A good variety, but nothing new

Heysham skeer - low water 08:20
Shag 1 feeding on noth side
Great-Crested Grebe 6
Red-Breasted Merganser 16

These are part of a feeding group of 9 Mergansers on north side, there was a similar group of 7 on south side.

Meadow pipit north c60 in an hour

Half Moon Bay shore
Wheatear 2
Rock pipit 3, at least 1 resident
Swallow 5 north

Old Heliport area
Knot - 16,500 gathered on mud out from Near Naze as the tide was rising. Unfortunately spooked by someone walking along the heliport wall. At least 4,000 returned to south
Meadow pipit 30 in an hour
Alba wagtail 10 in an hour (both Pied and White)

Red Nab area
Mediterranean gull 1. 2cy with common gull on tideline off red nab - a really poor ‘mask’ and not obvious

Middleton Nature Reserve
Cetti's warbler - Shaun located all 5 singing males Mid morning (see yesterday's post). Plus:
Blackcap  8 singing + 2male & 1 female
WIllow warbler 7
Chiffchaff 4
No sign of yesterday's Sedge warbler. By the evening only one Cetti's singing.

Little grebe 2 each on main pond and no swimming pond
Coot the no swimming pond now have three chicks.

A face only a mother could love!

Sedge warbler singing

 Another warm sunny day, relatively calm early on but east breeze increased late morning.

Swallows - first one seen through Heysham 07:00, numbers increased during morning. A total of at least 18 seen/reported by 12:00.

Thanks for picture Janet

Heysham Nature Reserve

Willow Warbler, Chiichaff and Blackcap singing.

Water Rail calling
Speckled wood butterfly- in wooded area near Red Nab. Janet had one on HNR 6/4

Thanks Kevin

Red Nab area

Wheatear 1

Rock pipit 1

Middleton Nature Reserve

Covered by three observers taking their exercise here (Shaun, Janet and Malcolm), fortunately spread from early to late morning.

Early on there were just Willow Warbler, Chiichaff and Blackcap singing.

One of Willow Warbler singing - thanks Janet

By mid morning at least one Cetti's warbler was also singing. By 11:45 there were 5:

Western marsh

Central marsh - fence pond

Central marsh - north side, near brick building

No swimming pond

Tim Butler pond

Also by 11:45 there was a Sedge warbler singing at "no swimming" pond. This area was checked by both earlier observers.

Buzzard 1 blogging on eastern boundary

Kestrel 1 very high west

Gadwall 2 pairs

Tufted 1 pair

Coot 2

Not much, but not bad!

Another warm sunny day with light breeze from varying directions

Arctic Skua 1 light morph in at 12:25
Whimbrel 1 in then out (first of year)
Both above from Shaun

Osprey 1 in - seen from Half Moon Bay 09:40.

In the time honoured tradition of this blog - suitably grainy record shots. The originals are slightly better resolution (MD)

Some sea movement

As the new government guidelines permit some travel to local exercise areas, we will resume including some resident sightings in areas of relatively easy access.

Most of this morning's records from Shaun's cycle circuit of the area.
Heysham Harbour
Artic Skua dark morph in at 11:15.
Common Scoters 2 male feeding near wooden jetty then flew into the bay.
Red-Throated Diver 2 drifted in on the tide.
Sandwich Tern 1
Rock Pipit pair + single

Thanks for picture Kevin

Heysham Nature Reserve
Chiffchaff  7
Blackcap 3
WIllow warbler 2
All above singing.
Great SpottedWoodpecker drumming
Sparrowhawk 1 female.
Jay pair

First Orange Tip of year - thanks Janet

Middleton Nature Reserve
Chiffchaff  4
Blackcap 3
WIllow warbler 5
Cetti's warbler 3
All above singing

Red Nab area
Rock pipits 2
Linnet 4

Picture from Kevin

Heysham skeer - low waterf
Shag 1. First record for some while and almost missed it.

Great Crested grebe 6
Red-breasted Merganser 8
Eider 50+

This Herring gull has just grabbed a starfish. They only peck out the guts and leave the body and legs.

And, finally, for those of you who think you have to watch Blue Planet to see unusual fish. This is an angler fish. They settle into the mud leaving only the eyes and open gape showing. They then grab anything unfortunate enough to wander within range. This one haa been caught out by the high speed the water goes out on these spring tides. It was barely alive, I returned it, but didn't fancy its chances.

Hoist by its own petard!

A good day considering the restrictions

The wind started SSW then moved further west as the day progressed. Unfortunately, sea watching was confined to Shaun's early morning cycle, plus limited observations later in the morning.

Sandwich Tern 1 - 06:30 (first of year)
Kittiwake 30 in - 07:15 plus another 5 later in the morning
Red-Throated Diver - high flock of 6 in, plus 2, 1 and 1 (mid morning)
Arctic Skua - 1 dark morph distant 10:45
Knot c6,000 on old heliport wall, only two ringed birds found

Marsh Harrier - 1 female/immature north

Middleton Nature Reserve
Swallow 2 (1 + 1)
A lot of warblers grounded
Chiffchaffs everwhere
Willow warbler  - 1 singing male plus at least one more seen only.
Blackcap none heard, but at least two males seen

Not all of today's arrivals were welcomed!

Willow Warbler and Blackcap arrive!

Early SSE breeze stffened and shifted more to east. Quite a warm day.

Heysham Nature Reserve 10:00 - 11:30
Chiffchaff 8
Willow Warbler 1 (first of year)
Blackcap 1 (first arrival of year)
All singing males

Swallow 4 (first of year)
Sand Martin 2
House Martin 1 (first of year)
All flying NE
Above records from Shaun.


Meadow pipits at 09:30 13 flew north over Red Nab, but they quickly slowed, only 28 in an hour.
Rock pipits 3 - probably not migrants
Wheatear 1

Both the Knot and Turnstone are starting to moult into summer plumage.

Butterflies (morning only)
Brimstone 2
Peacock 4
Small Tortoiseshell 2

One weary Wheatear

Wheatears normally stand proud and bold on Ocean Edge foreshore rocks. This morning's second calendar year male, looked like it wished it were somewhere else.

Nothing else moving except c40 Wood pigeon milling around. They seem to be finding "new" feeding areas as previously busy patches are becoming less disturbed.

No sign (sound) last night or tonight of the nocturnal Common Scoter passage, documented from numerous sites last night (e.g. White Lund and 3 locations in Lancaster).

As things are quiet, I (MD) thought I would share this with you. At least those of you fortunate enough to have a garden or yard. It might add a bit more interest to your garden birdwatching.

Jays

I have at least two Jays visiting my Heysham garden bird feeding area almost every day, except during the summer months. In autumn they bring their young and I have had five at one time. Although there is a strict pecking order, and only one bird feeds at a time.

This is one of this mornings birds

This is only 1 metre from my living room window. Sometimes they wait their turn on the window ledge.

They started about 10 years ago. At first, I placed peanuts in shells loosly on a tray. The problem with that is the Magpies, who pinched them.

So I started stringing them on a wire and wrapping it around a wooden musheroom, any fixed point would do. The magpies feeding method doesn't allow them to open them like this (they use their beaks like a hammer), whereas the jays have no problem at all as they use their beaks to prise the shells open.

This is the peanuts before I fix them. I ration them to 13 a day.

It took a while for them to become regular, but there have been lots of generations introduced to this feeding method, so there should be lots of potential birds around the area.

Unfortunately, it is getting towards the end of their feeding period, they do come for top ups occasionally during summer though. 

Of course, this way of feeding also attracts squirrels, But We only get one or two a week. This may be seen as a good or a bad thing, dependant on how you regard squirrels. 

Good luck, if you give it a go.

Just one further comment while I'm talking feeders. It's really nice to see the Greenfinch numbers increasing again.

Wishful thinking?

Still only negligible movement observed. Just two Meadow Pipits and an Alba Wagtail.

The wader numbers roosting on the old heliport wall has reduced, partly due to the low neap tides.
Oystercatcher c200
Dunlin c30
Knot c2,000. They were very filghty, couldn't see what was spooking them. But it allowed a thorough inspection of 4,000 legs, no rings.

These are some of the Knot having a mini murmuration. It looked fun, but suspect they weren't doing it for pleasure.

It felt like the weather was trying to tell me (MD) something today. Wishful thinking or not, it felt uplifting.
During my afternoon exercise walk, every cloud seemed to have a silver lining.

On my walk to Trumacar store this morning, I was greeted by what was probably the lowest rainbow that I have ever seen. But rainbow it was, and very nice to see.

Hope springs eternal

Still waiting.......

The wind shifted round to the west today and was noticeably warmer, but still very little movement.

A trickle of Meadow Pipits and Alba wagtails north. Two stopped briefly on Heysham Head. One was a male White wagtail, didn't get a good enough view of its travelling companion (MD).

There are at least 5 Rock pipits around the recording area shores. Including territorial birds at two locations.

No sign or reports of any Brent geese since 23rd March.

Ringing recoveries

The lockdown and short walk from home strategy has led to three Grey Wagtail reports in quick succession - all on breeding territory - along with a misreported CR Pied Wag which will be passed on

ARB6429   Ringed  Juvenile    Heysham Nature Reserve  2/9/19
Breeding male:  River Brock, Brock, Lancs    26/3/20    22km SE

ARB7379    Ringed:  Juvenile   Middleton NR   14/9/19
Breeding male:  Teviot Haughs, Roxburghshire    20-23/3/20   170km NNE

AOA0043   Ringed   Juvenile  Heysham Nature Reserve 23/9/17
Breeding female:  River Cocker, Cockermouth, Cumbria  30-31/3/20  76km NNW

This is the location of the Cockermouth nest site - thanks Carl