The sounds of the skear

Almost still today, just the odd waft from a variable breeze. Overcast, but it just about stayed dry.

South shore - Janet

A walk along the sea wall.

Kittiwake 1 first calendar year feeding on No.1 outfall.

Wigeon coming in to land by No.2 outfall

Some of the cormorants in the harbour.

Heysham skear - Malcolm

I went down early in the ebbing tide again today.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 20 minimum. There were small parties feeding all over the inner skear, plus some in the rocks near the play area. There were almost certainly more that I didn't count.

Pale-bellied Brent goose coming in to land

This is one feeding on the skear, you can see that there are still plenty
of pockets of gutweed to be found here.

Eider 73 close in plus a raft of 30+ in the distance 

Eider drake

Eider with a Brent goose

Wigeon 3

Great Crested grebe 6

Great Crested Grebes

Little Egret 2

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 15

Redshank 35

Knot 700

Turnstone 25

The very light breeze meant that there was little wind noise, so I took a few clips to try and capture the sounds of the skear. 

This first one sets the base level. The majority of the piping is from the Oystercatchers, the Knot calls are largely swamped out. This is the constant background noise on the skear, and yet I don't hear it! It's only if it ever stops (occasionally if there is a hint of danger) or something different calls, that I notice. 

These are newly arrived Knot taking a bath. The tide has just left the pools they are bathing in, but the pools are fed by a freshwater runoff and will already be brackish.

These are some of the Brent feeding in the SE skear corner. You can hear their contact calls (grunts) plus a couple of Carrion Crows calling.

These are some of the Eider, you can just about make out their Frankie Howard like calls above the Oystercatchers.

Merry Christmas

A gentle SW wind. Drizzle occasionally and a sea mist by the afternoon.

This lovely Robin made from autumn leaves is from Jean

Heysham skear (Malcolm)

Just a quick check this morning on the ebbing tide.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 10 at least. None initially then 2, 2, 4 and 2 arrived from the west.

Brent geese over the emerging skear

Pink-Footed goose 171 - two skeins 61 and 110 to NW.

Eider 112 - these are some of them

Male and female Eiders

Female and male Eiders

This male was eating mussels onshore.

Oystercatcher 1500

Knot 600

Curlew 20

Redshank 30

Turnstone 30

Later there were 34 Pale-bellied Brent off knowlys Rd - Mohammed H

Another lovely card, this one by Howard

Not many geese and no sea ducks as we approach Christmas........probably just a coincidence.

A gentle SW wind. Low clouds supplying drizzle for much of the day.

First an update from yesterday.

Shag 1 - feeding by the green marker post out from Knowlys Rd. Too distant to age, identified by its dive - David Kaye.

Remarkably, there are currently 32 Shag across the bay at Walney.

Today's stuff:

Kittiwake 1 1st calendar year (soon to be a 2nd calendar year) still along the south sea wall - Kevin Eaves

Heysham skear - low water 12:20 (Malcolm)

Pale-bellied Brent goose - just 13 seen, but there may have been more. This clip shows where they were feeding.

Pink-Footed goose 47 came from inland and continued west across the bay.

Some of the Pinkfoot

No Eider, Red-breasted Merganser or Great Crested grebes seen

A reasonable selection of waders.

Oystercatcher 1,500

I see this partially leucistic Oystercatcher about one in ten visits

Curlew 158 many once again arriving from inland 

Bar-Tailed Godwit at least 1

Bar-Tailed Godwit with Knot

Knot 700

Redshank 120

Dunlin 15

A mixed flock of Knot, Redshank and Dunlin 
Plus a few Oystercatcher 

Turnstone 50

Ringed Plover 6

Later,  Ian Hartley managed 43 Pale-bellied brent geese from Knowlys Rd (which kind of belies today's title, but never let the facts ruin a good title!)

Not quite as exciting as Christmas eve last year!

Kittiwake sticking around

A light W - SW wind. Overcast all day with some drizzle and steadier rain by mid afternoon.

South Shore (Janet)

A walk along the sea wall.

Kittiwake 1 first calendar year. Initially feeding on No.1 outfall before taking a rest on the mud between the outfalls.

Cormorant in the Harbour

Rock Pipit 3-4 - 2 in the harbour and at least 1 more along the sea wall.

Rock Pipit along the sea wall

Heysham skear - low water 11:10 (Malcolm)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 22 at least. The easy pickings on the skear are diminished. Most of the geese were quite high up the shore amongst the rocks closer to the play area. But there isn't a lot of weed there either so they were well spread out

Some of the Brent were heading to pastures new. These to the north.

Pink-Footed goose 30 north

Eider 52

No mergansers seen

Great Crested grebe 5

Little Egret 2

Best estimate of waders:

Oystercatcher 2,500

Curlew 110 - 50 feeding plus 60 came in from the east.

Some of the Curlew arriving from inland

Knot 1,750 - a flock of 1,500 lifted as I was setting out, they gained height and headed off to the south. Only a small feeding flock remained.

Redshank 270 - more Redshank feeding than Knot! They were all around the skear edge.

Curlew, Redshank and Oystercatcher 

Redshank and Oystercatcher 

More Redshank coming in

Turnstone 80

No Dunlin or Ringed Plover seen or heard

It's an ill wind......

A strong and gusty W - NW wind. Heavy showers including hail and sleet. Some sunny spells in the afternoon.

South shore (Malcolm)

Another walk along the sea wall, unfortunately unlike yesterday, not between squalls, but between fine spells!

I could hardly see anything on the way out with my head down and battling against the wind and rain.

A short shelter behind No.2 outfall but there was nothing feeding on the outfall.

Next stop behind No.1 outfall. A brief glimpse of a 1st calendar year Kittiwake, but by the time I had unstashed my camera it had moved on.

Wigeon 120 - these are some to the south of No.1 outfall. 

Last stop, behind the lighthouse. It seemed odd that there were gulls hovering over the waterfall in the harbour. This shaky clip partly answers the question why, note the Cormorants also feeding there.

This gull has swooped down and grabbed a fish that a Cormorant 
has surfaced with

The gull didn't win this tug of war......

.......the Cormorant was intent on "teaching the gull a lesson"
before diving to retrieve its catch

On the way back along the wall the wind and rain was behind me and the rain had eased slightly. It was still raining when the sun came out, and once again I couldn't see anything.

Looking south along the sea wall towards No.2 outfall.

The sun wasn't out for long and by the time I reached No.2 outfall the 1cy Kittiwake was feeding.

Kittiwake (left)

Then the heavens opened! I had already had rain and sleet, this time it was heavy hail. It finally stopped when I was 50m from my car in the Nature Park. This Blue Tit and two Dunnock were feeding on the ground

They were clearly finding plenty to eat, but it wasn't obvious what. So I took another clip closer up. You can now see tiny white specks that both the Tit and Dunnock were eating.

Presumably the white specks are insect eggs or larvae, dislodged from the trees and bushes above by the last hail laced squall. Providing a nice easy meal for now, although depleting a food source for later in the winter.

Things look a bit brighter for tomorrow

Not much blown in by the wind.

A strong and gusty SW - WSW wind with some heavy squalls.

South shore (Malcolm)

Just a walk along the sea wall mid morning between squalls.

Kittiwake 1 first calendar year on No.2 outfall.

Fewer gulls were feeding than hoped for. They weren't finding much to eat, which probably explains why. (Cormorant flying off at the end of the clip)

Herring gull

This  Curlew found a crab.

Wigeon 172 beside No.1 outfall

Wigeon

Rock Pipit 1 along the sea wall.

Strong winds continue tomorrow, unfortunately forecast to have some north in it.

Correction.  Kevin advised that the shot of Jupiter he sent for yesterday's post wasn't one from his own telescope, but a screenshot from the excellent SkySafari mobile app. 

Wet and windy!

A fresh west wind, the morning was fairly dray after early showers, but plenty of rain in the afternoon.

Heysham skear - low water 08:50 (Malcolm)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 37 at least, some in the SE skear corner, others feeding on the skear. Although recent heavy grazing has significantly reduced the easily available gut weed and there is very little sea lettuce left.

Some of the brent in the skear corner

Pink-Footed goose 2 flying low to the south

Pink Footed geese

Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone and Ringed Plover as recent.

Dunlin flock of 30 plus 2 inshore with the plovers.

Knot 700 in one very flighty flock. There were a few colour coded birds, but only one new one seen.

Some of the Knot with a Merseyside ringed bird centre

No Eider, Merganser or Grebes seen today.

Yesterday, this planet shone in the evening sky as I was finishing watching
the Stock Doves. This was before any stars were visible. My first thought was 
that it was Venus, then I remembered - Venus doesn't have any moons.

Kevin Eaves identified it as Jupiter. 
This is a screenshot from the excellent SkySafari mobile app. 
As they say.....the truth is out there