Stonechat best of a reasonably decent day

An overnight frost, very light SE breeze early on freshened slightly during the day. Mainly overcast with some late afternoon sleet showers.

Heysham Skear - low water 08:00 (MD)

It was a very pleasant morning, but there wasn't a lot on show, many of the waders would have been on the outer skear.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 3 including the only first winter bird I've seen this winter.

Adult Pale-bellied Brent in front with a first winter bird behind
The other adult is just out of shot

Eider 35 - this clip is a bit different, a flavour of the skear and the females shooing away, at least some of the males.

Wigeon 7 floated in with the tide then flew off to the north. They are uncommon on this side of the harbour and normally only seen during passage. This is them heading off.

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested Grebe 2 - one of the grebes was feeding near the green marker post.

Unmistakable silhouette of a Great Crested Grebe with Oystercatchers in foreground 

Shag 1 immature 

Waders: Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Redshank, Curlew and just 150 Knot.

South Shore - high water 13:30 (MD)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 2 flew south, unlikely to be two of this morning's birds.

Shelduck 30

Wigeon c100

Shag 1 immature on wooden jetty.

Rock Pipit 5 - 1 between lighthouse and waterfall, 2 on Red Nab (1 not welcomed by the male), 2 on saltmarsh 

Stonechat 1 female near the saltmarsh slipway.

Female Stonechat 

A nice plumage detail shot

Reed Bunting 1 

Common Snipe 93 at least. Counted 93 lifting off the saltmarsh, flocks flying around could have been them, not being sure where to go, or could have been additional birds from the north side.

Common Snipe and Redshank 

Common Snipe and Wigeon

This is one group flying around looking lost. Not really much to see of the birds, but it does provide views looking south from the saltmarsh.

These shots are of today's Shag sightings, both distant, but they do appear to be different birds (MD).

This is the Shag on the wooden jetty, looking obviously brown.
Suggesting that this is a first winter bird

In contrast the bird out from the skear looks much darker.
Suggesting this is a second winter bird

Better than expected!

When I looked out at 22:00 last night it was pouring down and everywhere was wet. An hour later, the snow was so hard that it blanketed everything. It was blowing hard from the north and the snow continued into the early hours. I certainly didn't expect today to turn out to be as pleasant as it did!

By morning the snow still lay deep on vegetation, but quickly cleared from roads and hard paths. The north wind continued but much lighter and moved to the NW in the afternoon. Sunshine, pretty much all day. It was still cold but a nice day for walking, as long as you wrapped up.

Pete and Howard managed to read a number of colour ringed Knot on the Heliport and Near Naze high tide roost. These are a couple of Howards shots.

A ringing report in the upcoming Annual Report summarises all
ringing including colour ringed Knot recoveries 

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

A nice stroll around in the morning sunshine.

Wildfowl pretty much unchanged.

The main pond Coots had clearly decided that threats alone were not enough to defend territory. They were obviously "squaring up". The subsequent battle looks fierce, but was over quickly. 

Both sides seem to claim victory, I suspect it was more like a draw, either way hostilities ceased, at least for the time being.

The Black-Headed Gulls were resting on the main pond edge, there are first winter and adult birds in various degrees of moulting to summer plumage.

Snipe sp 1 - what looked and behaved like a Jack Snipe, but it took flight while I was over 5m away. Jack Snipe often wait till you are almost on top of them before they take flight. But this was on snow covered ground, perhaps they only trust their camouflage when on appropriate terrain.

One advantage of walking on the snow (although it was melting quickly by this time) is that you can see what there has been. These are classic Pheasant tracks, not just the footprints, but the impression of the tail dragging behind.

Pheasant tracks

Imperial Rd (MD)

Just a quick stop off on the way past.

Buzzard 2 - this clip, shows one flying towards the bypass 

This is a still from the above clip, the second Buzzard is circled.
It is on the fence behind the tree, it followed the other a little later.

Heysham skear (MD)

I had a walk late afternoon, still three hours to low water, but the inner skear was exposed. This clip, shows gulls amassing to land on a newly emerging sand bar. But it's really just to show how lovely the South Lakes looked.

Eider 10

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Oystercatcher c2,000

Knot c600

Turnstone c150

Redshank 30

Dunlin 80

This small patch of broken mussels was already full of Oystercatcher and Knot (plus at least 1 Dunlin), before another flock of Knot arrived.

These are mainly Turnstone and Redshank 

Of all this afternoon's birds, this is the only one I saw that was ringed.
Dunlin with metal ring - no chance of reading of course. It is just to show that
spotting and reading ringed birds, as Howard and Pete did this morning, is no mean feat.

Hampered by a nasty flurry!

Unlike much of the country, Heysham got away with just light snow flurries. Even so the east wind was bitterly cold and became very strong in the afternoon.

Pete checked the Heliport wall, just 980 Knot roosting at high water.

Shag at leat 1 immature on the wooden jetty

South Shore (MD)

This clip shows an immature Shag on the wooden jetty (just left of centre), in the middle of the "worst" of today's snow. It wasn't easy to be sure, as its head was down for most of the time, but this clip begins with its head up.

The Black-Headed Gulls are quickly mounting to summer plumage.
The bird on the right is the regular overwintering Polish ringed bird.
Ringed as a nestling in 2017 it has been seen here every winter since 2017/18

Shelduck 57

Wigeon 140 - this clip, shows the Wigeon making their way to the inshore Red Nab rocks as the incoming water reaches them, allowing easy feeding on the gutweed.

Rock Pipit at least 3 - none seen/heard near the lighthouse, two on saltmarsh, the Red Nab bird was heard display calling, but from somewhere behind in the more sheltered Power Station grounds. This bird feeding along the sea wall may have been the Red Nab male, you can see Red Nab behind.

And that's about it! I was thinking of going out again in the afternoon, but the cold and now strong east wind wasn't enticing, and the tides and weather didn't suggest anywhere to see anything different. It looks even worse for tomorrow, we might have to do a bit of barrel bottom scraping! But, you never know.......

A cold east wind - didn't seem to blow anybody any good!

Down to -2C overnight the shallow pools etc were covered in ice. A cold east wind freshened during the day. At least it remained dry.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a quick check, nothing much different to yesterday other than 8 Gadwall today. One of the Mute Swans was thinking about building a nest. My camera was mercifully quiet during this clip, you can hear a Little Grebe trilling a couple of times..

South Shore

I had a look as far as Red Nab on the rising tide (MD)

No Brent turned up today, they quickly learn that the increasing height tides provide diminishing feeding opportunities.

All there was, were the regular birds:

Rock Pipit 1 displaying on Red Nab.

Shelduck 30

Wigeon 120

Both the above on Red Nab, also on Red Nab was this Little Egret. 

You can see the gutweed limp and close to the exposed rocks, making for difficult browsing.
But the gutweed behind the Egret is being reached by the rising tide, this makes it swell and
 float, making for easy browsing.

Curlew (and a bit of Redshank)

These Long-Tailed Tits, joined by a Blue Tit were feeding in the Nature Park. This area is where seeds and bread are often left for the birds. Whatever they are finding must be tiny and not deemed worthwhile by the other birds.

Kevin Eaves had a walk along the wall later and took these nice shots of a mature Cormorant in breeding plumage.

Heliport - 3,700 Knot roosting

Heysham Nature Reserve - one Weasel shot across the road

Both the above from Pete

The wind and weather are looking even less promising for tomorrow!

Morse code mode!

An overnight frost, then dawn to dusk sunshine, quite warm when sheltered from the light, but cold NE to NW breeze.

South Shore (MD)

It couldn't have been more different than yesterday, at least weather wise. The birds were pretty much the same.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose 36 - these are 32 of them flying into Red Nab from the north side.

These are the other four, having a drink with Shelduck. Although the tide has now reached it, where they are drinking from is fed by the freshwater runoff. 

This clip is what today's title refers to, yesterday I managed to drop my best camera. I thought I had gotten away with just superficial damage, but today's clips are accompanied by what sounds like my camera tapping out morse code. It's never been a quiet camera, actually it sounds like it is steam operated! But this may be a sound effect too far, if it doesn't resolve itself I may have to post clips in silent mode in future.

Shelduck c20

Wigeon c50

Rock Pipit 2 - the Red Nab bird displaying and this one on the foreshore 

Not sure what it has found, but it gets eaten

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a check of the western side.

Mute Swan 2 adult on "no swimming" pond plus another on Tim Butler pond. 5 immature on main pond

Little Grebe 3 at least on the main pond.

Little Grebe

This one strayed too close to another's territory 

Mallard 8

Gadwall pair on main pond two males on the "no swimming" pond

Teal at least 15 - this one is upending on the main pond, despite the morse code and passing traffic, you can just make out a Little Grebe trilling.

Coot 5

Moorhen 4

Water Rail 2 squealing

Redwing 15 along eastern boundary 

Roe Deer 1 male

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve

Janet had another stroll around this nice reserve, she didn't see the Barn Owl today, but Tom reported it near the solar panels.

These nice shots by Janet:

Female Reed Bunting 

Male Reed Bunting 

Blue Tit

Long-Tailed Tit

Common Buzzard

Sparrowhawk 

Four Roe Deer in the field to the north of the reserve, they look like two
female with two immature. Roe Deer are not renown grazers, perhaps
 they are just avoiding unwelcome attention from the males

A good soaking.......pretty much for naught

A fresh west wind, very heavy showers early and mid morning.

South Shore (MD)

It was dog walking day today and the timing meant Red Nab would have been covered when I got there. So I had a quick look first just before Red Nab was covered. Unfortunately this was at a time that the heavens decided to open!

Pale-bellied Brent goose 43 - before I reached Red Nab I could see them flying off, the tide was already quite high. Then, most unusually, they circled around and landed back on Red Nab. By this time the only exposed gutweed covered rocks were close in. 37 birds at this point. I risked getting out my old camera.

Pale-bellied Brent and Wigeon on Red Nab

The above shot belies the abysmal conditions. This clip gives a better impression, you can hear the wind and rain.

As the available weed became scarcer, tempers became frayed.

They came as close to the sea wall as I've ever seen them before eventually flying off, probably because I was the only silly soul to be on the wall!

I say it was all for naught, simply because when I returned an hour later with my daughter's dog, the rain had stopped and the Brent had already returned to Red Nab, but this time more of them - 43.

Wigeon 130

Reed Bunting 1 on saltmarsh 

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Nothing of note behind the lunchtime ferry

Shag at least one immature on the wooden jetty, there looked to be two but by size only as one kept its head firmly tucked in.

Little Egret on Red Nab

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Janet checked again today, but a little later, no sign of the Barn Owl.

Roe Deer 2 female in the field just north of the reserve.

Dark-bellied Brent joins the Pale

It managed to remain dry again, but rain seemed imminent all day. The early light breeze was from the east, before moving to west.

North Shore.

Pete Crooks checked the rocks out from the play area on the morning rising tide:

Pale-bellied Brent Goose 67 all together in one group

Dark-bellied Brent Goose 1 individual c100m away

South Shore - high water 10:30 (MD)

Today's tide at 8.4m is just enough to flush any brent from the play area, and sure enough they were feeding on Red Nab. Quite spread out and always some behind rocks. I managed to count 63 Pale-bellied and 1 Dark-bellied, but I'm sure all Pete's birds would have been here.

This clip shows the nice diversity on Red Nab. A few of the Pale-bellied Brent, Wigeon, Shelduck, Curlew and an Oystercatcher.

This is the extent of a 8.4m tide's reach on Red Nab.

At least they were integrated on this side. This is the Dark-bellied bird with some Pale-bellied.

Dark-bellied Brent top centre

Wigeon c50

Shelduck c80 - most near saltmarsh 

Little Egret 1

Peregrine Falcon 2 - they came in off and were heading north. They were squealing and performing aerial acrobatics. I have seen them behaving like this at this time of year, when a male catches a bird then "hands" it to the female in mid air. But there was not an obvious size differences between these two, and on checking my shots, neither had anything to hand over. Looks like they were just "practicing". If you watch in slow motion you will see the lower bird flying upside down for a second or two.

A still from the above clip, showing the lower bird upside down 

They continued north, still calling to each other.

Rock Pipit 3 - I calling and displaying on Red Nab, 2 along foreshore. This is the Red Nab bird, still calling even when feeding.

Reed Bunting 2 around the saltmarsh 

Nature Park

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 drumming. This is a male, when he hears another drumming (presumably the female), he backs down the trunk to a better resonance spot and drums in reply (sorry it is largely out of focus, but it does show the process).

This is the female, she isn't using her bill to drum now, but to strip away decaying bark in search of grubs.

Imperial Rd (MD)

Just a quick passing check

Teal pair

Grey Heron 1

Greylag Goose 4 - technically "seen from" the recording area, they were in the field to the east of the road.

Greylag Geese

This Grey Wagtail turned up in my garden this afternoon (MD). It is within the recording area. I've not seen one here all winter, despite managing to keep the waterfall operational throughout the cold spell, so this one must be passing through. It fed a few minutes then disappeared, presumably continued on its way. 

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Janet had another early morning walk, no sign of the Barn Owl today.

Roe Deer 1

Female Roe Deer

Grey Squirrels seldom get a mention, but this is a nice shot.

Brents back to full strength, plus excellent Barn Owl shots

Another dry, overcast day with a very light NE to NW breeze.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Alan:

Paul and I set just one net in the Heysham feeder ride this morning. Although it was calm and the temperature not very low it felt quite cold, especially as we were there for nearly five hours with little physical activity. As on previous days there were more retraps than new birds although one Greenfinch was trapped wearing a ring from elsewhere.

Dunnock 4 retraps

Robin 1 retrap

Blackbird 1

Long-tailed Tit 6 retraps

Blue tit 2 + 3 retraps

Great Tit 1 retrap

Greenfinch 4 + 2 retraps

Goldfinch 7 + 1 retrap

Bullfinch 1 retrap

South shore - high water 09:50 (MD)

We're still on neap tides at 7.9m the tide doesn't cover the shore south of the saltmarsh 

High tide out from the saltmarsh 

Shelduck 93 here plus whatever was around Red Nab
Curlew 95
Oystercatcher 37
Redshank c200
No godwits
Knot c20
Grey Plover 4
Dunlin c1,000
Common Snipe 6 (lifted by something from saltmarsh but quickly landed again).
These are mainly Redshank feeding.

These Grey Plover came in with a flock of Dunlin and a few Knot, but the Dunlin were flighty and didn't settle.

Dunlin plus a single Redshank, you may need to open the shot to spot the Redshank

North Shore

Pale-bellied Brent Geese 77 at lunchtime (ref Pete)

A later check by Pete:

Mid-afternoon: Still at least 50 pale-bellied Brent visible from Knowlys road but many hidden by raised honeycomb worm beds. (308 Eider, 6 rbm, 9 gcg Heysham head to Morecambe town hall)

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Janet had a early morning walk and managed these excellent shots of the Barn Owl. Although these shots are on/around the Moss, Janet also saw it fly across to Imperial Rd.

Resting on the solar panels on the north side of bypass 

Resting in the Moss

Flying across the Moss. You can clearly see the ankle strap, but
all vestiges of jesses are gone

Heron also on the solar panels

Roe Deer 4 - 2 male plus 2 female

A nice shot a female with a male. The long rump tuft (it's not a true tail)
of the female showing the difference between the male's plain rump.

All four Roe Deer

First Brent for a while

The light east wind continues. A dry but mainly overcast day.

South shore Red Nab to saltmarsh (MD)

Shelduck c80

Wigeon 25 (almost certainly more beyond Red Nab

Rock Pipit 1 male parachuting over Red Nab

Reed Bunting 2 on saltmarsh - this is a slightly different viewing angle

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a quick check of the main ponds on my way home.

Mute Swan, the 5 immature remain on the main pond while the adult pair are on the "no swimming" pond

Mallard 8

Gadwall 14

Teal 2

Coot 5 

Moorhen 6

Cormorant 1

Grey Heron 1 - this clip looks like the Heron is sharpening its bill on a stone. I expect it was just cleaning it.

Little Grebe 3

Jackdaw 10

Heysham skear - low water 16:00 (MD)

Eider c30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 11 - these surprised me, there was none amongst the rocks out from the play area, despite there still being plenty of available food there. They were drifting on the SW tip of the skear, but obviously had been resting on the skear itself. There was no food were they had rested, but they had been feeding somewhere, the area was marked with copious droppings. They drifted towards the SE skear corner.

Brent geese drifting along the southern side of the skear on the rising tide.

Before flying low to the north

Great Crested Grebe 2

Little Egret 2

Waders:

Oystercatcher c1,000

Curlew more than recently c50

Redshank 100+

Turnstone 50+

Common Snipe 2

Dunlin 12

Knot c2,000

A nice shot of the largest Knot flock with the South Lakes as a backdrop 

Footnote: Barn Owl - those of you who read the posts in the evening may have missed the amendment to yesterday's post.  Additional images taken by Ian of the Barn Owl, and a closer check of my images, do indeed makes it look like an escapee with brown ankle straps and short brown jesses.

Just possibly, a suggestion of movement

A very light east breeze. A dry day after a morning shower.

South shore (MD)

I went out just as the morning shower ended, wondering if it had grounded anything passing over. And possibly it did, but nothing obvious.

Collar Dove 1 resting on the small anemometer 

Collar Dove, there hasn't been one in the Nature Park over winter

Yesterday there were no passerines along foreshore and Red Nab, today wasn't much better, but there was 

Pied Wagtail 1

Dunnock 2 

One of two Dunnock on Red Nab 

Rock Pipit 3 - definitely not movement, these were the three near the lighthouse. This one was feeding on the sloping wall.

Little Egret 2

Shelduck c80

Wigeon 130 They are in full breeding plumage now and looking very smart. This male is having a preen and provides an all round view.

Eider pair out from the Harbour

No Kittiwake remain 

Redshank 152 

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Thanks to Ian (via Janet) for these shots.

The Barn Owl appears to be attached to a ribbon, but it probably grabbed some foliage when it grabbed the rodent, and it won't relax its grip till its ready.

However, other detailed shots seen by Janet, do look like it the brown near the talons are jesses and ankle straps. So, perhaps I've been mistaking those for prey in its talons, and is, as Ian suggests, the owl is an escapee (MD)