Nice selection

Heysham Obs


Ocean Edge foreshore/Red Nab
Black Redstart - female type seen at least 1200-1230 but not earlier
Meadow Pipit - 1


Outfalls
Little Gull - ad & 2 x 2CY
Wigeon - 141


North harbour wall
Twite - 27, including green/white Machrihanish bird
Linnet - 13
Med Gull - 2 adults


Harbour
Kittiwake - adult


Middleton model boat pond & others
Scaup - 2CY male
Pochard - 2 males and female
Tufted Duck - 17
Little Egret - 1
Mallard - 14
Teal - 66
Redwing - 36
Meadow Pipit - 5
Goldfinch - 30
Linnet - 28 & another c28 Ocean Edge saltmarsh

Interesting Greenfinch recoveries

Heysham Obs
Two Greenfinch caught during a late autumn passage in early November were ringed at Eskmeals, Ravenglass, Cumbria about a month previously (all other long-distance from the north have been from the north-east of here) and even more surprisingly, the other was ringed at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset as a 2CY female in January 2013.  Bearing in mind it was almost certainly on north to south passage when caught at Heysham as an adult female, where has it come from and is it intending to winter so far south again?  A Whitethroat ringed late August at Middleton was re-caught at Portishead, Somerset about a month later............and therefore rather slow to leave for Africa


Routine sightings today, mainly Middleton: Scaup 2CY male, 18 Tufted Duck, 54 Teal, 7 Gadwall, female Pochard. 11 Mallard, 3 Little Egret, 48 Linnet, one Reed Bunting and best of all, a Skylark


Dark Chestnut in moth trap

Pigeon Pie?

Heysham Obs
Fem type black red seen lunchtime red nab area

North Harbour Wall
Two brief visits both during heavy showers produced on first visit only
Goldfinch 2
Linnet 3
Med Gull 1 adult

Second visit saw the feeding area filled with enough Pigeons to make a very big pie with, but no Finches seen.

Harbour
Kittiwakes 4 - 3Adults & 2CY

Middleton Model Boat Pond
Scaup 2CY Male
Little Egret
Tufted Duck 6
Pochard 2Male & 1Fem

JM

Brief glimpses

Heysham obs
The f/imm black redstart showed v briefly at red nab before flying into power station grounds mid pm.

23 ringed plover Oe beach

15 twite, 6 linnet and 3 goldfinch plus male chaffinch nhw

Female Black Redstart reappears or just appears

Heysham Obs


Ocean Edge
Female Black Redstart along Ocean Edge foreshore just south of Red Nab mid afternoon (thanks Malcolm).  Suggest you walk the whole length of the foreshore round to the saltmarsh but please do not access on foot via the main gate - use the usual path through the nature park & park by the anemometer.  Ocean Edge is on annual closure at the moment and all traffic beyond the reception area is site maintenance work.  The main office is open however if you want to buy a caravan


North Harbour Wall
Finches increased during morning up to about 40 early afternoon including
Twite 15+
Goldfinch 12+
Linnet  8+
Chaffinch 1
also Robin and Dunnock
Med Gulls 3 Adults
Rock Pipit - 1


Harbour
Kittiwake 2 Adults & 2CY


No sign of any Guillemot


Heliport area
Ringed Plover 27, Dunlin 31, Knot 790, Turnstone 27, Oystercatcher 3,270, Redshank 310, Curlew 1


Middleton Model Boat Pond
Scaup 2CY Male
Little Egret
Pochard female

Leftovers and residents in calm weather

Heysham Obs
Anyone wondering where Yellow-browed Warblers might be successfully wintering note 11 in Lazerote in the latest and final Birding World and we have just returned from Fuerteventura where we found 9 (and there are apparently others).  Four of these were in the relatively heavily vegetated Pajara and two in nearby Betancuria.  Wintering birds seem very vocal c/p autumn migrants and defending individuals trees against marauding Chiffchaff.  Search time of suitable habitat gave a ratio of about one discovery per two hours as we were obviously doing other more deserty things during the week.


Meanwhile - half a webs count today included..........


Kittiwake - 2 ad, 2 2CY harbour
Wigeon - 77
Little Gull - 2CY
Med Gull - 3 adult


Middleton not checked

Early check

Heysham Obs

Just a quick check of regulars

Middleton Nature Reserve

2 pair mute swan + 7 cygnet

21 tufted

1 scaup
8 mallard

5 gadwall

C90 teal

1 woodcock

+ 3 pheasant!
0 pochard this morning

Ocean Edge

Checked just as tide reached salt marsh

22 Bar Tailed Godwit

21 Shelduck

17 ringed plover

6 snipe

C30 linnet

Red Nab

78 wigeon

4 red breasted merganser
(MD)

Also

Harbour
Kittiwakes 2 Adults & 2x 2CY

North Harbour Wall
A lot of activity with diggers near the feeding station but still
Twite 15+

 

Lunchtime sightings

A wet walk around at high tide.

Ocean Edge salt marsh

2 Jack snipe
1 common snipe
17 ringed plover


Harbour
2 adult 1 2CY Kittiwake
1 guillemot
(MD)

Middleton Photos

Heysham Obs
Repair work on the North Harbour Wall more extensive today and more disruptive
with only 12 Finches seen.
Goldfinch 5
Twite 7
Med Gull Adult
Harbour
Guillemot 2
Kittiwake 2 Adults & 2CY
Middleton 
Scaup 2CY Male
JM

Selection of birds at the Middleton site today.

Lots of Linnet

and I missed the shot of the Jack Snipe.

A ringed Black Headed Gull below

Photos Janet Packham

Wednesday 15th January

Heysham Obs

No reports so far today