Stonechats back on territory

The rain ended in the early hours. It remained above freezing but felt cold in the fresh NW wind.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:30 - 10:00

Not a lot again.

Eider 2

Red-breasted Merganser 2 

Male Red-breasted Merganser

Great Crested grebe 1

There was no disturbance by Peregrines while I was out, but the waders were a bit thin on the ground.

Just one Grey Plover

At least 15 Ringed Plover

Redshank 70

Turnstone 40

Oystercatcher 1500

Curlew 30

Knot 200+ two flagged birds seen but both seen previously 

They settled on the mud in the SE skear corner briefly. They were feeding 
on small bivalves here late last spring, a few had a probe, but it seems that 
this feeding opportunity is not yet available.

Howard checked the high water roosts for Knot:

No knot on heliport, a handful on sunnyslope, no flags seen, only a few hundred birds on Teal Bay no flags seen.

Imperial Rd

I checked at 10:30 and couldn't see anything (Malcolm).

Janet checked this afternoon and both the male and female Stonechats were near the blocked entrance.

Female Stonechat 

Male Stonechat 

Janet had some mealworms in her car and decided to treat them to a few.

They just weren't bothered about me, more him than her, I think he'd got
 fed up of waiting for her to take some worms!! so got in there first.

Not sure if she was impressed or not...

Roe Deer 2

South shore saltmarsh - Malcolm and Tom Walkington 13:00 - 13:30

Wigeon 160

Jack Snipe 3

Reed Bunting 4

Meadow Pipit 1

Rock Pipit 2

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit

This Siskin turned up on Kevin Eaves garden feeder this morning 

Not a good night to be a small passerine

It fell below -5°C again early in the night, a light shower just before daylight left a thin film of ice encasing everything. Overcast all day as the temperature crept up to 6°C. Heavy showers began 15:00.

A fresh south wind picked up in the afternoon 

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:45 - 09:45

No chance of seeing Snowdonia today, I could barely see conger rock!

Cormorants on and beyond conger rock

No Brent geese, Mergansers or Grebes seen, and just 2 male Eider

Male Eider

Once again, at least one Peregrine was presiding over a largely wader free skear 

A ball of c500 Knot were seen heading south as I set off.
Other than that the total was these two birds.

Redshank

Common gull

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

I checked twice today, I was worried that the film of ice covering everything this morning would prevent the Stonechats etc. from finding anything to eat. Sure enough the check this morning failed to find any passerines. The only birds seen were 35 Lapwings in the field to the east of the road.

I returned just after lunch, by this time it was 5°C and some of the ice was thawing, but I didn't fare much better with the Passerines, just 1 Dunnock.

Absent (or at least not seen) from their regular territories: Robin, Wrens and Stonechats, plus no sign of the generally more elusive Cetti's warbler.

There were clearly a lot more Lapwing on the fields to the east. A Peregrine Falcon lifted them all, at least 130.

The larger of the two flocks of Lapwing lifted by a Peregrine.
The Peregrine later flew west with empty talons

Grey Heron 1

Little Egret 1

Raven 2

Raven

The resident Carrion Crows weren't happy!

But this Raven was only intent in display flying 

Roe Deer with her now well grown male and female youngsters
The male at the back, the females have rump tufts.

Just out of the recording area - horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall - Malcolm 15:00

By this time the ground was thawing and the rain just beginning.

Redwing 2

Mistle Thrush 1

The Thrushes and Black-Headed gulls were managing to break up the already well disturbed ground.

........seen, but not heard

As forecast it froze hard (-5.5°C) on last night's light snowfall. Another sunny day with variable light breezes, the temperature never reaching 4°C.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:45 - 10:00

I went down to watch the tide cover the skear.

Pale-bellied Brent geese 38 flew to the play area rocks.

Pale-bellied Brent geese with Heysham Village in the background 

Eider 6

Red-breasted Merganser 10

Curlew 55 resting before heading east

Knot there was just one small group of 6. And this is the reason why...

Peregrine Falcon, it had already cleared most of the small waders from what
remained of the skear 

You may have noticed in the above clip, that despite last night's snow here,
the Lakeland hills remain snow free.

Also, just discernible, at the end of the clip you can see the incoming tide lifting thin plates of ice from the mud. I love watching these high spring tides come in when there are no waves, all the water movement is just down to the tide. Note how quickly the mud island that begins to the right disappears. You can also see the ice lifted off the mud being tumbled by the tide.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Coot still finding plenty of pond weed

Heron shouting at something (contrary to todays title!)

Mute Swans on the main pond.......

And Billy No-Mates cygnet on the completely frozen "no swimming" pond

Teal showing just how tiny they are compared to a Mallard

Great Tit, the bright sun forming a band across its tail

Female Chaffinch 

South shore - Alan Physick

Shag on the wooden jetty at high tide

Imperial Rd - Malcolm 13:45

It is this visit that today's title refers too

Water Rail, none heard but one seen briefly as it hopped over a fence.

Water Rail

Cetti's warbler, again none heard, but one glimpsed 

Cetti's warbler

Both a single Jay and a Raven flew north without calling.

Raven

Common Snipe 1 lifted (noisily!)

Lapwing 16 in the field to the east of the road

Heron 1

Little Egret 1

Stonechat female and male

Female Stonechat 

They are both on the largest boulder in this location shot. The horizontal 
line across the middle of the shot is the kerb on the eastern side of the road

South side - Kevin Eaves

Today was one of the few days we get each year when Snowdonia is visible from the end of the south sea wall

The cold spell is kicking in!

Freezing (-3°C) overnight. A sunny day with a light variable breeze. Snow showers began after dark with freezing temperatures to follow!

South shore - Malcolm 09:30 - 11:15

The sun was just breaking through the low clouds. This Goldfinch was presenting
as much of its back and rump as possible to catch what warmth it could.

Pale-Bellied Brent geese 44 flew to Red Nab.

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Pink-Footed geese 62 to NW

Wigeon 150+

Eider 1 male 

Male Eider drifting in with the tide

Kingfisher 1 flew across Red Nab

Kingfisher

Rock Pipit one each Red Nab and lighthouse 

Cormorants and Wigeon

Turnstone and Bar-Tailed Godwit

Grey Seal by No.2 outfall

Saltmarsh:

Much of the marsh was already covered when I arrived, most of the Common Snipe would have already been flushed, but another 19 were flushed while I watched.

Jack Snipe 7 sightings, but probably only 5 birds as they tend to land back on the marsh fringes.

This is typically what you see, Jack Snipe lower middle

Jack Snipe

One of two Reed Buntings 

Song Thrush

 Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Janet

Mainly Mallard, but there is a male Teal just showing.
No sign of the Tufted, but there were several Gadwall

Adult female Mute Swan

I was quite surprised that the Cygnets greeted the mum with a display
when she finally joined them.

Moorhen, not actually as graceful as it looks here!

Heron

Blue Tit with a titbit 

Dunnock

Howard checked the heliport, there were no roosting Knot. However he did find two high water roosts occupied. 2000 on the Sunnyslopes groyne and a further 3000 just out of the recording area on Teal Bay groyne. Flagged birds seen on both groynes have also been seen on the skear and heliport previously, so there is currently a pool of at least 5000 Knot.

One of the flagged Knot on Sunnyslopes groyne. Later seen on the skear

These shots from the Heliport wall by Kevin Singleton 

Curlew

Wren

Robin

Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:30 - 15:30

Pale-bellied Brent geese at least 31 flying around

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Eider 30+

Red-breasted Merganser 6

2000 Knot turned up, but they feed differently on these very fast draining spring tides. Lots of invertebrates get stranded behind the rough ground on the north side and the Knot stayed there until they all moved much further out, also to rough terrain.

I only saw a few flagged birds, and no new ones, but one was the same as one Howard saw on the Sunnyslopes groyne earlier. So the flags provide useful information about local population movement as well as their larger movement picture.