Take solace in the solstice

Another overcast day with showers. The fresh west wind continued, but ended up NW.

Well, today was the shortest day. Technically the winter solstice is 03:30 in the morning, but "daylight" tomorrow is a full minute longer than it was today. On the slightly more sobering side, tomorrow is officially the first day of winter!

South Shore (MD)

Another morning walk along the sea wall, but a bit earlier in the ebb, at least there were still a few Wigeon around c150

As with most of this morning's birds, the priority was finding somewhere to shelter from the wind.

These are mainly Herring Gulls sheltering on No.2 outflow rocks

This group of Black-Headed gulls were also looking for somewhere to rest. Surprisingly, they decided on the beach, where they could barely stand!

Not all the gulls were hunkered down, there were a few Herring Gulls patrolling out from the 
harbour mouth. Hoping the rough sea would provide a feeding opportunity.

Grey Seal 1 - looks to be a male, in the middle of No.2 outflow.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a passing check of the two main ponds

Main Pond:

Mute Swan pair plus 7 immature 

Gadwall 4

Coot 4

No Swimming pond:

Gadwall 14

Mallard 16

Tufted Duck 2 male

Grey Heron 1

Moorhen 2

Three drakes - Gadwall, Tufted and Mallard

These are the Gadwall and Mallard, with a guest appearance by the Heron.

Not much........but it wasn't much of a day!

Low cloud all day producing rain for most of the day. A fresh west wind.

It was one of those days were it never really got light, and being one of the shortest daylight days of the year didn't help!

South shore (MD)

Just a late morning walk along the south sea wall was all I could manage today, and there was little to see as the tide was out.

A few waders feeding on the beach next to the wooden jetty.

Curlew 3

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

Oystercatcher 11

Redshank 5

Nature Park:

Bullfinch 2 (male and female)

Mixed tit flock containing at least:

Long-Tailed Tit 6

Blue Tit 4

Great Tit 2

Goldcrest 1

Continuing yesterday's theme of local mammals, this Grey Squirrel was taking advantage of the seeds left by visitors for the birds.

Howard Stockdale managed to read more colour coded Knot over the set of spring tides that have just come to an end. Most on Near Naze or the Heliport roost. These are some examples of the colour coding methods used.

Mainly mammals

A dry and mainly sunny day after a shower at first light. The west wind continued to freshen throughout the day.

This male Kestrel was hovering over the horse paddocks at Knowlys Rd, at times level with Janet, allowing these excellent shots.

Male Kestrel

Pale-bellied Brent geese 17 - a check from Whinnysty Lane at low water saw them in the SE corner of the skear. I've not managed to get down there for a while, but it is likely that the only available weed there at the moment is broken weed along the waterline.

A check from Knowlys Rd a couple of hours later saw none, and none were on Red Nab in a quick afternoon check. They may have turned up later.

Imperial Rd (MD)

I always find it interesting just how much wildlife can be seen here in a small area of land surrounded by a bypass, a large substation and a recycling plant.

This clip is actually on the east side of the road. The fox headed for a rift in the field. I presume it was after a drink. Note how clean its bib is here.

When it emerges, it is liking its lips and its bib looks wet.

Roe Deer 3 a female with two youngsters a male and a female. These were on the west side of the road. This is the adult female, she crosses from the wetland where they had been feeding and ended up right beside the bypass. Note how she, and her youngsters later move quickly over the open ground.

She was followed by the young deer. At this time of year, the females have a white tuft on their rumps that looks like a tail.

This is the young female feeding, next to the bypass.

Also right next to the bypass, a flock of 8 Long-Tailed tits

More Brent.......less gutweed!

 Another overcast day with long periods of light rain. A light SW wind

South shore (MD)

Pale-bellied Brent geese 57 - there were clearly a lot on Red Nab, but they were spread out in family groups, making them difficult to count accurately, the most I managed while they were still feeding was 47.

The once lush gutweed here is now getting thin on the rocks, as both the Brent and the Wigeon feed on it.

No ringed birds were seen today. As the tide covered most of the rocks, they took to the water......

........before taking to the air and allowing a full count.

Wigeon c250

The Oystercatchers were earthworm catchers on the Ocean Edge grass.

At the saltmarsh:

Jack Snipe 1 flushed from the marsh edge, and landed on another section of marsh

Lapwing 76

Turnstone 3

This Curlew was calling regularly. I took a clip, but it was impossible to hear the call
over the wind noise, so I took a still instead

Not seen this dredger before the Iguazú.  It is a water injection dredger,
Basically it fluidises the mud which should then drift off with any current.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just the briefest of checks.

Mute Swan the eighth immature bird has rejoined the other seven plus the adult pair.

Coot 5

Moorhen 2

Tufted Duck 2 male (on "no swimming" pond)

Gadwall 14 (on "no swimming" pond)

Grey Heron 1

First ringed Brent shows

A fresh S to SSW wind. Overcast with just the odd light shower.

North shore - report by Pete Crooks from Knowlys Road

51 Pale-bellied Brent Geese off the play area on the promenade. Initially scattered, but eventually resolved themselves into two distinct groups of 31 and 20, with the latter including a colour-ringed individual: Left leg – White P; Right Leg – White B. (This goose has been seen on previous years, so far no details. But there is hope that the scheme may be available on line "soon", let's hope so!)

South Shore 

Black-tailed Godwit was in the harbour wall roost - ref Stephen Dunstan

I just managed a morning walk along the sea wall (MD). Too early in the rising tide for the Brent to be feeding on Red Nab.

Wigeon 200+ this female appears to have selected a mate, but another 10 males are not so sure and vied for attention.

When she flew off, they all followed.

Cormorants heading to the wooden jetty

Adult and first year Great Black-Backed gull

Adult Herring Gull

Grey Seal 1 female in No.2 outflow

The Kestrels on Heysham Head, continue to show well, these are Janet's shots today.

Female Kestrel 

Plenty of Brent about

Somehow, it managed to stay dry, despite some threatening clouds. A SW wind freshened slightly.

Middleton Nature Reserve (JP, MD)

Mute Swan pair plus 7 immature 

Coot 5

Moorhen 4

Mallard 4

Gadwall 10 - 2 on main and 8 on "no swimming" pond which has now returned to its normal level.

Tufted Duck 2 male on "no swimming" pond.

Main pond Gadwall

The finches are taking advantage of the feeders

Goldfinch and Chaffinch

Goldfinch and Greenfinch 

Pale-bellied Brent goose 42

A quick look in passing from Knowlys Rd on the rising tide saw 34

Just as I arrived at Red Nab on the afternoon ebbing tide at least 28 landed from the south

But as I returned along the sea wall, as it was getting dark, 42 flew from Red Nab towards the west side of the bay.

Brent Geese heading west out from the wooden jetty

Also from the south wall this evening (MD)

Wigeon 250+ these are some of them leaving Red Nab

Eider 1 female/immature feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outflow. It appears to have a crab here.

Slightly unusual just seeing a solitary Redshank on No.1 outflow

The Manxman sails off into the sunset

A bit of raptor news from Angela Gillon:

Buzzard 1 in the trees at Imperial Road at lunchtime 

Kestrel 1 very low over the Barrows - these are only mobile phone shots but are perfectly good record and location shots.

Kestrel 

Low over the Barrows on Heysham Head

Swan down

Mainly overcast with just one shower this morning. A light SW wind

South shore (JP, MD)

Pale-bellied Brent geese 36 - 19 flew to Red Nab from NW at 10:10 then another 17 at 10:40.

Janet's shot of the 10:40 in to Red Nab

None seemed to be ringed, most are in this clip.

Shelduck 14

Wigeon 360

Great Crested grebe 1 feeding in the harbour near the waterfall.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a passing check of the two main Ponds

Main Pond:

Mute Swan pair but only 7 immature, looks like the estranged youngster yesterday may not have been accidental.

Coot 4

Moorhen 2

Mallard 10 plus 4 flying overhead 

Gadwall 4

"No swimming" pond:

The water level has now dropped to only 1m above its normal level.

Gadwall 19

Tufted 2 male

Male Tufted Duck

Grey Heron 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 drumming

Cetti's Warbler 1 burst of song

Nearly swan down!

Some heavy early morning showers, after that dry with some sunny spells. A light breeze initially from SE drifted to the west.

Middleton Nature Reserve (JP, MD)

Mute Swan 2 adult plus 8 immature are making a mud bath of the feeding area

At one point there were only 7 immature, one must have crash landed onto 
Middleton Rd, bringing traffic to a standstill, fortunately this included Janet who
managed to "shoo" it back to the main pond

Tufted Duck 1 - just the main pond bird today.

The male Tufted seems to be permanently preening

Gadwall 4 - 2 each on main and "no swimming" pond. These were the only wildfowl on the "no swimming" pond. The water level had reached 2m above normal, but it had dropped slightly today. The pump must have kicked in and the level will now quickly return to normal. Should make for some interesting feeding opportunities both on and around the pond in the next few days.

Coot 6

Moorhen 4

Coal Tit - the visitor maintained feeders are still attracting plenty of birds

South shore (JP, MD)

Rock Pipit on Red Nab

Black-Headed Gulls resting on No.2 outflow superstructure. It's always a
wonder why more birds do not rest here, they only do when it is particularly calm.

I couldn't get out till lunchtime (MD). So I just did a quick check of the saltmarsh. It was shortly after high water, and this was the highest tide of this set of spring tides, but the lack of waves still prevented it covering more then two thirds of the saltmarsh.

Common Snipe 3 - this clip of one foraging plus one lurking in the background is actually from yesterday.

Wigeon 105

Turnstone 5 - including the three regulars on the shingle shore

Reed Bunting 2

Reed Bunting with a distinctive white festher

A nice variety of waders

A mild and sunny day with a light north wind

North shore (HS)

Howard checked the roosting Knot for any colour marked birds and managed to read eight out of the 3,500 that ended up on the Near Naze at high water.

There was also this yellow flagged Bar-Tailed Godwit

Ringed as a 1st calendar year male 26/08/23 at Revtangen (Norway, Rogaland, Kelp)

This is the first record since it was ringed 109 days and 735km from point of ringing

South shore (JP, MD)

Janet checked the waders on Red Nab

A nice variety, including: Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Turnstone, Redshank and Oystercatcher 

There was a very flighty flock of c1,000 Knot, likely some that ended up on the Near Naze later.

A few of the Knot

Knot coming in to land on Red Nab. 
One of these has a green ring, but much too distant to make out any detail 

I checked the saltmarsh (MD)

Grey Plover 1

Grey Plover

Curlew 2

Turnstone 3 - these three seem to permanently feed on the shingle on the west bank

Redshank 90

Lapwing 21

No Jack Snipe this tide, but 28 Common Snipe brought the total of wader species to 11.

As yesterday the tide coming in with hardly any waves left the Snipe reluctant to move on.

Common Snipe

Note the swathe its bill has cut through the water as it took off

Not sure if these two were being amorous or fighting! The bird below them to the left looks smaller and more boldly marked, but it is just another Common.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 16 - flew towards Potts Corner from the NW. Possibly had been feeding on Red Nab. The Dunnock you can hear in this clip was perched just above my head. I don't think it appreciated my presence!

Shelduck 5

Wigeon 114

Linnet 24

Reed Bunting 1

Timing......some good, some bad, some interesting

Very mild both overnight and during the day. Overcast with a few showers, particularly in the morning. The light east wind eased further during the day.

South shore (MD)

Just a check from Red Nab to the saltmarsh. 

This was the bad timing......the low atmospheric pressure meant that the tide was higher than I anticipated and Red Nab was already covered when I arrived.

Brent geese - none seen, if there were any in the morning they would have moved on before I arrived. A second quick check on the ebbing tide was too late and again none. (A passing check from Knowsly Rd also failed to locate any)

Common Snipe 13 - again I was too late in the tide, I'm sure others would have been flushed before I arrived

Jack Snipe 3 - this was the good timing. I went down specifically to watch the area of the marsh being covered where I saw a Jack Snipe lifted on the last set of spring tides (see post for 30/11/23). The tide that day was nominally slightly higher than today's, but today's was going to come in further. On the way around the saltmarsh both the tide and I flushed one each. Both headed towards Middleton Nature Reserve.

I managed this shot of a Jack Snipe heading towards Middleton.
This is about as good a shot as I normally manage.......but not today

I sat on a rock and watched the tide move further over the area where one lifted last month. This area won't have been covered by the tide since then. After a while I realised that a darker patch of "vegetation" at the water's edge was actually a Jack Snipe. It isn't immediately obvious.

It knew I was watching, but I had the advantage, I knew the tide was going to rise further, and soon it would have to show itself.

When it could no longer pretend not to be there, it took flight, and also headed towards Middleton.

Something seems to have changed this year. Normally when they are flushed, particularly on this height tide, they land on another area of saltmarsh.

Jack Snipe - what a splendid bird!

Wigeon 120 out from the saltmarsh, many more further out and flying around

Reed Bunting 1 

Imperial Rd (MD)

This was the interesting timing, interesting to me at least as I learned something. A heavy shower was just ending as I was going along the bypass. I wondered if the Buzzard would be on the fence hunting worms again. It was, but not quite as I expected.

I have been asked which fence to check, so I took this clip and panned out to show the location.

But when it began hunting, it was relying on a Mistle Thrush (perhaps I was hasty assuming the three Mistle Thrushes earlier in the week were just passing through) to catch the worms, then pinching them off it. The thrush would not look for worms when the Buzzard was watching, so the Buzzard tried its best to pretend that it wasn't. 

This was quite a large worm, probably a lobworm, it would have taken the Mistle Thrush some while to eat it, but I was surprised that it didn't try to take it with it.