Song Thrush welcome. Raptor.... perhaps not

Middleton Nature Reserve.
It was very nice on arrival this morning to be welcomed by a Song Thrush in full song. Also the regularly reported "white" Blackbird was showing well near the entrance. The yellow bill and a few black feathers, clearly identifying it as a male.
A large unidentified raptor was flying around.  Larger than a peregrine with broader wings and obvious fingers. There was no sign of a falconer, and no jesses, so presumably this is an escapee rather than a bird being worked.
To cap a busy visit, three additional adult and one immature mute swan, had disrupted the normal status quo, resulting in several territorial battles.

Mute Swan 7 adult, 5 immature
Moorhen 2
Coot 2
Pochard (male) 1
Gadwall 7
Mallard 6
Teal 6
Little Egret 1
Common Snipe 1
Jack Snipe 1
Cetti's Warbler 1 (one burst of song).
MD

Cettis warbler

The usual Cetti's warbler gave a burst of song at Middleton today but little else from an afternoon trawl with just 7 gadwall on the model boat pond and a female reed bunting (with 18 linnet and one goldfinch) on the north wall and absolutely nothing on the flat calm sea.   Just north of the area an ad med gull was off sunny slopes and therefore would have been a 'seen from'!

Unremarkable circuit

Ad med gull fishers roof

17 linnet one goldfinch on n h wall seed

Three snipe landed in lengthy grass in heliport area

Drake pochard, 7 gadwall model boat pond

Two unringed Grey Wagtails, wet area, near Tim Butler pool

230ish wigeon red nab

Shag still shunned

South shore at high water
The 2cy Shag (see Monday's post) was the only bird roosting on the isolated middle section of what remains of the wooden extension, at the end of the south harbour wall. In comparison, there were 104 cormorant roosting on the end section, less than 20 metres away!
232 widgeon flew from Red Nab towards Lune estuary in 7 groups

Ocean Edge salt marsh
38 Common snipe
1 Jack snipe
1 Reed bunting
MD

Bit better at Middleton

Middleton Nature Reserve
The male Pochard was back on model boat pond and Cetti's warbler obliged with a couple of bursts of song from western scrape (just to west of fence pond). Also three greenfinch were the first I've seen here this winter.
Mute swan 4 adult + 4 immature
Moorhen 4
Coot 3
Gadwall 7
Pochard (male) 1
Tufted (male) 2
Mallard 7
Teal 18
Snipe 4
Little egret 1
Cetti's warbler 1
Greenfinch 3
MD

2cy shag

Had about 30 minutes today most of which was spent talking to Reuben about the office which seems like it will be ready on 1st March

A surprise was 2cy shag between red bab and the loads of cormorants
feeding in the out fall channels - almost like it had been forced to one side

The rest was a bit useless; road blocked down to gate 38, two female joggers along seedy alley on the north wall, so no finches which left the model boat pond seemingly stripped of its main asset, the drake pochard

Gadwall - 7
Mallard - 5
Tufted duck 3

Cold easterly continues - for now

The cold wind was still mainly from east this morning, but starting to move more southerly now. Checked Ocen Edge salt marsh at high water.
84 Common Snipe
3 Jack Snipe
2 Reed Bunting
12 Ringed Plover

1 Skylark behind bund on foreshore was the first I've seen here this winter. Not sure if it came from salt marsh or elsewhere.
MD

Chilly Wind

Heysham North Harbour Wall

A visit this morning from 10.45 to 12.30 to put down more seed on the feeding area.
The finch flock paid a couple of visits to feed during that time.  Although there were no other people or cars there and no disturbance in the adjacent Centrica yard the birds were very nervous and flighty as they have often been this winter.  Although the windmill was operating in the moderate breeze the sound of the blades and generator are constant and unlikely to affect the birds.  However, as the wind direction alters slightly the windmill head yaws to face the wind - the turning mechanism does make a variety of nasty sudden noises that might upset them. When viewed from the feeding site at low level there did not appear to be any undue reflection light flashes from the blades.

Linnet - 20, approx 40% ringed
Goldfinch - 1
Robin - 1
Dunnock - 1
Feral Pigeon - 2


ajd

Coot join Mediterranean

Mediterranean gull still showing well on model boat pond at Middleton Nature Reserve. Also today were, to my knowledge, the first coot of 2017 for the reserve, one on the model boat pond and two on Tim Butler pond.

4 adult + 4 immature Mute swan
7 Gadwall
6 Mallard
1 Pochard (male)
5  Tufted
5 Teal
3 Coot
3 Moorhen
1 Little egret
1 Mediterranean gull
MD

New bread med

A scoot round in the early afternoon saw:

Model boat pond
Med gull - large ad m coming to bread
Pochard - male
Tufted 4, gadwall 6, mallard 5

North wall
Linnet 18, twite 1-2. Song thrush 1, dunnock 3, starling 11