Ringed raptor - one to watch out for

A light west wind. A couple of early morning showers then mainly dry and often sunny.

Heysham skear - low water 14:40 (Malcolm)

Common Scoter 6 were feeding just south of the skear when I reached the waterline. Most of the time they were just swimming around, but when one dived, they all dived. I was going to take a video of them diving, but at that point the only shower of the afternoon began. Later when I was further out I took this clip, mainly to show the location, by this time they were out from Heysham Head and had stopped feeding.

Common Scoter out from Heysham Head

Pale-bellied Brent geese 18 at least. There were 14 feeding in the SE skear corner as I walked out plus another 4 on the north side. As I was leaving the 4 on the north side were still there and at least 14 on the south side.

No need for competition for food here, there is still plenty of sea lettuce and
gutweed. They were feeding in small separate groups, in this case two adults 
and a juvenile.

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Great Crested grebe 1

Little Egret 7

Waders as recent except there were c1,000 Knot today. 

The Knot were settled on the skear, but as soon as the rain stopped a Peregrine Falcon attacked them.

In this shot, you can just make out an orange ring on its left leg

This was in between attack one and two. The orange ring is clearer here,
but unfortunately still too distant to read it.

After the third, presumably successful, attack the Knot began settling again, although they remained flighty.

This one got away without being read, although I probably did read it 
later as I eventually managed to read several

The sun was setting quickly turning both the Knot and the skear red.

These are some of the Brent on the north side. Even at this distance you
can see that at least one is still feeding.

Pink-Footed geese 2 skeins south over my house (Malcolm). A largish skein at 17:50 and a smaller one at 18:00.

Scoters hang around

A fresh SW wind, sunny spells, there were showers around, but somehow we managed to stay dry.

South shore (Malcolm)

I just exercised my daughter's dog along the sea wall this morning, it's nice being able to go along the wall again..

Not a lot to see today though.

Oystercatchers and a couple of Black-Headed gulls tuned up as the beach
by the wooden jetty became exposed. The Sandmason worm tubes were 
showing and the birds were clearly expecting to catch some

Wigeon, Oystercatcher and a Cormorant between the outfalls

Very few gulls were feeding on the outfalls but it was approaching low water.

Peregrine Falcon 1 - it was hanging on the wind as it was lifted vertically by the foreshore rocks. I've seen them hunt like this here before when the wind is strong from the SW. they hang like a Kestrel looking for waders on the shore below. There were no waders today and it quickly moved on.

Peregrine hanging on the updraft (and Jasper)

One of several showers that passed close by today

One of at least five Harlequin Ladybirds on the fence by the 
entrance to Ocean Edge caravan park

Heysham skear - low water 13:45 (Malcolm)

Just a very quick check at low water, no Brent geese, Merganser or Eider seen.

Common Scoter 6 female/immature were out from the inner skear. The rougher sea made them even more difficult to spot.

Common Scoter

Although, amazingly, I managed a better clip of them today. This just happened to be the only time that I saw them for more than a couple of seconds.

There were a lot of waves breaking and the SW wind was blowing the 
spume ashore. Very little mud on the skear so the spume remains white.

The waders were pretty much as yesterday, but no Knot. This Turnstone is finding some remnants on a mussel shell. Probably the remains of an earlier Oystercatcher meal.

A bit better variety

A fresh south(ish) wind. Some rain early on then mainly dry with the sun threatening to break through on occasions.

Heysham skear - low water 12:30 (Malcolm)

At 3.5m the inner skear was barely exposed, still there was a bit going on.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 2 flew in from the east and began feeding in the SE skear corner.

Brent geese flying in, Heysham village in the background 

Eider 3

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Scoter 6 female/immature

Common Scoter

Six was the most I counted at one time, and probably all there were, but it was difficult counting as for most of the time they were out of sight below the waves.

It would have been easier counting from the higher vantage point of Knowlys Rd

There seemed to be more waders around, but there almost certainly wasn't, it's just that they are more concentrated when only a small section of the skear is exposed.

Oystercatcher 2,500

Curlew 45

Redshank 120

Knot 300

Turnstone 80

Ringed Plover 10

Oystercatcher, Knot, Redshank and a Turnstone 

Turnstone

All 10 Ringed Plover in this shot, but you will have to open it 
to have a chance of seeing them

More Brent geese arrived after I left. 13 Brent geese in total, including at least 1 Dark-bellied Brent - David Kaye

.......and the cupboard was bare (luckily something nice in the larder)

A very strong SE wind eased during the day. Heavy rain all day.

South shore (Malcolm)

I had a wind assisted walk out along the sea wall then battled my way back this morning.

Linnet 15 on saltmarsh 

Rock Pipit 1 on foreshore rocks

Skylark 1 flew low along the line of the foreshore towards the saltmarsh 

Grey Heron 1 on Red Nab

Wigeon, just 3 around, 1 resting in a pool on Red Nab and 2 by No.1 outfall.

Windswept Wigeon

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1 alone on the beach near the wooden jetty.

Bar-Tailed Godwit braced against the wind

There were just a few Black-Headed gulls feeding on the wall side of the outfalls. A few more Black-Headed with larger gulls on the seaward side of No.1 outfall but nothing different with them.

The maintenance work on the sea wall seems to be complete, so there should be access at all times again now.

Pink-Footed goose - 1 small skein south 16:50

And that was it! Fortunately I was saving something for a rainy day.

"Just" out of the recording area. A bit further out than normally reported here, but it's too nice a shot not to share!

Howard Stockdale took this excellent shot of a Barred Warbler at the Conder Pool earlier this week.

Barred Warbler

Some recovery news

After a largely sunny morning, rain showers began at lunchtime. A variable light west(ish) wind.

This is the colour coded Oystercatcher seen on Red Nab 16/11/24
It was ringed as a breeding adult in Iceland in 2023 and has previously 
not been seen outside Iceland 

All sightings 

These are the scheme manager's comments:

First sighting of this bird outside Iceland. There were high hatching success of oiks at the golf course in Selfoss but almost no fledging success. This bird had two chicks but very likely both were lost.

We have received some of the histories of the Knot seen on the south shore
on Wednesday. This one was ringed as at least a 2cy bird 8/05/24 at Ainsdale
Beach, Merseyside on 21/08/24 it was sighted at Friesland in the Netherlands.

Heysham skear - low water 10:00 (Malcolm)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 15 in the SE skear corner.

Looking back towards Knowlys Rd, the brent along the waterline 

Eider 4

Creat Crested grebe just 1 seen

Little Egret 4

I'd gone out to see if the Knot were feeding there again, about 1,000 were. I managed to read three new flagged birds.

One of very few nice clear views of a flagged Knot

Dunlin 20+ mingling with the Knot

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 15

Turnstone 50

Redshank 40

Ringed Plover 4

Beautiful view 1 of many!

17:00 a large sounding skein of Pink Footed geese south over my house (Malcolm)

Storm Bert arrives tomorrow, unfortunately he looks to be blowing in the wrong direction!

Hail stopped play!

Freezing overnight. A light cold east wind till lunchtime then it freshened from the NW, bringing with it heavy hail and sleet showers.

South shore (Malcolm)

I went out to check the waders on the waterline again, there were c1,500 Knot as I was walking out, but a Peregrine lifted all the small waders and most resettled south of the recording area.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 158 also left quite early in the rising tide.

Dunlin 60

About 500 Knot hung around a while, but they were very nervous and flighty.

Heavy hail shower heading my way! Time to head back.

Jack Snipe 1 lifted from the relatively new section of saltmarsh as the tide reached it, and flew to the ribbon of marsh grass that now extends all the way to Potts Corner.

The finger of water on the left is the creek that once defined the southern edge
of the saltmarsh. There were just a few ephemeral clumps of marsh grass beyond
it. But since they laid a new water pipe a few years ago the mud sunk roughly 
along its line leaving the water filled dip in the middle of this shot. Somehow,
this has protected the marsh grass and samphire between it and the creek and it
is now well established. This is where the Jack Snipe lifted from

What mechanism has resulted in this ribbon of marsh grass spreading
towards Potts Corner I don't know. But this is where the Jack Snipe
landed,  the tide wouldn't reach this far today

Also on the saltmarsh 

Linnet 27

Song Thrush 1

Rock Pipit 1

On/around Red Nab

Shelduck 42

Wigeon 120+

Pale-bellied Brent goose 10

All ten Brent in this shot with Shelduck and Wigeon

Heron on Red Nab

Kingfisher 1 flew from Red Nab towards Heysham Nature Reserve 

The hail arrived, and it didn't really stop again.

Barn Owl encore

Another freezing night followed by a cold but sunny day. A light NE breeze.

South shore

Janet had a walk along the sea wall, and is now recovered enough from her injury to use her larger lens.

This Black-Headed gull seems to have found a razor clam. There is no way
it could have caught it. The clam must have washed in dead.

It was clearly pleased with its find

Wigeon heading towards Red Nab as the tide rose

Redshank

Black-Headed gulls and a Redshank on No.2 outfall

Little Egret fishing 

In the Nature Park

Long-Tailed Tit

Goldfinch 

I had walked out to the waterline and was walking in with the tide (Malcolm)

Bar-Tailed Godwit 180

Grey Plover 1

Knot 2,000+

Dunlin 60

Solitary Grey Plover

Knot and Dunlin in tight formation

More Knot were arriving all the time.

Dunlin, Knot and a Bar-Tailed Godwit

Common and Black-Headed gulls, Knot and Dunlin.
And out at focus at the back, Bar-Tailed Godwit and an Oystercatcher 

The tide was pushing them up the shore quickly, in order of leg length. Dunlin first, Knot then Bar-Tailed Godwit. The brown foam is perfectly natural spume. Just the bubbles produced by protein molecules as the waves break. They begin as pure white, but become brown as they pass over the mud.

For most of the time, most of the Knot were in the water, but the tide was coming in very quickly now and causing them to rush along the mud.

It was all a bit frantic, but I did manage to read at least six colour coded Knot.

This Knot is part of a Dutch based ringing scheme - details awaited 

Eventually some of the Godwit and Knot ended up just out from the saltmarsh 

Shelduck 45

Pale-bellied Brent goose 6 on Red Nab

Brent geese and Wigeon.
You can see the pure white bubbles (spume) being created in the background 

On saltmarsh 

Lapwing 7

Reed Bunting 3

Linnet 15

Rock Pipit 1 plus 1 on Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

I went to the hill on the southern section just after the sunset to see if the Barn Owl returned. It arrived at 15:58 a few minutes earlier than yesterday and slightly lighter. Unfortunately still light enough for people to be exercising their dogs and two were, so the owl didn't stay to hunt just here, although I'm sure it would have done later.

Barn Owl