The west wind continues to attract the Knot

A dry largely sunny day with a fresher west wind.

These shots by Janet yesterday from the south wall roundhead. There was no sign of the Rock Pipit.

Herring gull with a mussel

Turnstone checking out the crevices in a Honeycomb worm clump

and in the Nature Park

Chiffchaff 

Peacock

Middleton Nature Reserve (today) Janet

This Coot had had enough of being chased!

Robin with a damaged leg near the feeders

Pellet - looks to be an Owl's

Heysham skear - low water 14:50 (Malcolm)

I went down late morning as the skear was being uncovered and a pleasant evening stoll as it was being covered again.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 54. Initially this morning there were just 2, then joined by a further 16 then this flock of 36 arrived from the north.

Pale-bellied Brent goose eating gutweed

This evening, again there were initially only two, but as I was leaving 30+ arrived from the north.

Eider 28

Eider

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 12

Redshank 400

Knot 1,000 were arriving as I started this morning. Two feeding groups totalling 400 this evening seemed to be different birds as the few flags seen were not seen this morning.

Most of the Knot were shrimping 

As the tide moved them off the skear this evening, many headed for a drain fed by freshwater runoff for a spruce up.

I didn't see any Peregrine disturbance today, but as the Knot numbers grow, they are bound to be attracted.

Turnstone 45

The wind finally turns!

After two weeks of mainly east winds, today there was a gentle west wind. Dry with plenty of sunshine.

Heysham skear - low water 13:30 (Malcolm)

I did a quick check early in the ebbing tide, just in time to see 49 Pale-bellied Brent geese arrive from the north.

Some of the Brent coming in to land.

The recent warm weather has resulted in the gutweed growing quite lush
again in a few places, including on the larger rocks.

The geese quickly split into small groups, mainly pairs, and each found their own patch to feed on. Many choosing the larger rocks.

I didn't have much time this morning so I left and returned at low water.

These are the rocks that the Brent were feeding on/above earlier.
You can see that each is an oasis of green in an a desert of barren stones.

At least 45 of the Brent were still around the north side of the skear, but now more interested in preening rather than feeding.

Eider 14

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Oystercatcher 1,000

Curlew 8

Redshank 450

Knot 350 (just one previously seen flagged)

Turnstone 45

All the waders, with the exception of Turnstone were after shrimps.

This shot shows that even today's very light west breeze can colour the
water in the shallows. Note the line beyond the feeding waders where the
Water colour changes from blue to brownish. The small shrimps need this
to bring them within range of the waders. The shrimps feed on the detritus 
mixed in the muddied water, plus the colour provides some cover for them.

Curlew, Knot and Redshank, the smaller waders at least, shirmping.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

I checked the fence pond today as well as the two main ponds. The only addition to yesterday's wildfowl was an additional pair of teal. Two Moorhen and a Little grebe.

The only warblers heard were Chiffchaff 3, Cetti's 2.

This Long-Tailed Tit has a bill full of feathers to feather its nest.

Invertebrate day

Overnight rain finally cleared by mid morning, but it remained overcast for most of the day. A light NE breeze.

South shore

I had a walk from the saltmarsh to Red Nab before the rain had completely cleared (Malcolm). There wasn't much to see!

Shelduck 6

Wheatear 1 male

No sign of any Rock Pipits

Chiffchaff 2 singing in the Nature Park

Kevin and Alison checked this afternoon.

Now four Wheatears along foreshore. 3 males and a female.

Male Wheatear

Lots of beetles resting along the sea wall.

Aphodius fimetarius

Seven-spot Lady Bird

Rove Beetle - Philonthus sp.

Aphodius sp. 

Oulema sp - cereal leaf beetle

And not just beetles

Chrisylis - looks like it could be either small/green veined white

Dotted Border moth. Not rare, but nice to see. 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a passing check of the two main ponds.

Mute Swan pair

Mallard 4

Gadwall 12

Teal pair

Herring gulls taking a bath plus Teal pair

Coot 10

Cetti's warbler 1 singing

Chiffchaff 2 singing

Heysham skear - low water 11:40 (Malcolm)

I had a look on the rising tide after lunch.

Pale-bellied Brent Geese 4 (2 + 2)

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

Eider 10

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 10

Curlew

Redshank 200

Knot 8

Turnstone 30

Dunlin 8

Ringed Plover 6

A Dunlin with two Ringed Plover

It's "green jelly blob" time of year again. The difference this year is that they are high definition jelly blobs. These blobs are typically 15mm diameter, and are the egg sacs of ragworms.

Unfortunately, high definition jelly, just looks like jelly.
Although if you look closely you can make out some black specks

In the next three shots, the jelly blobs are in shallow pools

The light offshore winds so far this spring has been good for the ragworms
that produce these egg sacs. Many of the sacs are still secured where the worm
left them. Most of the ones that break free end up in the strand line. Although,
presumably a few will drift to other suitable locations. 

This sac has ruptured, if you open this shot and zoom in you can see the tiny
eggs with dark embryos. They look like microscopic frog spawn. Presumably
the eggs will now be prone to predation, but surely some will mature.

Early Sandwich

It soon cleared up after overnight rain and became warm and sunny. A light east wind.

Heysham skear - low water 10:20 (Malcolm)

We are back to neap tides and not much of the skear was exposed. No sign of any Brent Geese, Mergansers or Grebes.

Eider 25

Sandwich Tern 1 - first one this year

Sandwich Tern

Knot 450 to begin with, but they moved off, not spooked, to the south before low water.

Other waders as recent.

Turnstone

Cormorant in breeding plumage

Meadow Pipits just 5 in/off today

Imperial Road (Malcolm)

Buzzard 1

Buzzard

Wood Pigeon 55

Stock Dove 1

Stock Dove

Little Egret 1

Pheasant 1 male

Cetti's warbler 1 singing by the wooden gate near the roundabout.

Chiffchaff 2

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Chiffchaff

This male Reed Bunting tried to muscle in on the easy pickings below
the car park feeders.....

.....but the regular male saw it off.

Comma

Peacock, slightly worse for wear after managing to overwinter 

Middleton Rd Rookery (Malcolm)

A passing check saw 9 nests and 12 Rooks.

This Rook was breaking off a suitable nest twig.....

.......before taking it to its nest

Just out of the recording area - just across the road in the horse paddock. Grey Wagtail.

Male Grey Wagtail 

Plenty of movement

A dry but overcast day. A fresh east wind varying between  ESE and ENE

North shore

Heysham skear - low water 09:30 (Malcolm)

07:45 - 10:00

Pied/white Wagtail 1 due north just out from the promenade 

Lesser Redpoll 1 in/off to NE

Meadow Pipit 146 in/off to NE

Goosander 1 female north (quite uncommon here)

Female Goosander

Goosander flying past resting Brent geese and Oystercatcher 

Pintail pair - also not common here 

Pintail 

Pale-bellied Brent goose 16 in 4 distinct groups, 5, 7, 2 and 2

Eider 23

Red-breasted Merganser 6

Great Crested grebe 3

Oystercatcher 1,500

Curlew 10

Redshank 150

Knot there were three small groups totalling 120, one was flagged but a regular one for this winter. I suspected that these represented the subset of Knot that have taken to holding their ground during Peregrine attacks and that earlier attacks had cleared the majority of Knot off the skear - more on this later.

Turnstone 60

Dunlin 8 inshore with 

Ringed Plover 6

Not a Jackson Pollock, but a Dunlin and a Ringed Plover

I was right to suspect that there had been earlier Peregrine attacks. 

This Peregrine lifted everything 

Before coming in to land

An adult Peregrine Falcon. It looked like a large female, but I have never been
this close to one before to judge size. It certainly wasn't undernourished! The blood
on its belly showing that it had just finished eating its latest kill. I wonder how many 
Knot it has taken this winter?

All the waders resettled, but kept a close eye on the Peregrine. Pale-bellied Brent also in this clip.

It hung around a while before flying east, lifting everything in its path.

0820-0900hrs - near public field,horse paddock & prom - Diane Smith

Groups of birds coming in land from the bay.

30 meadow pipits

11 linnets

2 skylarks

There were lots of other groups of birds coming, but too far away to see

South shore

Janet checked the foreshore this morning.

Wheatear 2

Male Wheatear

Female Wheatear

Kevin Eaves checked this afternoon, still two Wheatears along the foreshore 

12 Pale-bellied Brent on Red Nab - likely the 5 and 7 from this morning 

Stonechat and 3 Wheatear this afternoon at Ocean Edge. 

Meadow Pipits still coming over Heysham Nature Reserve at 14:30hrs - Pete