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.

A welcome Twite

Another dry and mainly sunny day with a SE breeze

South shore - Dave Bickerton

Shag and Merlin Heysham harbour. 

One Twite with ten Linnets on Red nab (Twite sightings have become increasingly rare here over recent years)

Janet walked past the saltmarsh 

One of 50+ Wigeon

Curlew coming in to land

Middleton Nature Reserve 

These shots by Janet

Tufted Duck

Male Common Darter

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

Main pond

Mute Swan pair

Oddly no Mallard

Gadwall 14

Tufted Duck 2

Coot 4

Moorhen 3

The Tufted Duck were feeding

Some of the Gadwall

"no swimming" pond

Mute Swan 2 

The wry necked Swan has a companion 

Mallard 11

Tufted Duck 1 - it was originally on the main pond before flying here. 

Tufted Duck leaving the main pond to the feeding pair

Shoveler pair

Shoveler drake

Shoveler duck

Pair

Grey Heron watching on from the trees

Cetti's on the move

A dry day with plenty of sunshine. A SE breeze

A Cettis warbler singing off Meldon road/Eastlands near railway line - Janet

Also by Janet

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Common Darters ovipositoring 

Grey Heron

Ocean Edge saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting 

Rock Pipit

Heliport - Malcolm 11:30 - 12:00

I didn't have much time today, but I managed a quick passing check.

Cetti's warbler singing from the bush at the cafe end of the heliport. Can't say I've heard one there before.

A flock of 40+ finches, mainly Greenfinch but some Goldfinch

Some of the finches

Greenfinch 

Common Snipe c30, they were quite flighty 

Easy to see when they are flying around 

Not so easy when they were on the grass!

Jack Snipe 1 definitely seen, another 2 looked likely 

Oystercatcher c1500

This colour ringed bird stood on just one leg the whole time I was there!

Curlew 8

Lapwing 12

Redshank 150

Knot 250

Turnstone 15

Knot coming in to land

Knot, Redshank and Oystercatcher 

Still at least one Little Gull around

A wet start followed by a dry day with some sunshine in the afternoon. The SW wind weakened all day.

South shore - Kevin - mid afternoon 

1st cy Little Gull. No.2 outfall 

Heysham skear - Malcolm 15:30 - 16:30

The light was fading quickly!

Eider 53

Eider

Red-breasted Merganser 7

There was a lot of displaying going on

Little Egret 14

Curlew 45 resting together high up the skear

Oystercatcher c1000

Redshank 150

Knot 500 - difficult seeing colour marked birds, but two orange flagged birds were seen.

Turnstone 25

Curlew

Knot against the evening sky

This Herring Gull has a mussel. At this size they drop them repeatedly 
from height, on to the skear

Quite a large Barrel Jellyfish. That's my size 9 wellie

Still stuff to watch on the sea

Just one heavy shower at lunchtime, otherwise dry with sunny spells. A west(ish) wind.

South shore 

Malcolm 07:45 - 09:45

Only Black-Headed gulls on the outfalls

Kittiwake 1 1st winter out past the roundhead

Kittiwake 

Mediterranean gull 1 adult out past the roundhead

Mediterranean gull 

Shag at least one. 

This one was feeding out from the north wall roundhead before moving 
out of sight along the north wall

15 minutes later this similar looking Shag flew to the wooden jetty

Pink-Footed goose 28 flew NW early on, later 13 flew SE

Pink-Footed geese heading SE

Janet was exercising a dog past the saltmarsh later

Wigeon coming in

Heliport - Malcolm

I just did a very brief passing check at high water

There were a lot of waders!

Oystercatcher c2000

Curlew 4

Lapwing 25

Redshank 600

Knot 250

Turnstone 30

Dunlin 1

This is just one of the groups of Redshank, there were almost as many
in the other large group 

Lots of orange legs

Knot and a Dunlin coming in to land

Lapwings

St Peter's Church. Heysham Head - Shaun 13:00-15:00.

Little Gull 4 adults + 2 first winters out.

Mediterranean Gull 2 adults out.

Kittiwake 17 out and a  tight group of 40+ in. 

Common Scoter 4 in.

Red-breasted Merganser 3. 

Shag 2 immature birds together. 

Peregrine hunting skear.