Cattle Egret tops an interesting day

Another very cold night (-6°C) but it did climb to 3°C during the largely sunny day. A light east(ish) breeze.

An update from yesterday - 2 stonechat by the benches  on top of cliffs, Seawell Ave Heysham - Alan Physick

Pete checked the sea at low water from the north wall to Broadway. There was little about and most of that was north of the recording area. No Brent Geese seen.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

I checked first thing when temperatures were still sub zero (Malcolm)

The Mute and Ducks were down to just one open space.
There were a few gulls on the ice, but none with rings.

Common Snipe 1 dropped down from height and landed on the main pond peninsula.

Cetti's warbler 1 glimpsed as it flew from reeds on the main pond to nearby bushes.

There were pockets of open water amongst the reeds, but most was 
frozen with nice ice crystal formations 

Although I don't think the birds were overly impressed by the ice crystals. All the thrushes had their feathers puffed out to protect against the cold. This Blackbird has frost along its tail.

It looks cold, doesn't it!

And almost no Hawthorn berries for fuel

One of three Redwing

One of three Song Thrush

Jay 1 heard

Despite the cold, or possibly because of it (see how fit I am), there were three Great Tit defining their territories.

Janet Checked mid afternoon 

Cattle Egret 1 - only the second record for the recording area

It was resting on the north bank of the main pond......

........then flew over to rest on the east bank, possibly to catch more of the sun.

This fox was also soaking up the afternoon sun. It looks like its fleas were too!

This Common Gull has a yellow ring (48X)
One of a Danish scheme - details awaited

I returned in the evening (Malcolm). The sun was already below the immediate horizon. The ringed Common gull was still around but no sign of the Egret.

I counted the birds coming in to roost from the hill in the southern section of the reserve, although some had almost certainly arrived earlier.

Jackdaw 100+

Wood Pigeon 3

Stock Dove 38

Barn Owl 1 to begin with

Then later two owls

It was quite dark at this point, but both owls were hunting low over the 
ground and both looked to be Barn Owls (Malcolm)

Ringing (updates) in the New Year

Very cold (-5°C) overnight, but it crept up to +2.6°C during the day. Sunny and almost no air movement.

First a bit of ringing feedback.

Blackcap - ringed as  2cy male 4/01/24 in the Algarve Portugal.

Caught 16/09/2024  Heysham Nature Reserve - 1922km NNE

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a passing check of the main pond at first light. The Mute Swan family and a handful of ducks had managed to keep two small patches ice free.

The Mute Swan section.......

.......Mallard and Gadwall only

Heysham skear - low water 13:30 (Malcolm)

It was actually very pleasant on the skear this afternoon, although of course protected by several layers of thermals!

Pale-bellied Brent goose - none feeding but 7 (5+2) flew past to the north

Pale-bellied Brent geese heading further north.
I didn't see any gutweed on or around the skear today 

Eider 18

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Great Crested grebe 2

Little Egret 3

Grey Heron 1

Heron sticking its head above the skear edge.

Oystercatcher 1,500

This Oystercatcher was ringed as an incubating adult in southern
Iceland 4/06/23 and returned there to breed again last year.

Curlew 20

Turnstone 25

Redshank 130

Redshank looking for tiny shrimps 

Dunlin 20+

Dunlin

Knot just 170 in two groups, they had been attacked (successfully) by a Peregrine Falcon early on so perhaps some had already moved on. Isla Botting had joined me today and fortunately, despite the low Knot numbers, we managed to find a few flagged birds, from three different schemes.

But Isla's interests are diverse, and she managed to clinically collect several Knot droppings. These will undergo a thorough analysis to determine precise dietary details as well as details of the Knot themselves. But even a preliminary visual examination after they were in solution shows fragments of broken mussel shells. 

You can see the fragments of mussel shells. I had assumed that they would
be ejected as a pellet. But apparently Knot can modify their gizzard to best
break up whatever they are feeding on. The more detailed chemical and
 biological analysis will take many weeks.

Just outside the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve (Janet)

Pink-Footed geese heading for the nearby fields

Redwing

Female Roe deer

Flat calm and freezing

Yesterday's hail and sleet showers left icy roads and paths all day today, as temperatures never rose above freezing. Dry with hazy sun, almost no air movement.

Heysham skear - low water 12:10 (Malcolm)

No Brent geese seen by me today, but Pete saw 5 Pale-bellied Brent up at battery outfall

Eider 30, most flying north as the tide was leaving the skear.

Some of the Eider heading north

Feeding Eider with an escort of gulls

Red-Breasted Merganser 5

Red-breasted Mergansers

Great Crested Grebe 3

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 10

Redshank 100

Knot 600

Knot, including a yellow flagged bird from an Icelandic scheme.

Turnstone 25

Dunlin 30+ some feeding with the Redshank for shrimps, others foraging with the Knot.

Dunlin

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

The main pond had extensive ice cover. Remaining ducks included Mallard, Gadwall and 8 Teal.

Three Teal and two Gadwall

Mallard

None of the Black-Headed gulls were ringed

Blue Tit

Robin
Neither of the above two birds require naming for any European readers.
But we do have other continental readers.

Heysham Nature Reserve (Janet)

Very little seen except a Jay.

Jay

Kevin checked the south sea wall. No sign of the Kittiwake, but this Grey Plover was resting near the wooden jetty.

Grey Plover

It was either bright or black today!

Overnight freezing rain made roads and footpaths treacherous. Showers throughout the day mainly sleet and hail, but some sunny spells in between. A NW light wind.

First a few shots from Janet yesterday.

First Snowdrops on the Barrows (Heysham Head)

Grey Squirrel also on the Barrows

Curlew on the Heliport 

Heysham skear - low water 11:00 (Malcolm)

Pale-bellied Brent goose. Just 5 seen 

At this point the skies were black and the picture looks to be in black and white too.
But this is in glorious technicolour!

Eider 23

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested grebe 1

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 10

Redshank much reduced at 100

Knot 700 

Some of the Knot returning to the skear to rest after losing one of their number
to a Peregrine Falcon. Carrion Crow also in the air

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot and Oystercatcher 

Dunlin just 1 seen

Dunlin, Knot and Oystercatcher 

Turnstone 25

By this time the sun was shining brightly.

This is Humphrey Head, a peninsula on the west side of the bay. Normally it is
Almost indistinguishable from the land behind, but it was in full sunshine here
and the land behind in the shadow of a cloud.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a quick check of the main pond. The only ducks were;

Mallard 32

Gadwall 24

Just a small section was ice covered, but the Black-Headed gulls do like to rest on
it. None with darvic rings today, but something to watch out for in the coming days

Common Seal - Janet spotted a posting of one on the Stone Jetty rocks, then later out with the tide. If you would like to see a picture and video please visit Morecambe and Heysham Past and Present, on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/morecambeheysham/?locale=en_GB