-Tailed Godwits again. Very difficult to count initially as they were feeding and moving regularly to different feeding areas. But later when I was on the skear they were lined up along the shore resting, allowing a count of 710.

This clip gives an idea of the dynamics early on. It starts with mainly Knot and ends with mainly Godwits.

This is one of the feeding groups

Knot c3,000 in two flocks, but several smaller flocks were joining them as the light was fading.

Some of c300 late arriving Knot

Dunlin 25

Eider 36

Wigeon 13 (6 and 7 heading north)

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Great Crested Grebe 4 - they are already displaying 

Knot ring reading back

Another freezing night. A light, but cold and freshening NE wind with a few rain/hail showers around lunchtime.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Not much change in the wildfowl although the Tufted were absent again. The "no swimming" pond was ice covered this morning, but remained ice free around the edges.

There were a few small groups of Teal flying around 

South shore high water 08:45 (MD)

Lapwing c50

Grey Plover 9

Grey Plover on saltmarsh shore

Ringed Plover 5

Bar-Tailed Godwit 2

Bar-Tailed Godwits and a Redshank on saltmarsh shore

Pale-bellied Brent goose 26 rolling into Red Nab (co-starring Shelduck and Wigeon - music by Curlew).

Kingfisher 1 feeding in the groundwater runoff stream on Red Nab - you'll like this one, the Kingfisher hovers for a second before making its dive.

The fish was a Common Goby, a seawater species. They can only reach this far up the stream when the tide is high enough to at least make it brackish.

Rock Pipit 2 - Red Nab and Lighthouse 

Kittiwake 45 minimum. 8 on outflows the rest in the harbour mainly near the waterfall.

Shag 1 (3rd calendar year) resting in the harbour before flying to wooden jetty.

North shore - afternoon ebbing tide

Howard went down to check the Knot flocks for ringed birds. He did well reading three from only 500 of the 3,000 Knot.

One of the ringed Knot read today, this one was originally ringed in 2014
Full details awaited

Unfortunately, at that time a couple out for a ramble, first rambled along the rocks out from the play area, flushing 44 Pale-bellied Brent geese - these will include this morning's birds

They continued on to the skear and flushed the remaining Knot before Howard could scan them.

Knot

End of session for Howard!

I had a walk out later towards low water (MD)

The Brent hadn't returned 

Eider 26

Red-breasted Mergansers 1 male

Waders: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone, Knot plus 

Bar-Tailed Godwit c350, closer to the green marker post than the skear.

Dunlin 6

Dunlin