First Brent back

A mainly overcast day interspersed with short sunny spells and light showers. A light NE wind shifting to east in the afternoon.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

This from Peter and Rosemary's visit yesterday.

Yesterday turned out to be another breeding frenzy day for the Common Darters inhabiting the main pond area at Middleton even putting on a bit of formation-flying as part of the show. There were at least three mated pairs and quite a number of solo males.

Once again attracted to Peter's light coloured jacket

Not bad for November!

South shore - Malcolm 08:30 - 09:00

Just a check from saltmarsh to Red Nab

Reed Bunting 4 around the saltmarsh 

The only passerines along the foreshore were 2 Robins, 2 Wrens and a solitary Linnet

Linnet

Little Egret 2

Shelduck 63

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:15 - 10:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 6. I had thought that they may turn up on a neap tide. Neap tides only expose some of the feeding areas and presumably those areas on the west side of the bay, where the Brent have been for a while, are becoming depleted. No shortage on this side yet. The tide wasn't far out but they were finding gutweed on the larger rocks.

Female Eider showing what a small goose a Brent Goose is

Eider 125, there was a lot of displaying going on

Common Scoter 2

They were swimming in quite quickly against the ebbing tide.

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested Grebe 3

Shag 1 

Initially the Shag was on the rock on the right and a Cormorant was
on a larger rock to the left

It was doing a lot of flapping 

Not yet fully mature.

The Cormorant flew over and joined the Shag.....

.......and they had a flap together 

Later they flew off together too. But they soon split to go their separate ways.

Little Egret 4

Oystercatcher c1000

This will almost certainly be the bird seen on the heliport wall the other day.
Today it revealed its other leg showing a white ring KC. It breeds in Iceland
and been seen here several times before 

Curlew 25

Redshank c400

Knot c200 one yellow flagged bird was with them. Another ringed in Iceland. Unfortunately it hasn't been seen since it was here last October 

Turnstone 40

Janet walked through Heysham Moss Nature Reserve and had a couple of flyovers 

Little Egret

Sparrowhawk

Still some insects worth seeing

A dry, largely sunny day. A light, but freshening slightly, north(ish) breeze

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:15  - 10:15

Pink-Footed goose 102 south

Common Scoter 2 

Female Common Scoters with a sleeping merganser

Eider just 2

Female Eider

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Little Egret 6

Little Egret arriving from the north

Curlew 30

Oystercatcher c1000

Redshank c150

Knot c700

Turnstone 45

Turnstone 

Slightly easier to see Turnstone 

We are back to neap tides now so not much skear exposed. Someone was fishing on
the north side, which caused the Knot to shift to the south side where they are much
more difficult to check for any coded birds. I didn't have much time so called it a day

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Tufted duck drake

Adolescent Goldfinch feeding on a teasel 

Common Darter

South shore 

Janet checked Ocean Edge

Another young Goldfinch. This time eating flower seeds

Little Egret legging it

1 of 20+ Shelduck

Kevin had a walk along the sea wall

This Rusty Dot Pearl was resting on the wall today. Not especially rare but it is a migrant and probably the first ever record for SD 35Z which basically just covers the end of the sea wall and the south of the harbour 

Rusty Dot Pearl

Not much doing today.

Dry and sunny after a misty start. A very light variable breeze.

Single Redwing feeding on Kingsway field before being spooked by a dog - Janet

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:00 - 10:30

It was still misty as I walked out, the sun not starting to break through till 10:00. It didn't matter though, there was little to see!

Pink-Footed goose 45 east

These Pink-Footed geese are some that Janet saw yesterday flying over
Heysham Village. The same flight line as this morning's geese

Eider 6

Red-breasted Merganser 10

Male Red-breasted Merganser

Great Crested grebe 3

Grey Heron 1

Little Egret 10

Shag 3. There was one feeding on the south side, one resting on the south side and one resting on the north side

This is the resting Shag on the south side with an Eider

North side Shag

Oystercatcher c1000

Curlew 20

Redshank 30

Knot 40

Turnstone 40

Ringed Plover 3

Ringed Plover

One of three small groups of Knot

This Oystercatcher looks to have a Mussel. It must have opened it, a 
Black-Headed gull wouldn't chase it for a unopened Mussel.

Cetti's warbler singing  near Moss wood/railway line - Janet

This Meadow Pipit is one of several taking advantage of the solar panel farm
just east of the recording area.

A nice start to the weekend

A dry sunny day with a freshening south(ish) breeze

This s yesterday's Shag resting in the harbour - Dave Bickerton

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan

Just a couple of nets set this morning behind the office building.  The 43 birds caught and ringed, virtually all coming to use the feeders there, included a high proportion of retraps.  The single Lesser Redpoll may have been on the move or just attracted with the others to the seed.
The catch comprised:
Single retrapped Wren, Great Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Redpoll  1
Song Thrush  1
Chaffinch  2
Dunnock  1 + 1 retrap
Robin  1 + 1 retrap
Coal Tit  3 + 1 retrap
Blue Tit  4 + 5 retraps
Goldfinch  5 + 2 retraps
Greenfinch  11 + 1 retrap
 
A very large flock of Pink-footed Geese that flew southwards well to the east of the reserve at 07.00 was too far away to attempt an estimated number.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:45 - 10:15

Pink-Footed goose 58 to SE

Pink-Footed geese

Eider 9

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested Grebe 5

Shag 1 

This looks like a pecking order. 2 Cormorants a Shag and a male Eider

Curlew 40+

Curlew with Oystercatcher and a Redshank

Oystercatcher c1500

Redshank 50

Knot c2000. They were spread along the western edge of the skear and flew off to the south when the incoming tide reached them.

Some of the Knot, just before being moved on by the tide

I managed to read three flagged birds. This one was a regular here last winter.
Since then it has been seen in Iceland in May and at the Wash in September 

Turnstone 25

Dunlin 31

Dunlin amongst some of the Honeycomb worm clumps. The heavy seas
of the recent storms has done little damage here

This Herring gull is taking off with a mussel that it will probably have to drop
several times before it breaks. The skill is landing directly behind it before any
other bird makes off with it.