Not bad, but nothing new.

A dry day with a light north wind, that switched to a westerly in the evening.

South shore (Janet)

Rock Pipit still displaying along the foreshore 

In the Nature Park 

Chiffchaff

Honey Bee

North shore 

Howard checked the Heliport area around high water.

There were fewer Knot today  c1500 favouring the grass once more, only disturbance was via the corvids which allowed a couple of inflight grab shots.

This is the first record for this Knot which was flagged in Merseyside 08/05/24

I checked the skear twice, once this morning as it was being covered and again this afternoon when it was uncovering again (Malcolm).

Pale-bellied Brent goose 24 this morning, and at least as many scattered around this afternoon. With all yesterday's rain, the freshwater runoffs on the skear were gushing. These are some of this afternoon's Brent freshening up.

Eider 26

Red-breasted Merganser 9

Male Red-breasted Merganser coming in to land

Great Crested Grebe 2

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 30

Curlew, probing its long bill under something 

Redshank 250

Knot 600 moved off the skear this morning and didn't feed on the mud shore. c1,500 eventually turned up this evening. At least one new flagged bird for this winter seen. Unfortunately the switch of the wind from north to west this afternoon came too late to provide a shrimping opportunity for the waders, other than in the draining pools. Forecast back to NE wind for tomorrow which also won't provide.

Dunlin 30

Turnstone 60

It gets busy as the tide starts to uncover the feeding areas.
Brent goose, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Knot and Turnstone all looking for a meal.
You can see some quite lush gutweed the Brent is feeding on. There are small
pockets like this all around, and why the Brent are feeding in small groups

Some colour ring news

A dry morning with sunny spells, some very heavy showers in the afternoon. A fresh north wind.

This Grey Wagtail was ringed at Middleton Nature Reserve 18/09/24 as a first winter - see sidebar for the scheme details.

Photographed by Helen Reilly at Flimby near Maryport on 9/3/25
82km NW from ringing site. 

Presumably it  headed south for winter then Helen’s pic taken on return migration with three other birds (unusual for grey wag to travel in groups in spring) 

This orange flagged Knot was photographed by Kevin Singleton as it was
coming in land on the heliport wall 23/02/25. It was ringed at Ainsdale beach
Merseyside 27/05/21. It was seen at Heysham once last winter, this was its
 first sighting this winter

South shore 

I checked from the saltmarsh to Red Nab on the rising tide this morning (Malcolm)

Rock Pipit 2 - one on the saltmarsh another, displaying along the foreshore.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 34 on Red Nab

Shelduck 25

Wigeon 200+

Shelduck, Curlew and a Redshank

Janet checked from Red Nab to the harbour a little later.

Some of the Brent geese

Wigeon

Rock Pipit 3 (making a total of 5) - 2 on Red Nab and one near the nesting area near the lighthouse.

One of the Red Nab Rock Pipits

The lighthouse Rock Pipit was parading around with a large Sea Slater.
presumably intended as an offering to a mate.

Turnstone along the sea wall

In the Nature Park 

Many species enjoy the seeds left by visitors.

Great Tit

Blue Tit - both tits selecting sunflower seeds from the mix.

Carrion Crow

North shore (Malcolm)

I went to watch the skear being exposed by the ebbing tide. A heavy shower meant a wait in the car before starting. It was nice and sunny as I walked out, but that clearly wasn't going to last.

Rain was heading my way......and very quickly!

The rain arrived and was every bit as bad as it promised! Fortunately it didn't last long and the sun was quickly out again.

Pale-bellied Brent geese 12

Eider 16

Oystercatcher 1,000

Curlew 25

Knot 600 including a few flagged birds and at least one new here for this winter. 

Brent geese, Oystercatcher and Knot in this clip.

Curlew, Oystercatcher and Knot

Turnstone 40

Dunlin 20

Another downpour was fast approaching. I'd seen all there was to see,
time to leave. Even so, I was soaked by the time I reached my car.

This moth was on an east facing wall by my front door this morning. 
Quite a common species Diurnea fagella, but still nice to see (Malcolm)

Just the shore checked today

A dry day with sunny spells. A light NE wind to begin with drifting round to the NW by this afternoon.

North shore

Howard checked the Heliport and Near Naze around high water.

The Knot were on the naze shoreline when I arrived c1000 with c2000 on the mid outer wall, I was able to get a few flags before they were flushed by a contract driver waiting to get entry to the port to collect a car, they had a fly round then joined the bigger flock on the outer wall, they settled there for nearly 45 minutes before two corvids put them up, when they came back down they settled in the grass which has grown since my last visit so legs were completely obscured.

One of today's flagged Knot

Pale-bellied Brent geese heading to the south side

As Howard was watching the Knot, a Snipe was watching him.

I checked the skear as it became exposed this afternoon (Malcolm)

Pale-bellied Brent 50 - likely including Howard's birds, but these did fly directly from the west, presumably from the other side of the bay.

50 Knot arriving together from the west. They split into smaller
feeding groups on arrival.

There still isn't a lot of gutweed out here, but they were finding plenty of broken weed after yesterday's strong winds. 

Eider 10

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Female Red-breasted Merganser

Great Crest Grebe 1

There were a lot more waders around today.

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 30

Redshank 450 - many shrimping in the quickly draining pools (we are already moving back to spring tides)

Knot 3,000 most arrived in three similar sized flocks. They also started feeding and bathing in the draining pools.

Peregrine Falcon at least 2 individuals and a minimum of three attacks.

Peregrine Falcon with a rapidly disappearing Knot (far right)

The Peregrines were targeting the Knot, but the commotion lifts everything 

Even the Brent get spooked, some take flight, these just voiced their discontent!

Dunlin 80

Turnstone 120

Turnstone 

A dark-belly turned up

Another dry but cooler day. A NE wind freshened during the day becoming very strong by mid afternoon, before easing again.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

A couple of shots from yesterday

Summer Plumage Little grebe

South shore (Malcolm)

Just a short walk from the saltmarsh to Red Nab and back through the Nature Park.

Rock Pipit 1 display calling and flights along the foreshore.

Rock Pipit

Meadow Pipit 16 north. Five landed briefly near the displaying Rock Pipit but quickly moved on.

Meadow Pipits

Pied/White wagtail 1 north

Redshank 145 along the waterline. The only other waders visible along the waterline were Curlew and Oystercatcher 

On Red Nab

Pale-bellied Brent goose 22 

Shelduck 15 plus 20 near the waterline

Wigeon 180

Nature Park

Chiffchaff 1 singing

These Blue Tits seemed to be checking for a suitable nest hole

Near Naze and Heliport (Malcolm)

I just had a look in passing to see if there were any grounded migrants. There wasn't, but there were 3,000 Knot. Unfortunately, very flighty and 2,000 quickly left towards Heysham Head, the other 1,000 out of sight beyond the Oystercatchers on the Heliport sea wall. Still I managed to read a few flags before they left.

These are some of the departing birds. None obviously with a coloured flag.
But the circled bird does appear to have a black flag

This Knot with a black flag was on the north shore last week. We have now
received its "history". Ringed November 2018 eastern Wadden Sea Holland.
Amazingly, this is the only confirmed sighting since it was ringed!

North shore (Malcolm)

I went out on the skear this afternoon towards low water. The NE wind was surprisingly strong out there!

Pale-bellied Brent geese 33 (almost certainly including this morning's 22)

Dark-bellied Brent goose 1 - I didn't see it arrive, but suspect that it just had done so, as it was having a thorough bath.

It climbed out to dry itself off......

......but as soon as it opened its wings to shake them......

........the wind blew it back into the sea.

Probably all of this morning's Knot were on the skear. The strong NE wind stirred up the water enough along the northern edge of the skear to bring small shrimps into the shallows.

Knot shrimping in the shallows, you can see the line towards the top
of the picture where the clear water becomes muddied.

Despite the high number of Knot, checking for flags was difficult, partly as many legs were hidden, but mainly as it was barely practical to stand still! Some new birds for the skear were seen though. 

Redshank and an orange flagged Knot. Unfortunately, in this case part of the
code is obscured by a blob of something on the flag - you can't win them all!

First Wheatear and Sand Martin

Another unseasonably warm day, peaking at 18.5° this afternoon. A freshening east wind.

Shaun Coyle had a good walk around the recording area.

Heysham Head 07:00: 

PB Brent Geese 73. 

Pink-footed Goose 65 north plus 60 west later

Whooper Swan  1 north plus what looked to be a group of swans on a sand bar well on the way to Barrow.

Little Egret 5.

Two pairs of Rock Pipits.

Heysham NR: 

Two Chiffchaffs singing.

Red Nab: 

Wigeon 233 

Shelduck 52.

Little Egret 2.

Rock Pipit pair on the seawall near Outfall 1 and another pair at the Lighthouse/Harbour mouth. 

Adult type Shag roosting on the Wooden Jetty.

Ocean Edge: 

Two male Wheatears - first records this year

BY Middleton (scrub & marsh):

Two singing Cetti's Warblers 

2 pairs of Reed Bunting. 

Great Spotted Woodpecker 

Sand Martin 1 heading north - first records of the year

Middleton NR:

Cetti's Warbler 3 singing 

5 singing Chiffchaffs. 

Raven heading east 

a single Redwing!

Main Pond 

Little Grebe pair

Coot 6

Tufted Duck 2m + f 

Gadwall 11.

No Swimming Pond - Mute Swan pair, 

Coot 2 and 

Gadwall 6.

Tim Butler Pond

Teal pair.

Janet also had a look later

The Coots were bickering.....

.........again

Comma

Small Tortoiseshell - 2 Brimstone also seen

Five spot Ladybird 

Some of 60+ Pink-Footed geese heading north this afternoon 

I watched the tide slowly uncover the skear late morning (Malcolm)

Some of the brent Geese

Pink-Footed goose 95 and 12 south, plus 62 NW, these will be what Shaun saw, and possibly Janet's birds too. So 172 minimum total for the day.

A low south bound skein of Pink-Footed geese.
Great Crested Grebe on the water

Eider 18

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Great Crested Grebe 2

Black-Headed gulls 70+ in several small groups flying low to the north.

Black-Headed gulls

Meadows Pipits 8 individuals heading NE

Oystercatchers 500

Curlew 20

Curlew and Oystercatcher 

Knot 650, unfortunately disturbed by two Peregrines, not a pair as both were the same size.

Redshank 120

Redshank

Dunlin 30

Ringed Plover just 1 seen

Turnstone 43

All the Turnstone grouped together after a Peregrine attack had lifted everything.

Small Tortoiseshell 1 in/off the sea

Just outside the recording area

Hummingbird hawkmoth in a garden in Overton yesterday, seen by two different people. (Reported on Facebook - Janet)