Plenty of Brent today

A dry day with some sunshine in the morning, but a bitterly cold NW wind. Fresh at first but it eased during the day.

Report by Pete Crooks:

Knowlys Road, Heysham 09:15 – 83 Pale-bellied Brent Geese off the children’s play area, mostly in one flock, but 3, 3 and 5 (family groups?) separated from the main flock and easily overlooked.

Heysham skear - low water 10:30 (Malcolm)

When I arrived at 10:00 a large flock of Pale-bellied Brent geese had just landed in the SE skear corner. More were arriving in smaller groups, presumably they had been flushed from higher up the shore. The main area of sea lettuce in the skear corner remains out reach on these neap tides, so they quickly made their way back up the shore where there is a large patch is fed by a freshwater runoff.

I sat on a rock and watched them pass me by.

When I checked again as I was leaving, they had been joined by 2 Dark-bellied Brent geese.

This area high up the shore, where the Brent are feeding, is fed
by a freshwater runoff, and is currently lush with sea lettuce.

Dark-bellied (left) with Pale-bellied Brent geese

A big increase in Redshank numbers. 200+ including a flock of c180

Redshank

Eider 1 female

Knot c500

Knot hunkered down, out of the biting wind, behind a ridge of mussel shells 

I'd just got into position to check the Knot for rings when a Peregrine
(top right above the hills) lifted everything. The Knot didn't settle again

The light made for some striking views

One of three pairs of eyes Janet's head torch picked up at 
Meldon Rd this evening 

Something to look forward to

Very strong NW winds, but the rain largely held off during the day.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

A female Blackcap along the path south from the car park last Thursday - thanks to John Wood for this record.

The two red/blue ringed Pale-bellied Brent geese that have been recorded every winter at Walney since 2014/15, and every winter at Heysham since 2018/19, were seen again at Walney 2/12/24. Surely only a matter of time before they visit the Heysham area again this winter. It will be good to see them again!

The red marker shows where they were ringed as a breeding pair in 2014.
They breed high in the Canadian Arctic. It's an awful long way, and no sat nav!

Heysham skear - low water 09:30 (Malcolm)

There were no Brent today. Not really a surprise, not the best weather for flying and the richest sea lettuce beds are not exposed on these low neap tides. Still plenty further up the shore though. 

No Eider or Great Crested grebes seen

Red-breasted Merganser 9 - two groups of 3 and 6 were "arguing" in the NE skear corner. 

Some of the mergansers in the NE corner

Six flew off north into the wind

Three remained. They weren't doing anything worth filming, but I took a clip anyway, just to see if I could in these quite difficult conditions.

There were lots of Oystercatchers, probably over 2,500.

Several Curlew, 30+ Redshank, 50+ Turnstone, 6 ringed Plover.

Knot c1,000, there were some with flags. Reading them was almost impossible, mainly as I was bracing myself with the wind to my back, while the Knot were trying to face the wind, resulting in most flags pointing backwards behind them.

Knot facing the wind, an orange flag is pointing backwards 

I had to get at an angle to them to have any chance. All beaks to the wind.
I did manage to read this yellow flagged bird. The Knot flew south as the tide rose,
and I called it a day. Albeit a drier day than anticipated.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a quick check of the two main ponds on my way home. The "no swimming" pond is now 2m above its normal height and deserted.

On the main pond

Mute Swan pair plus an immature 

Gadwall 13

Mallard 15

Tufted Duck 1

Coot 2

Grey Heron 1

Gadwall, Coot and a Tufted Duck

Female Tufted Duck

Heron with Mallard

Some interesting recovery news

Sunny spells with light winds till mid afternoon when a SE wind began freshening and heavy rain started.

Some of the 13 Shelduck out from Ocean Edge foreshore - Janet

Heysham skear - low water 08:40 (Malcolm)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 70 minimum.

These are just some of them feeding on the sea lettuce amongst the honeycomb worm boulders in the SE skear corner, nicely illuminated by the low morning sun.

Pale-bellied Brent geese 

Eider 3

Wigeon 2

Great Crested grebe 8

There were a few more Knot around today, c1,000. 

Knot, Dunlin and Oystercatcher 

Several were colour coded, details awaited. 

This is an interesting colour coded Knot. Seen here 29/11/24.  It was ringed in
the Netherlands  28/08/24 as part of a radio tracking scheme in the Wadden Sea
If you open the shot, you can see the antennae wire behind its tail

These are the comments from the Scheme Manager

I have looked at its departure from the Wadden Sea (see below). It left on 20 September towards 7 in the evening, not long after sunset, which is exactly what they normally do.

Map of its movements whilst within the Wadden Sea area

For more information regarding the WATLAS tracking scheme visit their website.

https://www.nioz.nl/en/about/cos/coastal-movement-ecology/shorebird-tracking/watlas-tracking-regional-movements

........and grow

It started clear then a morning mist came in with the tide. Rain began in the afternoon as the SW wind began to freshen. Heavy overnight wind and rain expected.

North shore

I checked the skear as the tide started coming in (Malcolm)

Waders as recent, including 750 Knot.

Knot and Oystercatcher 

Knot and Ringed Plover

Little Egret 6

Great Crested Grebe 2

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Eider 6

The Eider are feeding in this clip, or rather looking for food. A Great Crested Grebe makes a guest appearance.

After feeding the males tried a bit of courtship displaying, but the females were having none of it!

Pale-bellied Brent goose - there were at least 41 scattered all around the south side of the skear, feeding in small groups.

There is still loads of sea lettuce here

Later, Jean and Pete managed to count 61 from Knowlys Rd

Later still Janet took these shots of some in front of Knowlys Rd

One of two groups on the beach out from Knowlys Rd.
There is very little gutweed on these outer rocks this year.

Time to leave....

This shot was from Heysham Head, later still. Suggesting more had arrived.

Janet also took this shot and video of a fox by Meldon Rd this evening.

Brent numbers continue to grow.......

The sun broke through after a misty start. It remained dry till evening, then the rain started.

North shore from Knowlys Rd - mid morning (Pete)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 32 

South shore

Janet had a walk along the sea wall, by that time, at least some of the Brent had moved to Red Nab.

Brent geese and Oystercatcher on Red Nab

Wigeon landing 

The Egret has landed

Curlew

Turnstone, waiting for some stones to turn

Cormorant 

I tried a different tactic today (Malcolm). I went out onto the shore from south of the recording area. One of the reasons was to see if there were any Sanderling about. I didn't see any. There were about 3,000 waders, mainly Knot and Dunlin with 200+ Bar-Tailed Godwit. As the tide rose they split, the Godwit, with c1,000 knot and 100 Dunlin flew north into the recording area. Whether my walking in that direction influenced them, I don't know, some days they do, some days they don't.

Some of the Bar-Tailed Godwit and Knot

The Bar-Tailed Godwit in the centre still has a hint of rufous.

The tide was coming in quickly, pushing them up the shore.

The sharp eyed amongst you may have caught a glimpse of a yellow flag in the midst of the crowd (just for a fraction of a second, 10 seconds into the clip). I only saw two colour coded birds today, fortunately I did manage to read this yellow one.

The tide was coming in so quickly now that they didn't have time to 
feed so they headed off to roost further south

It was a lovely day.....

An overnight frost, then a dry day with sunny spells. A very light east(ish) breeze.

North shore - out from Knowlys Rd (Janet)

13 Pale-bellied Brent geese leaving for the south side.
Later 27 flew from Red Nab towards Potts Corner

Female Red Breasted Merganser

Curlew

South shore (Malcolm)

I did exactly the same walk as yesterday at exactly the same stage of the tide. The weather was ideal for viewing, but little turned up to be viewed!

Not quite a sunrise, just the low sun shining below a blanket of low clouds.

Where there were thousands of waders yesterday there was just a handful today.

One Bar-Tailed Godwit

A Knot and an Oystercatcher 

60 Oystercatcher were the only "plentiful" wader feeding here 

There were thousands of waders just south of the recording area, mainly Knot and Dunlin, no Sanderling visible. 

Bar-Tailed Godwit 220 ended up just about on the limit of the recording area.

There was a steady passage of waders flying through the recording area to join the birds further south.

Curlew 14 in ones and two

Grey Plover 13 in small groups

A nice mixed flock, 2 Knot, 2 Dunlin, 4 Grey Plover and a Bar-Tailed Godwit

Back at the saltmarsh 

Redshank 58

Lapwing 36

Lapwing

Common Snipe 10

Song Thrush 1

Reed Bunting 5

Song Thrush and Reed Bunting 

Reed Bunting

Pink-Footed goose 12 south 

Pale-bellied Brent goose 27 flew to Potts Corner

Shelduck 24

Wigeon 200+