Friday

Adult Mediterranean gull on sea, out from Harbour, just before high tide.

Ocean Edge salt marsh - high water
Jack snipe 1
Linnet 15
Meadow pipit1
Lapwing 75

c6,000 Knot on shore just to south of salt marsh

Seaduck late afternoon
Eider - 185
Common Scoter - 3 f/Juv
Goldeneye - female north of the head - flew further north
Red- breasted Mergsnser - 2 redhead
Great crested Grebe - only two seen

Middleton NR
A very quick circuit of the reserve this afternoon with access limited by unsuitable footwear for the very high water levels.
Duck numbers and species much as in recent days.

Model Boat Pond:
Mute swan - 2 ad plus 4 imm.
Gadwall - 4
Tufted Duck - 2 (m+f)

No Swimming Pond:
Gadwall - 11
Shoveler - 2
Teal - 1  (!)
Mute Swan - 2
Coot - 1

Western Marsh:
Teal - 4
Snipe - only 1 seen flying

Fence Pond was birdless.

Interim report

Not much seen today that I (MD) am aware of.
The Rock pipit on Half Mon Bay shore was showing well though. It can normally be found above tide line between slipway near café and the high steps to the north. The picture below was actually taken early this week.

January survey material

Had a trawl around part of SD46 for the LDBWS January survey. Just very common species but of note were:
Snipe - 11 on the heliport
Linnet - 4 on the heliport
A lot of House Sparrows detected in 1.5hrs - 64.

Middle Nature Reserve:

Mute 12 including 4 immature

Coot 1

Moorhen 5

Gadwall 23

Teal 9

Shoveler 2

Water rail 3

Woodcock 1

Common snipe 18 

Meadow pipit 2

Good viewing conditions

Happy new year

Med gull - ad off end of wooden jetty mid pm
Shag -3 Cy in harbour at least late afternoon
Common Scoter - one close inshore to North of head, two in Main channel with Eider
Linnet - one North wall
Shoveler - pair middleton Nr
Water rail - at least one middleton Nr
Cetti’s warbler - at least one singing Middleton Nr

Third calendar year Shag brings in the New Year!

Middleton very wetland 29-31 Dec

Despite the relatively dry weather the ringing area at Middleton NR is somewhat flooded. This is a by-product of the works going on at UU. Great for ducks, though.

29/12/18
The water levels continue to rise. The newly coppiced "wet" area is now open water, but there are still lots of common snipe nearby. Only one Jack snipe disturbed. The Christmas cessation of operation on pipeline has resulted in the fence pond and Western scrape being populated again.

Main pond
Mute 7 - now 4 x 1cy
Moorhen 1
Gadwall 6

No swimming pond
Mute 1
Moorhen 2
Coot 1
Tufted 2 (m)
Shoveler 2 (m&f)
Gadwall 12
Teal 4

Tim Butler pond
Mute 2
Moorhen 2
Teal 1
Mallard 4

Fence pond
Gadwall 3
Teal 15

Western scrape
Moorhen 1
Teal 35
Mallard 6

Western marsh
Jack snipe 1
Common snipe 29
Cetti's warbler singing 

Central marsh
Common snipe 2
Water rail 1
Cetti's warbler singing

31/12/18
Model Boat pond
Mute Swan 2ad plus 4 immatures
Gadwall 2 females
Oystercatcher - 1 flew over

No swimming pond
Teal - 5 prs
Shoveler - 1 pr
Tufted Duck - 1 pr
Mallard - 1 pr
Gadwall - 1M
Moorhen - 1
Coot - 1

Gun club area
Song Thrush - 1 singing plus 1 singing across the road
Raven - 1 "cronking" at the top of the nearest pylon

Tim Butler pond
Mute Swan - 1pr
Teal - 2pr plus a spare M
Mallard - 1 pr
Moorhen - 1

Fence pond
Water Rail - 2
Gadwall - 3 pr
Moorhen - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 1 singing from bushes on east side of pond

Central Marsh
Cetti's Warbler - 1 singing from bushes at fenced off bridge
Reed Bunting - 1 calling

Western Marsh
Teal - 5 pr
Snipe - at least 1

Thorough seagull search

A double negative with gulls today including no sign of the Czech ringed Med

Rock pipits harbour mouth and along half moon bay beach

Dark Chestnut and another Mottled Umber in the office Moth trap

Interesting

A full stone jetty count in the murk by nick on the incoming tide saw
Eider - 225
Great crested Grebe - 35
Goldeneye - female out
No common Scoter floated in that far

Rock pipit by harbour mouth
Jack snipe - 2 oe salt
Snipe - 12 oe salt

Ad White winged gull reported flying past Heysham Head towards the harbour.  Hopefully more on this tomorrow

Poor visibility

The Eider line was in silhouette this morning with the dreaded orange sky and little could be discerned

Common Scoter - female inshore
Great crested Grebe - 9 inshore
Rock pipit - one harbour mouth

Mottled Umber and Emmelina monodactyla on the office wall by the light

As you were

Rock  pipit - singles harbour mouth and half moon bay shore
Meadow pipit -1
Shag - 2cy harbour mouth and wooden jetty area. it was feeding out from Half Moon Bay yesterday

9 Gadwall, 8 Mallard and 8 Mute Swan model boat pond

Second calendar year Shag feeding just beyond rocks at Half Moon Bay Christmas Eve

Winter moths

Looks good for winter period moths in woodland etc between 26th Dec and at least 5th Jan and there were two Winter Moth in the trap this am.  

At least two Common Scoter offshore