Gadwall

Heysham Obs
The bad news: still no Pochard in the best month for this declining species, the good news is that a Gadwall has returned

Middleton NR
1 male Gadwall
2 pair + 2 imm mute
2 coot
5 moorhen
12 mallard
14 tufted
Minimum 30 teal

Glimpse of probable Chiffchaff

MD

Raven

Sunday 14th

Raven have been a bit tricky recently but one flew over the office today

7 Common Gull seaward end Heysham One and 7 Pied Wagtail together Ocean Edge foreshore two signs of spring!

Mainly feeder fare

Heysham Obs

North wall
Linnet - 25 mixed with Goldfinch plus 9 others
Med Gull - ad
Kittiwake - now 4 2CY by waterfall
Guillemot - no sign

Outfalls/Red Nab
Wigeon - 117
Little Egret - 4
Bar-tailed Godwit - two in HT roost
No sign of any Little Gulls
Linnet - 16
Lapwing - 81

Office
Greenfinch - 20+ on feeder
probable Chiffchaff gave one call from south side of obs tower pond

Moth
Dotted Border x 1

Vis mig bits and pieces

Heysham obs
A ringing session this am included a bit of vis mig

Vis mig 1100-1400
Skylark - 2 south
Tree sparrow - 2 SE
Siskin - 2 south
Pink footed goose - flock of c160 SE

Ringing included a few greenfinch and a Robin ringed as a youngster in 2011. The Robin has been caught nearly each year but only in late January (2012), February (2013) or March (2012 and 2013).

Bits of ringing

Heysham obs

Thursday
Ringing at the feeder net saw another sprinkling of unringed greenfinch (8) and a few odds and ends of eg unringed goldfinch

Dotted border in trap

Sunny day fare on a 10m tide

Heysham Obs
South shore walk (thanks Malcolm)

Ocean Edge
3 little egret
6 reed bunting
5 common snipe
1 sky lark
14 ringed plover

Red Nab
116 wigeon

No.1 outflow
1 adult little gull

Harbour
3 x 1st winter kittiwakes

No sign of territorial ringed plover today, but I did see it on Monday. As predicted the colder weather caused the return of the blackcap this morning.

MD

Ringed Plover back on territory

Heysham Obs
A presumed male Ringed Plover was back on the rough ground near the wooden jetty where they nested successfully last year.  

IOM ferry lunchtime
Kittiwake - 9 adult
Mute Swan - imm S

Harbour
Kittiwake - 3 2CY waterfall
Guillemot - one waterfall
Cormorant - 61 wooden jetty

North wall
Kittiwake - ad & 2CY
Linnet - 17
Goldfinch - 13
Med Gull -  adult (also later behind IOM ferry)

Outfalls
Little Gull - 3CY

Chiffchaff doing the rounds

Heysham Obs
Good coverage by Malcolm today included a small tit flock accompanied by a collybita-type Chiffchaff near the entrance to Ocean Edge.  A good record, especially in this weather which produced more of the usual Kittiwake and Little Gull

Harbour area
Kittiwake - 3 x 2CY still by waterfall
Guillemot - 1
Little Gull - I adult

Outfalls
Little Gull - adult and 2CY

IOM ferry
Kittiwake - 15 x ad, 1 x 2CY
Little Gull - 1 x ad

Ocean Edge
Skylark - 1 saltmarsh
Snipe - 4 saltmarsh
Chiffchaff - 1 as described above

Little gulls

Heysham obs
An unfortunate incident today resulting in a broken leg as an on lead dog became entangled around a crutch leading to a nasty fall.  Thanks to other dog walkers for a prompt response and the power station police, security and ambulance service for rapid attendance - hope the person recovers as soon as possible.  

Minimal amount of birding comprised at least 7 adult little gull plus the third winter still on the outfalls.

6th February fish fest

Heysham Obs

3CY Little Gull on sea by outfalls

Moth:  Dotted Border in trap

Observations from Malcolm:
The tide was ebbing past the wooden jetty and the dredger was operating in the harbour mouth. This resulted in a surge of small fish in the gap between the wooden jetty and the roundhead. At one point there were 24 cormorant feeding in an area 30m x 10m. They were catching rockling and small whiting. The large gulls got in on the action too, swooping on every cormorant when it surfaced.The main activity only lasted about 5 minutes, then the cormorant started flying off. I don't know if the fish had gone or the birds were full, probably a bit of both.  There would not be a sufficient number of fish in the harbour mouth to just have been displaced by the dredger, a concentration like that would attract cormorants without the dredger. The fish (judging by were the cormorants were feeding) were about 30m down tide of dredger. This is an ideal location for dislodged titbits to be separated from the denser silt, and also provide shelter for the fish (particularly for the rockling) in the jetty rocks and wrack. The ebbing tide would normally provide a small fish procession past the harbour