First swallow and Willow warblers arrive

A warm sunny day with light a south breeze.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

On Wednesday Alan visited Portland Bird Observatory, Dorset which lies due south of Heysham. That day 300 Willow Warblers were ringed there. We caught our first ones at Heysham this morning. Only 2 though, but many others were moving through rapidly all over the area. 
Also caught this morning:
2 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
and a retrapped Wren. 

Had I set the nets an hour earlier before first light I would probably have caught more. It went fairly quiet at 08:30. 

Just one Redpoll heard going over.

Pete checked the sea:

A large diver flew in then floated out - looked like Great Northern Diver, but distant

Red-Throated Diver 9 in non breeding plumage flying/floating out

Little gull 1 adult in then out

35 plus 4 pink feet north

swallow north - first record this year

willow warbler in harbour brambles

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet thought she could see at least one egg under the sitting female Mute Swan, when she stood briefly.

Total of 4 butterfly species between the nature reserve and Red Nab - Kevin Eaves
Peacock
Orange Tip male - first record this year
Brimstone
Small Tortoiseshell

Plus a singing Blackcap by the nature park pond.

North shore - Malcolm

Two checks again 10:15 - 11:30 and 17:00 - 18:00

Pale-bellied brent goose 12 flew north this evening 

Eider 45

Red-breasted Merganser 6

Little Egret 1

Sandwich Tern 1 flew north this morning 

There were 2500 Knot on the skear this morning until a Peregrine attack reduced the numbers by one.

Peregrine with a Knot

1800 of the Knot settled again on the mud to the south of the skear. You can hear their soft calls in this clip, as the tide pushes them towards me.

They were clearly finding plenty to eat so I returned to the shore as the mud became exposed this evening. Sure enough 2000 arrived to feed. Quite a few are beginning to moult into summer plumage, and very few of them with flags.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 15 this morning 25 this evening 

Dunlin 50 this evening 

Other waders as recent 

Oystercatchers in the evening sun

Remember this?

This yellow flagged Oystercatcher was first seen here on the Cricket field in 2021.
It was spotted in various locations at Heysham up to spring 2022. This is one of
Howard's shots on the heliport. It was ringed as a chick in Norway in 2020.
The scheme manager has advised that it has now returned to where it hatched,
  and now in its 7th calendar year, may breed there itself.

Well traveled bird

A nice warm and mainly sunny day with a light, mainly SE, breeze.

North shore

Knowlys Rd - David Kaye

Pale-bellied Brent goose 26 

Red-Throated Diver 1

Heysham skear - Malcolm 10:00 - 11:00 and 17:00 - 18:00

I also counted 26 Pale-bellied Brent geese this morning 

Eider 75 this morning 

Red-breasted Merganser 1 female this morning 4 males this evening 

Red-breasted Merganser

Little Egret 3

Wader numbers this morning unless stated:

Oystercatcher 2000

Curlew 6

Bar-Tailed Godwit 25

Knot 1500 this morning 2000 this evening, very flighty both times and no new flagged birds were seen. 

Redshank 120

Turnstone 150

Ringed Plover 2

Bar-Tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher and Knot on the waterline south of the sker

A check at the heliport roost at high water also saw 1500 Knot but sat happily on the sloping wall so no flags seen but we have now received some of the histories of yesterday's birds. This one is interesting.

I said that this was an old bird. I was right. Ringed on route to breeding grounds in 2013. 

I thought ringed in Iceland. I was wrong. It was actually ringed in Norway.

But it later changed its migration route as it was seen in Iceland in 2022 and 2025. They breed even further north in the high Arctic. It's hard to imagine just how many miles this little bird has flown!

South shore - Kevin Eaves

At least 23 of the Pale-bellied Brent geese ended up on Red Nab

Kittiwake 1 2nd calendar year and 3 adults still on No.2 outfall

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

Just a passing check

Buzzards 2

Common Buzzard

The nest in the fork of the tree in the copse was clearly occupied by something large sitting. Then a Raven arrived to feed the female, she got out of the nest briefly then returned to sitting 

Raven

The above shot and clip are from the road, where the nest is easily visible, at least until the foliage develops.

Long-tailed Duck tops the bill

 Strong morning westerlies eased and shifted to NW by mid afternoon. Mainly dry with sunny spells by the afternoon.

Pete checked from the back of the harbour 0945 - 11:15

Long tailed duck flew out past Heysham harbour mouth quite close - quite a bit of s.p but views brief with close stuff from here.  

Also in one hour as sandbanks were being covered: 

whooper swan 10,9 flying (back?) south, 

kittiwake 1,2,c16,13,c35, in

red throated diver 1,1,1 in.  

Just 2 more Kittiwakes in, in the last 30 minutes 

South shore - Malcolm 08:45 - 09:45

Kittiwakes 2 2nd calendar year plus 8 adults on No.2 outfall, as I walked out, just 2 2cy and 4 adult on the return leg

2cy and an adult Kittiwake

Rock Pipit 2. I have seen this one feed like this on No.1 outfall before. I can't think what it is finding to eat. This would have been covered by rough seas just a few hors earlier, surely washing off any tiny titbits. But it seems to be finding plenty.

Wheatear 5 males

Wheatear on the grass at Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

The feeders at the bottom carpark of the main pond continue to attract a good variety

Female Chaffinch 

Male Chaffinch 

Male Greenfinch

Goldfinch 

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Robin

Heliport - Malcolm 13:30 - 14:30 and 15:45 - 16:15

There were c2,500 Knot on the heliport wall and the rough sea pushed many to the top of the wall. Regular disturbance by Carrion Crow shuffled the birds around. Eventually allowing many flagged birds to be seen, including 4 new for this winter period.

Increasing numbers are sporting some summer plumage feathers

Even though there are a lot of birds, there are not so many legs on show.
This orange flag with a green ring is an English ringed bird

This orange flag with a yellow ring was ringed in Scotland 
Note the Bar-Tailed Godwit with these Knot

This was lucky, this yellow flagged bird was ringed in Norway, it is an old
bird as it is from a time when the code was printed on, not laminated as now.
The ink has worn away, but the light and the angle was just right to read
where the code had been (TCU)

I returned later hoping that the Knot would move to the mud after the wall, but the improving weather meant that there were a few walkers around so the Knot rested a while on the wrack covered rocks before heading north

No chance of reading any flags here! As well as the Knot and Oystercatcher 
and the tail of a Curlew, there is a Starling

Bar-Tailed Godwit 12

Some of the Godwit

Two Ringed Plover and two Dunlin battled south against the wind

70 Turnstone in one flock flew north

Cormorant having a rest on the wall

Interesting Siskin recovery

Mainly overcast with a few showers, the initial SE switched to SW and began to freshen by evening. Very strong winds expected tonight.

Unusual Siskin recovery, ringed on 3rd March as young male at Heysham NR and caught again at Fernilee, Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire on 28th March.  This was 101 km to the SE, not the usual northbound spring movement

North shore - Malcolm 09:15 - 10:15

I went to check any Knot as the tide covered the skear, unfortunately that timing coincided with a prolonged shower.

Ringed Plover 5 

There has been a Ringed Plover presence high up the skear all winter, but either the birds have changed or new feeding opportunities have arisen. They normally feed among the stones and shells picking food items from the surface. But today they were probing the mud with their tiny bills and finding what look to be small worms. Can't think what exactly. Watch the leading bird catch one quite early in the clip. Also note they are using their feet to help detect or entice the worms.

There were c1500 Knot feeding along the waterline, I checked well over 500 of them but only managed a glimpse of one flagged bird.

Helliport - Malcolm 13:30 high water

Knot c1500 again, most on the sloping wall, but 200 along the top, unfortunately no flagged birds, even after a Carrion Crow caused them to take flight and settle again, with presumably some different birds on top of the wall

Some of the Knot on top of the wall and others hunkered down behind it

Oystercatchers not counted/estimated

Curlew 5

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

Oystercatcher, Bar-Tailed Godwit and Curlew resting. But always with one eye open

Godwit displaying its plumage

Red-Throated Diver 1 in none breeding plumage had drifted in with the tide. It then took off, non too graciously, and flew west.

Red-Throated Diver just out from the Heliport wall

South shore - Malcolm 14:00 - 15:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose - none on Red Nab when I set off along the sea wall, but at least 17 when I returned 

Shelduck 2 on the saltmarsh 

Shelduck pair

Wigeon 2 males and a female on the saltmarsh 

Wigeon

Swan sp 2 - too distant and awkward an angle for a positive identification, but not Mute, most likely Whoopers 

Wheatear 3 males

Rock Pipits 3 

Kittiwake 9 - 8 adult and a 2nd calendar year mainly feeding on No.2 outfall, but also patrolling along the sea wall. This is the 2cy, just before it flew right over my head.

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Janet

Three male Mallard, a female and male Teal
with a partially obscured Moorhen between them

This shot shows just how tiny female Teal are

At the time of posting, the forecast storm was really kicking in, with strong SW winds and heavy showers. Hopefully some wind blown seabirds in the morning.

More easy viewing Kitts

Overnight rain eased in the morning then lunchtime heavy showers. A fresh SW wind.

A few shots by Janet around Middleton Nature Reserve main pond feeding area yesterday.

Long-Tailed Tits

Bullfinch

Reed Bunting 

Goldfinch

Chaffinch - all the above would have been present today too

South shore

Pete checked from Ocean Edge at 11:24

2 ad and one 2cy kittiwake heysham two outfall

27 pale bellied Brent red nab 

I walked along the sea wall 14:15 - 15:30 Malcolm

The tide was just leaving the Red Nab rocks, but 27 Brent were already back, or they remained on the water. Red Nab would have been completely covered at 13:00 high water.

There are no Wigeon now, and the gutweed is thriving in the longer, warmer days.

Shelduck 4 (2 + 2)

Red-breasted Merganser 1 female

Little Egret 2

This is one of Janet's from yesterday. The Egret looking like a guard for the Redshank

Rock Pipit 1 along the sea wall and 1 between lighthouse and waterfall in the harbour 

Wheatear 4 males (3 along foreshore 1 on Red Nab)

Wheatear

Linnet 6 on saltmarsh and Ocean Edge grass

Linnet

Slightly unusual, there were only two species of gulls on the outfalls.

Common Gulls 7 minimum 

A nice shot of a 2nd calendar year Common Gull by Janet yesterday 

Kittiwake 4 adult and a 2nd calendar year all on No.2 outfall

All four adult Kittiwakes in this shot

Adult Kittiwakes 

2nd calendar year Kittiwake

This is one of the adults. It doesn't need a single wing flap in this clip.

This Cormorant in the harbour caught what looks like an eel, but it is a bit
early for eels. It also swallowed it very quickly, eels tend to make a nuisance 
of themselves. I suspect that this may be (or rather, was) a Lamprey.

Shaun checked later in the afternoon and things had changed:

16:30-17:30

Kittiwake 10 - 5 adult + the 2CY on Outfall 2. 4 adult on Outfall 1 after following in the ferries. They hung around the seaward end for a while before heading back into the Bay. The 5 + 1 on No.2 were still there when I walked back.

Wheatear 8 - 5m + a female on the beach at Red Nab. Plus 2m Ocean Edge.

Rock Pipit 3 Ocean Edge. One chasing another. Territorial dispute.