Hobby update and a Barnacle Goose highlight

It just about managed to stay dry, but overcast and cooler in a freshening NE wind

Hobby over Middleton Friday (Louise and Alan)

Pete Crooks - 8.35 – 10.50 am sea-watch from the south side of Heysham Harbour mouth:

1 2nd CY Little Gull – regular individual off the end of the outfalls, but later disappeared
1 2nd CY Shag – initially stood on the beach by the end of HS2 outfall, later roosting on the Wooden Pier
1 distant dark morph Arctic Skua flew into the Bay at 9.20 am. (It subsequently transpired that I missed another Arctic Skua while posting these on WhatsApp)
18 Barnacle Geese (of unknown origin) flew into the Bay close past the Wooden Pier at 9.52 am 
3 Pink-footed Geese flew into the Bay at 10.25 am
Also offshore:
6 Sandwich Tern
2 Gannet
4 Guillemot – floating in close past the Wooden Pier
c.200 Common Scoter – various flocks swirling around in the extreme distance offshore, in front of the wind turbines south of Walney Island
32 Swallow and 2 Swift flying into the Bay low over the sea past the Wooden Pier

The above report is from the LDBWS webpage. 

https://lancasterbirdwatching.org.uk/sightings/

Pete and Jean were also watching from the back of the harbour and saw similar to Pete Crooks, including the 2nd Arctic Skua. Also an additional 20 or so very distant feeding Sandwich Tern and at least 15 out close inshore but quite high flying .  These close outbound terns are going high above scope/over head of lighthouse area observers and are easily missed.

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Angela Gillon

There were several Swifts on the main pool, joined by Swallows taking the insects from the surface.

I took a video, but they are really hard to capture! 

Swifts over the main pond

Blackcap and Cetti's heard.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 15:45 - 17:00

Eider 5 (pair + 3 males)

Red-breasted Merganser 2 males

Red-breasted Merganser

Great Crested Grebe 2

Little Egret 3

Sandwich Tern 5

Sandwich Terns

The only waders were the ubiquitous Oystercatcher, 3 Turnstones flew south and 13 Whimbrel. The Whimbrel were mostly along the northern side of the skear and were easily finding small mussels to eat.

A Peregrine Falcon did a circuit of a small wader free skear, then continued south

Terns and Kitts still moving through

Overcast in the morning but sunny spells this afternoon. A light, mainly westerly,  breeze 

Seawatching from the south harbour wall this morning, 8:25-11am

Clay, Andrew, James and Phil. Report and clip by Clay:

Breezy at first but flat sea by the time we left

Common Scoter - 23 in

Red-breasted Merganser - 2 in then out

Whimbrel - one flew past then later seen on Red Nab

Arctic Tern - c50 in two flocks

Little Gull - 1 on Outfall 1

Kittiwake - flock of 78 very close - appeared out of nowhere(?) over the outfalls close in, then flew towards Red Nab, circled back, gained height and flew in

Skua (probably Arctic) - 1 in

Guillemot - 2 on sea

Red-throated Diver - 3 in then 2 out 

Gannet - 3 in

Shag - 1 1cy on end of jetty

Swallow - 5 south close in

This clip shows the Kittiwakes 

Pete checked from the back of the harbour. 0945-1030

1 Common Tern out

27 Sandwich Tern purposefully out

1,1 summer plumage red throated diver in

1 Guillemot floating in 

1 Grey Seal

Just after lunch a Black Tern was on the outfalls 

North shore

David Kaye saw 1500 Knot resting on a sandbar at 0600. They were spooked by something and flew south.

I checked the waterline out from the play area on the incoming tide 09:00 - 10:00 - Malcolm

Eider 3

Little Egret 3

Sandwich Tern 8

Sandwich Terns

Just 14 Knot and 12 Bar-Tailed Godwit with the Oystercatchers along the waterline 

Curlew 1

Whimbrel 1

Turnstone 2

I was just too slow getting this clip of a Whimbrel eating a crab, it is just swallowing it at the beginning of the clip. It then has several sips of freshwater runoff, before swallowing a couple of remaining limbs.

I returned to check the skear as it was exposing this afternoon 15:15 - 16:30

Eider 8

Great Crested Grebe 6

Great Crested Grebe showing its great crest!

Shag 1 feeding near the green marker post - too distant to judge age

Sandwich Tern 8

Sandwich Tern

Apart from Oystercatchers there were just two other wader species 

Whimbrel 9 - this clip reminds me of the comedy scenes where someone accidentally walks onto a film set, then tries to hide!

Dunlin 1

Dunlin

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Grasshopper Warbler, being very vocal near the golf club

Large Red Damselfly

Great Crested Newt, this one at a different part of the reserve near the pumping station.

The sea still providing the main interest

A sunny morning becoming overcast with the odd shower in the afternoon. Light variable breeze.

Seawatch report - Pete 0730 on:

Arctic Tern: 18,55,48,16,2,65 (204) in, all before 0800 and before the sandbanks covered

Black Tern: 2 with first Arctic Tern flock

Arctic Skua: 1 dark morph in 1000

6 Gannet

c66 in four lots Kittiwake

c271 Common Scoter

2 Red-Throated Diver

c45 Sandwich tern

Guillemot 2

Razorbill one floating in

Little gull 2cy feeding on inbound outfalls gunge

Painted Lady and a Large White along back of Harbour road

Middleton Nature Reserve

Ringing report by Alan:

I set nets this morning at Middleton, the conditions were good but I found it quite cool to start with and had plenty of clothing layers, many of which were peeled off as the morning progressed.
A decent selection of species were caught and, unusually,  I was accompanied by Louise, a visiting ringer today. We caught a respectable 26 birds including two retrapped Common Whitethroats and one retrapped Lesser Whitethroat that were returning individuals ringed here in 2025.
 
The catch comprised in total:
Sedge Warbler  4 + 1 retrap
Whitethroat  2 retraps
Lesser Whitethroat  2 + 1 retrap
Cetti's Warbler  1 retrap
Great Tit  1 retrap
Lesser Redpoll  4
Robin  1
Reed Bunting  1
Willow Warbler  3
Chiffchaff  1
Song Thrush  1
Wren  1
Blackbird  2 retraps (breeding pair)

Rosemary and Peter Silvester checked out the main pond yesterday:

Large Red Damselfly 

I think the Mayfly just came to visit me for a salt lick!

Also seen but too flighty to photograph:

Brimstone - 1

Red Admiral - 1

Speckled Wood - 4

Green Veined White - 2

Male Orange Tip - 6

Heysham skear - Malcolm

I checked twice 08:15 - 10:00. I started again 14:45 which coincided with the only significant shower of the day so an early bath at 15:15.

All records this morning unless stated

Eider 10

Red-breasted Merganser 9

Great Crested grebe 5

Little Egret 4

Sandwich Tern 18 (13 feeding plus 3 and 2 in) just 2 seen this afternoon 

Sandwich Tern just resurfacing with a small Whitebait. Plus Mergansers

Great Crested Grebe

Little Gull 1 2nd calendar year in. This is additional to the outfall bird

2cy Little Gull, much clearer first winter markings than the outfall bird.
It possibly ended up at Leighton Moss, as one with similar plumage 
arrived there this afternoon 

Whimbrel 5 this morning 10 this afternoon 

Knot c2000 this morning was a bit of a surprise, one new flagged bird for this period was seen. Only 130 this afternoon.

Knot on the skear

Later moved to the mud by the incoming tide

Turnstone 43 (33 and 10)

33 Turnstones in this shot

Ringed Plover 11 this afternoon 

Just out of the recording area, Heysham Moss Nature Reserve - Janet in this morning's sunshine 

Grasshopper Warbler 1 reeling

Sedge Warbler

Four-Spotted Chaser

Large Red Damselfly

Green Veined White - Silver Y moth also seen

Obliging afternoon terns

Sunshine all day, perhaps the last for a while. An east wind.

Seawatch report - Pete:

Seawatching from back of harbour 0835-0940: 
Regular 2cy Little Gull backwards and forwards across Harbour mouth
1 2cy Mediterranean gull 
3 Arctic Tern early on
1 Common Tern
4 Red throated diver
c27 Sandwich Tern 
2 Guillemot 
c45 swallow
Puffin past cockers dyke, Pilling 1025 (we finished seawatching at Heysham 0940!)

Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:30 -17:00

Greylag goose 1 in/off then SE

Greylag goose

Eider 9

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Great Crested Grebe 1 

Little Egret 4

Sandwich Tern 2

Arctic Tern 42

At 15:50 a flock of 20 came in and settled on a sandbar just north of the skear.

 

This one preening its tail streamer

They all began preening

I left them in peace and crossed to check the south side of the skear. I didn't see any more terns come in, although it was difficult looking west into the sun. When I looked back it was clear that they had been joined by more so I went back.

By this time most of them had their heads tucked in having, what is probably, 
a well earned rest. I wonder how far they had flown today. They were still sat
on the mud when I returned to the promenade at 17:00

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

Curlew 1

Curlew

Whimbrel 15 minimum 

Whimbrel

Knot 130 

Knot, quite a few moulting to breeding plumage

Sanderling 5 flew north along the main channel

Oystercatcher not counted. No Redshank or Turnstone seen

Swallow 1 in/off

Seawatch produced quality not quantity

Sunshine all day with a freshening east wind

Seawatch report Pete:

Sea Heysham 0630-0900: 
Arctic Skua 1,1 dm in
Arctic Tern 2,15,7 in
Sandwich Tern 7 out early on then absent
Gannet 1 in
Avocet 3 in
Puffin 1 out and across towards Wyre, 
Razorbill/Guillemot 1,1 in probably Guillemot
No scoter, Kittiwake or Red-Throated Diver
Inshore: 2cy Shag flew to harbour mouth from north, 2cy Little Gull Heysham one

Jean also did a survey of the resident birds in this small area at the back of the harbour 

Rock Pipit in the foreground with the dredger working towards the harbour mouth

Also: Ferrel Pigeons,  2 Blackbirds, several Linnets, a Wren, a Dunnock, Robin and some Goldfinches. A Pied Wagtail keeps appearing each day so that may be a resident as well.

Saltmarsh to Red Nab - Malcolm 09:45 - 10:15

Wheatear 6 - 5 together on Ocean Edge grass plus 1 on the foreshore 

Wheatear

Meadow Pipit 1 on foreshore 

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

Grey Plover 1 on Red Nab

Grey Plover and Curlew

Little Egret 3

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

This Cormorant had earlier been trying to snatch a young Moorhen,
but their parents saw it off.

Red Admiral 

Green-Veined White

Heysham skear - Malcolm 17:00 - 18:30

Eider 6

Red-breasted Merganser 1 male

Common Scoter - the regular female with damaged feathers

I went out as this tide meant that I could reach the first channel (Noah's Dyke). This is the western end of the middle skear, waders required to go to the outer skear.

Eider riding the flow through the first channel 

I went to see if there were any seed mussels, at first I couldn't see any, then found a few rocks with some tiny ones.

The first tiny seed mussels, but they grow quickly, soon this area, at least, will
be covered in them. Some years they blanket the whole of the skear

Sandwich Tern 2 fishing 

Whimbrel 3

Bar-Tailed Godwit 7

Bar-Tailed Godwit 

Sanderling a flock of c12 in non breeding plumage disappeared behind a honeycomb worm reef

The only other waders seen were Oystercatchers. 

Osprey 1  

It wasn't clear if it was actually fishing, or just checking the sea as it made its way north.

Ingleborough behind Morecambe front