It's mainly Brent again!

It rained for most of the morning, but just the odd shower in the afternoon. The early south wind shifting to SW then west.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 15:15 - 16:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 73 (Pete also checked from Knowlys Rd and also counted 73, they are not easy to count accurately out here, let alone from there!).

Initially they were spread all around the skear in small family groups

Brent geese

Later most had moved to the middle of the skear to feed. The onshore wind was quite fresh at this point, hence the somewhat shaky clip.

Later they flew to the south side of the skear

Eider just 2 seen

There were c1500 Knot in three flocks, I managed to check one feeding group of 500 but didn't see any flagged.

Knot

Redshank 120

Turnstone 80

Redshank and Turnstone 

Oystercatcher and Curlew not counted

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm

Just a quick check of the main ponds on my way home this evening.

Main pond

Mute Swan 1 adult male and 1 immature banished to the reed beds. The adult female wasn't looked for, but she wouldn't have been far away.

Mallard 1 pair

Tufted Duck 7

Shoveler 5 (3 males)

Gadwall pair

Little Grebe 1

Gadwall 

All five Shoveler in this clip

"no swimming" pond

Mute Swan 2 adults

Goosander 1 male

Teal 1 male

Tufted Duck 21 (6 female)

Goosander and Teal

Some of the Tufted Duck with the Goosander at the back

Cetti's warbler 2 singing

Good Brent count

A dry sunny day with a light west wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Green Woodpecker calling near the goof course

This Buzzard wasn't welcomed by the gulls!

Common Buzzard and Lesser Black-Backed gulls

Heysham skear - Malcolm 11:00 - 12:30 and 15:00 - 16:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 76 - that is the number that flew to the skear from the north side this morning, just after a Peregrine attack had lifted all the waders.

There were high numbers on and around the skear on both visits. One of the advantages of persuading the waders that you are not a threat, is that the Brent also ignore you. These came to within 5 metres of me.

Adult Pale-bellied Brent goose

First winter Pale-bellied Brent goose

Eider 13 this morning 

Shag 1 adult on conger rock this afternoon 

There were 3500 Knot but very flighty, I saw three Peregrine attacks, at least 2 successful 

Peregrine Falcon with a Knot

This is the effect of another attack this afternoon, once again the Brent lifted

The Knot moved onto the mud to the south of the skear after a Peregrine attack this morning. They are much easier to check for flags here, but only two of the many hundreds checked were flagged. They were finding small bivalves (Baltic Tellins) and shore crabs

This Knot has a small shore crab

The Knot on the left has a Baltic Tellin (macoma)
One of the two flags seen, this one ringed at Merseyside in 2024
There were further flagged birds seen later including three new ones for this winter

One of several Dunlin also probing the mud.

Little gull, but little else on the sea

The SW wind continues but not as strong. Showers in the morning, then increasingly bright as the day progressed.

Heysham north wall 0715-0815 - Pete:

The only thing of interest before the weather closed in and the wind went fractionally round to almost SSW (as per harbour turbine) was an adult little gull wheeling into the Bay at 0720hrs

(Three 1st w little gull seen by mark Prestwood at teal bay 1100hrs probably flew out past heysham)

Nature Park - Kevin Eaves:

Green Woodpecker "singing" near the pond

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Still 2 pairs of Shoveler on the main pond

Reed Bunting 

Coal Tit - both by the feeders at the bottom car park

Two Roe Deer at Imperial Rd, a young buck and a female

Heysham skear - Malcolm 12:30 13:30

Barely any skear exposed even at "low" water. We are on neap tides and the SW wind holding back the ebbing tide.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 39 at least feeding and resting. The gutweed here isn't lush but it is plentiful and there is little disturbance.

No Eider seen

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Male Red-breasted Merganser

This female has caught a flatfish, they normally catch small round fish and crabs. This flattie looked to be too wide for her gape, but she tried her best.

She was stuck like this for a while, later a gull flew down and appeared to
pinch it, so I suspect that she eventually gave up

Not a lot of waders, there wasn't a lot of space!

Oystercatcher 300

Curlew 2

Bar-Tailed Godwit 2

Redshank 30

Knot 350 - including a flagged bird seen here last November and then in northwest Ireland in February. The ringing/flagging schemes allow a better understanding of not just long distance movement, but also local and mid distance movement. The objective, of course, is to identify key areas for the birds, so that preservation of certain areas and habitat can help safeguard the birds for the future. For their benefit, and our pleasure!

Turnstone 40

Dunlin 30

Dunlin and Knot

Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot, Turnstone and Oystercatcher
and a Redshank's shanks

A stronger wind but fewer seabirds seen

The strong SW wind continued to freshen overnight and throughout the morning, peaking at gusts of 45mph (measured inland) at 11:20. The worst of the rain holding off till this afternoon.

Knowlys Rd - Mark Prestwood

Gannet 3 out at 10:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose 30-40

Pete checked from the back of the harbour 10:40 - 11:10

Kittiwake c40 lifted and landed again about Kent channel range, as seen from stone jetty at 1025 

Sea wall - Malcolm 14:00 - 15:00

It was still very wild particularly when the strong squalls drove the rain horizontal. 

Wigeon only 90 around Red Nab

Curlew battling against the wind - goodness knows how!

At least these Redshank were flying with the wind as they headed for the
shelter of the inner harbour 

Just a handful of Cormorants hunkered down on the wooden jetty 

Rock Pipit 1 near the lighthouse 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm 15:30

Main pond

Mute Swan pair plus 1 immature 

Shoveler 2 pairs

Tufted Duck 2 pairs

Mallard 3 males

Coot 4

"no swimming" pond

Mute Swan pair

Mallard pair plus 1 male

Tufted Duck 23 - 16 male 7 female

Teal 2 males

Coot 2 presumably a pair, they were friendly and Coot aren't noted for their friendly personality, and they certainly never look friendly.

Most of the Tufted Ducks, just a pair missing, that were keeping themselves 
to themselves 

Even in this low level pond surrounded by high overgrown bankings, the effect of the wind was considerable.

Kevin Singleton took this nice shot of a Coot in yesterday's sunshine 

Just out of the recording area - Bypass Rookery update - Mark Jones

Just arrived back at the van after nearly 2 weeks, checked the rookery on the bay gateway whilst leaving last time and there was absolutely no sign of any activity.
Just passed on the way here and there are at least 12 well built nests on the site, they must have been extremely busy!

At last, some wind blown stuff!

Very heavy overnight rain, but a dry and largely sunny day. A strong WSW wind

Gannet 6 out - David Kaye

Pete checked a little later 09:40 - 10:40

Gannet 5  - 11 total for the morning 

Kittiwake 55 in the first 30 minutes including 3 first winter. Further 23 plus 38 inbound kittiwakes - second flock gaining height. 116 total

The earlier four inbound gannet gang heading out.  

In these low neaps with fresh Sw winds you can seawatch off Heysham  at low tide with eg no sandbanks putting stuff off entering the bay.

Stronger SW winds expected tomorrow.

I had a walk along the sea wall this afternoon - Malcolm

Wigeon 220 by No.2 outfall

Wigeon

Rock Pipit 2 - 1 each Red Nab and No.1 outfall 

Shag 1 adult flew from the harbour to the wooden jetty

Adult Shag looking fine in the sunshine 

There was nothing at all feeding on the outfalls.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

There were 3 male and at least 2 female Shoveler on the main pond

Several Teal on Tim Butler pond

This Long-Tailed Tit was busy collecting nest material 

Not sure what this Crow has, it's too early for natural fruit and berries 

Flies sp

Drone fly sp. No butterflies seen today, but plenty of Bees

These shots by Kevin Singleton 

Tufted Duck, drake above

A handsome looking Blue Tit