Crossbill tops bill, and a good day was had by all

A dry sunny day. Almost no air movement early on, what there was came from the east. A light west breeze from lunchtime.

Heysham Nature Reserve

Jean and Pete had a ringing and visible migration morning. Report by Jean:

Good variety and number of birds ringed this morning. 57 caught, 17 species:

Robin 4

Great Tit 2

Blue Tit 7

MARSH TIT 1 

Goldfinch 6

Chiffchaff 4

GOLDCREST 8

GREY WAGTAIL 9 colour ringed (out of 15 flying over)

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Greenfinch 2

Long-tailed Tit 1

TREECREEPER 1

Coal Tit 2

Dunnock 4

Chaffinch 1

Blackcap 1

Whitethroat 1

Vis:

CROSSBILL 1

Pink-footed Goose 6 skeins

Redpoll 1

Marsh Tit

Migrant Hawkers

Wall brown flew north along the coastline past half moon bay cafe (this butterfly is not seen every year here) 

South shore (Malcolm) 09:45 - 11:45

The plan was to do the same walk as yesterday, but I didn't manage to check the foreshore today.

Pink-Footed goose 265 in 4 skeins, the last at 10:15

Shelduck 5

Mediterranean gull 1 adult south

Mediterranean gull 

Swallow 1 south

Oystercatchers 450

Curlew 180

Lapwing 4

Grey Plover 6

Redshank 55

Knot 6

Ringed Plover 80

Dunlin 53

Sanderling 2

Ringed Plover and Dunlin

They were feeding high up the shore where it was covered in freshwater yesterday.

The Grey Plovers, Knot and Sanderling were the only waders feeding along the waterline. The Sanderling didn't stay long before continuing south.

Some of the Redshank near the saltmarsh 

Kingfisher 1 flushed from the saltmarsh creek by the rising tide and flew towards Middleton Nature Reserve 

Linnet 40+. Today the were on the west side of the saltmarsh 

Kestrel 1 male on the east side of the saltmarsh 

Not a great shot, but I quite like it.
The dark Kestrel shape bottom left is just the shadow. The Kestrel is mid
frame, you can just make out its distinctive tail.

Clouded Yellow 2 on the saltmarsh. A bright yellow male flew north along the Western edge before continuing north. I just about managed some record shots.

Male Clouded Yellow

In contrast a female in the NE corner was reluctant to fly, providing easy at rest shots, but they always rest with their wings closed, and this one was the pale variant with its upper wings almost white.

Resting Clouded Yellow, but not obviously a female, or pale

So I adopted a strategy of casting my shadow on it to stimulate a reaction.
That's my scary shadow, I wasn't wearing a top hat, just a sun hat.

It worked!

Pale version female Clouded Yellow

She clearly just wanted to rest, presumably after flying some distance, so I left her in peace.

Kevin Eaves checked the foreshore just after lunch.

Clouded Yellow - one bright yellow one looked to be a male flew past quickly, almost certainly different to the earlier one that had continued north, so 3 for the day.

Wheatear 1

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Mute Swan 1 adult and 7 cygnets 

Tufted Duck 30 (8 on "no swimming" pond)

Gadwall 5

Mallard 5

Coot 11

Moorhen 2

Cetti's warbler 1 singing in western marsh

Chiffchaff 1 calling

Mediterranean gull 2 adult high to the west

Red Admiral 4 all drifting high to the east

Large White 1

Speckled Wood 3

Common Darter 2

Migrant Hawker 8

Migrant Hawker 

Birds were pretty much the same, but the weather was nicer!

Sunshine all day but cool early on in the light NE wind

South shore (Malcolm) 08:30 - 11:30

A very pleasant walk out on the shore to the south of the saltmarsh, then along the foreshore to the, then almost covered, Red Nab.

Pink-Footed goose c120 - two skeins south some distance out another of 57 south over my head.

Canada goose 4 with the 57 Pinkfoot.

Canada geese

Canada geese with Pink-Footed geese

Shelduck 3

Little Egret 6

At first glance, this Little Egret looked interesting in the low strong light.

Mediterranean gull just 1 first calendar year flew south

Swallow 1

The only other movement seen were 11 passerines very high to the south. Too high to hear any calls and only spotted high above a gull I was checking with my binoculars. Very likely many more passed over unnoticed.

Waders

Oystercatcher 2,000 along the waterline plus many more on Red Nab.

Oystercatchers along the waterline with a nice view of the South Lakes in the
background. Also a good view of some of the locations regularly mentioned in
this blog. To the far right is the lighthouse, below it the sloping sea wall. Running 
out from the sea wall is what's left of the old wooden jetty. The two outfalls are 
between the waterline and the wooden jetty. There is a map at the foot of the posts.

Curlew 130

Curlew

The only other waders along the waterline were:

Bar-Tailed Godwit 4

Bar-Tailed Godwit

This wader on the water with nothing to help gauge size was not immediately obvious.

Dunlin

A flock of 12 Knot were displaced by the tide to the south.

A group of 25 Ringed Plover and 15 Dunlin were feeding further up the shore.

Ringed Plover

Dunlin

6 Grey Plover were high up the shore near the saltmarsh 

Grey Plovers, note all the Lugworm casts here.

Further south, out from the faux castle a small group of waders were resting 

Grey Plover 63 (69 total for the day)

Knot 6 (18 total for the day)

Dunlin 8 (24 total for the day)

Grey Plover and Knot

Grey Plover and Dunlin. No Lugworm casts here, this section of shore is awash
with all the freshwater that has run off the land, it drains from here to eventually
form the creek that runs through the saltmarsh 

Redshank 18 around the saltmarsh 

Lapwing 7 on the saltmarsh 

Linnet 40 feeding on Samphire seeds on the east side of the saltmarsh.

Linnet

This Kestrel was resting on the west side of the saltmarsh.
The Magpies weren't happy!

The Kestrel left when it was ready, but the Magpies pretended that
they had chased it off

Wheatear 11 - 2 on the saltmarsh plus 9 along the foreshore 

In contrast to the very pale bird on Friday, this Wheatear has a rich shade of rufous 

Rock Pipit 3

White Wagtail 1

 

White Wagtail on the shingles between the foreshore and Red Nab

This Carrion Crow on the saltmarsh has gone for the vegetarian option.
It didn't find the apple there, it flew to the middle of the saltmarsh carrying it.

By the time I reached the Nature Park the day had warmed up, there was a bit of insect activity.

Migrant Hawker 1

Red Admiral 3

Small White 2

Speckled Wood 2

Plenty of movement, despite the rain

It rained all day, heavier and more continual in the afternoon and evening. A NE wind

South shore (Malcolm) 09:15 - 11:00

For once I timed my walk just right with regards to the weather! It was raining as I checked from the saltmarsh to Red Nab, then the longest gap in the rain all day, as I walked along the sea wall, some rain on the return leg, but not heavy.

Linnet 76 - 64 on Ocean Edge grass, plus 12 along the foreshore 

Linnet on the foreshore "rocks"

Wheatear 7 along the foreshore (just 4 on the return leg)

Meadow Pipit 3 grounded along the foreshore (none on the return leg)

Meadow Pipits

I didn't see any more Meadow Pipits until I was at the end of the sea wall at 10:00. A short but heavy shower began and 10 more came in off the sea (8+2)

Swallow 33  - they all came in off the sea in the 10 minutes after the rain started. 16 in the largest group. A few of the Swallows took advantage of presumably copious fly numbers around the wooden jetty. It is covered in guano and likely the odd corpse. This clip shows swallows feeding, Cormorants resting, and there is at least one juvenile Shag, just to the right of the old lighthouse door. Possibly another to the left. Although, you'll probably have to take my word for it, both were resting with their heads tucked in out of the rain.

This juvenile Pied or White Wagtail also came in/off when the rain started

Pink-Footed geese 250+ in 5 skeins but two waves, one around 09:30 and the other around 10:30. (At least three more skeins heard passing over my house around lunchtime).

The larger skeins were some distance out, but this one was closer

Rock Pipit 3 - 1 at Red Nab and 2 singles along the sea wall. This clip was just after the early rain stopped, the Pipit is looking under every piece of cover on the sloping sea wall, where potential meals may have been sheltering.

One of the juvenile Herring gulls ringed at the Power Stations N:19P.
Not all of them are hanging around though. N:18P has been seen at the Albert Dock
Liverpool 70km south and N:12P at Queens Park Lake 43km SE

When I got back to Red Nab there was a flock of at least 12 Long-Tailed Tits with a least one Chiffchaff in the scrub just behind Red Nab. Unfortunately a couple of barking dogs persuaded them to head back.

Long-Tailed Tit

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a passing afternoon check of the two main ponds.

Main pond:

Cormorant 3

1 adult Mute Swan with 7 cygnets

Mallard 5

Gadwall 5

Tufted Duck 20

Coot 19

Moorhen 2

Little Grebe 2 in summer plumage 

Just managed to get both grebes in this shot. 

"No swimming pond"

Still 1m above its normal height, either the heavy rain lifted the level again or the regulator pump didn't lower the level as far as it used to.

Tufted Duck 4

Coot 1

Little grebe 1 not in summer plumage 

Better, well......drier, than expected

Overcast all day, a heavy morning shower, then just the odd light shower. A SW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

08:45 - 09:45

Saltmarsh to Red Nab and back towards high water.

Linnet 50+ on the saltmarsh 

Wheatear 3 along the foreshore 

A particularly pale Wheatear

Rock Pipit 2 - 1 each foreshore and Red Nab

Shelduck just 2 (more later)

Little Egret 6

Mediterranean gull 3 - 2 adult and a 1st calendar year

1st calendar year Mediterranean gull

Great Black-Backed (top) and lesser Black-Backed gull

14:00 - 15:30

Along the sea wall then foreshore

Shelduck numbers had grown to 20 when I set off, then 42 by the time I got back.

Shelduck

Carrion Crow 39 gathered on the shore

Pink-Footed goose 14 south

These two Little Egret were catching small fish/shrimps. The Black-Headed gull can also see them, but hasn't got the equipment to catch them.

The Egret on the left has caught something 

Shag 1 juvenile on the wooden jetty

Juvenile Shag (right)

Common Sandpiper 1 in the fisherman's wharf on the north side of the harbour.

Mediterranean gull 8 - there were 6 adults and a 2nd calendar year on the feeding beach, then another adult arrived from the north. So minimum 9 total for the day with this morning's 1st calendar year.

Adult Mediterranean gull arriving from the north

2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull 

There were some Sandmason tubes showing, but the worms were not showing themselves for the Meds to catch them. The Oystercatchers were catching the Sandmason worms though. So the Meds turned to thievery! 

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab

Wheatear 8 along the foreshore 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

2 Cormorant on main pond

Cetti's warbler singing Central Marsh 

Chiffchaff  on the South side

Loads of Pink-Footed geese over my house, heading south 22:50 - Malcolm

Goose movement continues

A reasonably dry morning with light showers in the afternoon. A light SW wind

South shore (Malcolm) 08:30 - 10:15

A check of the shore out from the saltmarsh, then along the foreshore to Red Nab.

Pink-Footed Goose 48 in three skeins heading south, all before 08:45.

Canada Goose 3 with one of the Pinkfoot skeins

Three Canada with Pink-Footed geese

Shelduck 10

The only waders were

Curlew 30

Oystercatcher 15

Grey Plover 3 south

Redshank 23 on the saltmarsh 

Lapwings 7 on the saltmarsh 

Lapwing

Little Egret 5 on the saltmarsh and 1 on Red Nab

Little Egret and Lapwing

Carrion Crow at least 29 on the shore, probably more, they were very mobile

Some of the Carrion Crows along the saltmarsh fringe

Linnet numbers continue to grow as the saltmarsh plants start to produce seeds in quantity. At least 90 today on both sides of the saltmarsh and along the foreshore. They usually attract small raptors when there are this many.

This pile of flotsam looks quite sterile, but it is alive with Starlings and Linnet

The above shot is the opening frame of this clip. 

Linnets

Goldfinch 6 along the foreshore 

Grey Wagtail 2 south

Wheatear 3 along the foreshore 

Wheatear

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit

Mediterranean gull 2 - adult and a 1st calendar year, on Red Nab

Sandwich Tern 1 on Red Nab

Both Meds and a Sandwich Tern

Red Admiral trying to catch as much of the weak sun as it could.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Cetti's warbler 2 - one singing in both the southern and northern sections - Janet

I did a quick check of the two main ponds (Malcolm)

There were 31 Tufted Duck on the main pond, I was expecting a new high count with whatever there was on the "no swimming" pond. But there was nothing on the "no swimming" pond whatsoever! The water level was dropping, so the regulating pump must have kicked in. That wouldn't disturb the ducks though, they clearly prefer the main pond.

Tufted Ducks

This clip shows just some of the Tufted Ducks. The new fencing preventing disturbance has certainly made a difference.

Also on the Main pond

Mute adult with 7 cygnets

Mallard 15

Gadwall 6

Coot 15

Moorhen 2

Little grebe 1

Cormorant 1

Grey Heron 1

A lot of rain over the next few days, sightings might be thin on the ground.