Goose, goosed?

Some sunny periods this morning, a light NE to E wind

South shore - Malcolm 09:00 - 09:30

It was ideal conditions compared to the last couple of days, for me at least. Apparently not ideal for the waders, there were none on the shore apart from a scattering of Oystercatcher and Curlew.

Pink-Footed goose 1 resting on the saltmarsh 

Pink-Footed goose

Often when just one is close in like this it has been shot and unable to fly.
But this one's feathers were intact, presumably it was just exhausted 

Shelduck 24 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit 1 along foreshore 

These were also along the foreshore, I've not seen them here before. I had to
look the leaves up. It is Italian Lords-and-Ladies. I am familiar with our common
Lords-and-Ladies (Cuckoo-pint). Apparently there is a sub species of the "Italian"
version that is found in the UK, but more probably it originated as a cultivated
plant. Garden waste from the caravans is often spread here.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:50 - 11:00

The skear was just uncovering. This shot is actually from the promenade at Rydal Rd. 

Some of the 55 Eider

Just a single Wigeon again

Just one Little Egret too

There were 500 Knot, the terrain high up the shore is difficult for spotting flagged birds, but eventually I was satisfied that I had seen all there was to see, just one! An orange flag over a pale blue ring again, possibly the same one that I saw on the south side yesterday.

This one definitely ringed in Wales, at Ynyslas Point, Dyfi Estuary in 2024

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve - Janet

Buzzard, possibly one of those regularly seen at Imperial Rd

Woodcock flew east from the central area of the Moss

More Shoveler, plus time for reflection

Heavy rain in the morning eased slightly in the afternoon. A light east to NE breeze

155 species were seen in the Heysham recording area last year, this is a relatively low total historically, but at least it included two new species for the recording area:

Caspian gull

Foster’s tern 

No Pomarine Skua or Twite 

No Black Redstart or Snow Bunting actually in the area 

We are up to 72 species this year - slightly more than at this stage last year.

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Kevin Eaves

4 male, 3 female Shoveler on the main pond, so an additional female

Little Grebe 1

South shore - Malcolm 14:15 - 15:45

I was hoping to check the shore out from the saltmarsh this morning, but it was raining too heavily. I had a look this afternoon, there were plenty of waders, but the tide was out and they were spread over a huge expanse of shore.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 150

Knot 2000 within the recording area at least another 2000 further south

Dunlin 250

Oystercatcher 100

Curlew 8

Shelduck 65

Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot and Dunlin

Watch this Godwit go well out of its way to move another on!

I don't take loads of videos, and select the ones of interest. Wildlife is just interesting!

Some of the Godwits already moving to summer plumage 

With the birds being so spread out it was difficult getting close to more than a few at a time, even so I did spot a couple of flagged birds, but the dark skies and rain made it almost impossible to read any. This central bird has an orange flag over a pale blue ring, which means that it is likely to have been ringed in Wales, but no chance of reading the code. There is also a yellow flagged Knot in the background.

This is the yellow flagged Knot. Part of an Icelandic scheme

A Peregrine Falcon eventually cleared the shore and all the waders headed south.

Bar-Tailed Godwit

Grey Wagtail to the south of the saltmarsh 

Shovelers hanging around, but flighty!

An overcast dry day with a light east wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

The Mute Swan pair on the main pond - Well it is nearly Valentines day!!

A second pair on the "no swimming" pond

Shoveler 6 (4 males) were alternating between the main and "no swimming" ponds

Gadwall on the "no swimming" pond

Long-Tailed Tits on the fat balls

This female Chaffinch also looks to have been on the fat balls!

Cetti's warbler singing from the reed bed on main pond.

South shore - Malcolm 14:00 - 16:15

Nature park

Goldfinch 20+ 

Goldfinch 

They were stripping the ripening tree buds

Bullfinch pair

Male Bullfinch 

Along the sea wall

Shelduck 22

Wigeon 270

Wigeon 

Rock pipit 2 - one near the waterfall and one around No.1 outfall

This is the one near the waterfall, it seems to be having problems walking, we have seen them in the past here with their foot shrivelled to just a stump. 

This is the one on No.1 outfall, you would wonder what it could find to eat here, but it clearly finds a small white grub at the end of this clip.

Rock Pipit

No Shag seen today.

Redshank 80

Redshank 

Turnstone 4

Oystercatcher 150 and Curlew 40 south

As I got back to Red Nab a Peregrine Falcon was coming in off the shore. It didn't have anything in its talons, but presumably it had already eaten, as at the same time c2500 waders were landing along the waterline.

By the time I reached them there were 1500 Knot and 30 Bar-Tailed Godwit. At least another 1000 Knot further south. Unfortunately by this time the light was fading quickly and I didn't manage to read any flags.

Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot and a Common Gull

Two of these Knot have the tiny bivalves that they were feeding on

The new StenaLine cargo ship, looking like Bugs Bunny as it emerges 
over the skyline 

We are surrounded by whitefronts!

 A mainly overcast day with the odd light shower. A light SE wind.

This interesting Blue Tit recovery by Jean:

I caught a Blue Tit BAJ0282 in the front garden at Claughton yesterday morning (8/2) which had been ringed at Middleton NR last autumn on 17/10/25. 

It was ringed as a 3 - so was born in 2025. It has moved approx 10.1 miles ENE and is probably making its way up the Lune valley and could end up breeding in one of the woods along there.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 11:00 - 12:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose just 6 (3 x 2) seen

No Eider or Mergansers seen, the only other wildfowl was a single male Wigeon.

Unlike the south side of the Harbour, Wigeon are relatively uncommon on
the north side. 

A few more Redshank around today c150, also more Curlew 45. The other waders similar to yesterday, including c150 Knot scattered around in small groups.

A group of Knot typical of today's birds. No flagged birds were seen.

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Malcolm

Just a brief passing check.

Tufted Duck 8

Gadwall 2

Mallard 20+

Shoveler 2 pairs, the other 2 males presumably moved on.

There was someone feeding the gulls in the above clip. Mainly Black-Headed, plus a few Herring gulls. For some reason this line of Black-Headed gulls decided to follow the Tufted ducks around.

Imperial Rd - Malcolm 15:00

Just a quick check, there was very little going on.

Kestrel 1 female

No Water Rails calling or Buzzards soaring

There were some Wrens at least. I took this clip here the other day it seemed to enjoying a bit of sunshine.

Pink-Footed goose 12 north - Pete advises checking all flocks of Pinkfoot for Russian White-fronted geese. 

Reached the point where it’s not a case of a possible Russian whitefront in any pinkfoot flocks over Heysham but how many.  I’ve just had 57 in the lune valley at Farleton near Claughton with many geese hidden and there is a flock of 507!! At Bradshaw lane near pilling with 50s at eg Cockersands 

These 5 Little Egret were resting in the field just east of the Imperial Rd roundabout 

Shovelers in

Overnight rain then a largely dry day with just the odd light shower. A SSE breeze during the day, but last night it was SSW for a while. The first time in ages that there has been any west in the wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Shoveler 6 - 2 female and 4 male - on the main pond

Having a stretch and a scratch 

It would be good if at least one pair stayed to breed.

The Mallard were already thinking about starting a family

Part of the sequence missing, but you get the idea

Female Tufted having a rest

Moorhen

Cormorant 

Male Pheasant taking advantage of the area currently being landscaped 

Song Thrush

Cetti's warbler singing to the south of the main pond

Heysham skear - Malcolm 10:00 - 11:15

Pale-bellied Brent goose 16 - 12 on the skear itself plus 4 in the SE skear corner 

Some of the Brent on what is really quite a barren skear for them

These are in the skear corner hoping to find broken weed.

Eider 10

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Great Crested Grebe 5

Little Egret 1

A few more waders around today

Oystercatcher 1500

Curlew 35 (later this afternoon a flock of 30 flew west over Janet's house)

Redshank 70

Knot 1500+. There were only 3 small groups feeding on the skear 150 total. But 3 large flocks flew purposefully north, at least 1500 total

Turnstone 60

Dunlin 50 in one flock south

Ringed Plover 12

Ringed Plover and Turnstone 

Just the tip of one of the Knot flocks, quite a structured formation, not the
 ball formation that is typical when they are flushed by a raptor.

This is as long a clip as I can post. But it is worth watching. The Cormorant has caught a flatfish, it is well within its size range to swallow, but it doesn't. It has already had it for a minute when this clip begins, a Great Black-backed gull kept trying to pinch it but it couldn't. The Cormorant was waving the fish like a flag until a second Cormorant arrives. It then drops the fish for the second bird, only for a second Great Black-Backed to arrive and pinch it, much to the gull's delight!

Presumably the Cormorant meant the fish as an offering to its mate, or possibly just trying to attract a mate. I'm sure it would have found another fish offering soon. You can hear St Peter's church bell during the clip.

The second gull's timing was perfect. You have to think that it has seen this "offering" before and knew to arrive just after the second Cormorant, and now, possibly teaching its kids.