Dodging raindrops......unsuccessfully

It rained all day, fortunately not as heavily as forecast.  A light SE breeze.

Heysham Nature Reserve - Jean

Nothing much to report, although 9 Blackbirds and 5 Moorhen feeding in the area just west of the office was quite a sight. I counted 27 Blackbirds on a circuit of the reserve but probably more than that. 2 Cetti’s Warblers were singing, one by the main track into the car park and one in the tank farm.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm

A quick look at the two main ponds

Main Pond

Mute Swan 2

Mallard 31

Gadwall 3

Coot 4 

Moorhen 2

"no swimming" pond

Mute Swan 1

Tufted Duck 4

Gadwall 2

Little Grebe 1

Moorhen 1

These shots and clip were actually taken yesterday. I saved them for today anticipating a complete washout. It was raining then too.

Gadwall pair

Little Grebe

Tufted Ducks

It was time for a preen

Heysham skear - Malcolm 13:45 - 14:15

Only a 30 minute walk, mainly as today's low water was only 3.7m so very little skear was exposed. High water was only 7.1m, so a tidal range today of just 3.4m! The other reason for the short duration was that the initial light rain became heavier.

Little Egret 4

Little Egret and Lesser Black-Backed gull

Eider 2

Red-breasted Merganser 4 (2 + 2)

Red-breasted Merganser, its mate has just dived under 

Oystercatcher c1500

Knot c2000 spread around the skear edges

A small flock of Knot with the unmistakable twin turrets of the new StenaLine 
ship emerging from the gloom on the horizon 

They were feeding busily.

Knot. No colour marked birds seen today, but I only checked for a few minutes.
 In this terrain, you can see lots of birds, but typically not so many legs.

Redshank c60

Curlew 13

Turnstone - just 2 seen there were almost certainly more

Janet's male Sparrowhawk is becoming a regular. This is from yesterday when
it paid at least two visits. I bet the other regular visitors are delighted!

Just out of the recording area. I had a walk along Clay Lane to check the adjacent fields - Malcolm

Just one small feeding flock of 78 Pink-Footed geese were in the field opposite to the entrance to Heysham Moss Nature Reserve. There were no other geese to be seen. Four Egrets just beyond the cattle were just Little Egrets.

Some of the Pink-Footed geese

This Pheasant was feeding with them

A newbee

An overcast morning with light showers. Brighter in the afternoon with a SE breeze

Heysham Nature Reserve 

This from Jean

It was fairly windy today from an ENE direction but it was still possible to do some ringing in the more sheltered net rides. We were expecting some winter thrushes and managed to catch:
Blackbird 5
Redwing 2
Chiffchaff 1
Yet another Cetti’s Warbler
Greenfinch 3
Goldfinch 2 (retraps)
Great Tit 1

Here is new Cetti’s Warbler no.15 according to our latest statistics. It was a male and sang constantly from a bush opposite the office when released. Usually a Cetti’s Warbler just gives one or two explosive calls “Chettee, chettee, chettee” but this little fellow warbled on and on for about an hour! Fun fact: Cetti’s Warblers have 10 tail feathers whereas all the other small passerines have 12. I don’t know why. Cetti’s are a bit like overgrown wrens and tend to stay hidden. Their call is very loud and you can be standing right next to one calling but you probably won’t see it. Not many years ago you wouldn’t see/hear one in our area but due to the warming climate they are spreading northwards. 

Cetti's Warbler

Overhead vis included:
A late Swallow N
11 Redwing N
20 Starling N
1 Sparrowhawk high south
50 Jackdaw S
140 Pink-footed Geese N (no Ross’s with them)
39 Woodpigeon S
36 Goldfinch E and S
11 Greenfinch 
4 Pied Wagtail S
1 Redpoll S
5 Siskin S

At least 24 Blackbirds, some flying over, some in the bushes
2 Goldcrest
2 Bullfinch
3 Long-tailed Tit
1 Great-spotted Woodpecker
2 other Sparrowhawks on the reserve

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Gadwall and a Coot

Male Gadwall

Immature Moorhen

Dunnock

And on the feeders

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Bellow the feeders

Brown Rat. This one has just chased another into the pond

Only three seen, a few years ago this area was overrun by Rats.

South shore 

Kevin Had a walk along the sea wall

Small Tortoiseshell taking advantage of the shelter and sunshine on the wall

12 Pied Wagtails and 2 Rock Pipits catching flies on the wall just before the dip. I disturbed them when I passed.

I started at the saltmarsh as Kevin was heading back (Malcolm)

Once again no Linnet seen or heard.

12 Pied Wagtails were being chased from Ocean Edge grass by a dog. Possibly the same group that Kevin saw. But there were others along the foreshore and Red Nab and along the sea wall. At least 20 in total.

Pied Wagtail strutting its stuff along the wall around the lighthouse 

This one was along the sea wall. Clearly catching plenty of small flies.

Grey Wagtail 1 on Red Nab

Grey Wagtail 

Plenty of small flies for them to eat. These are easier to see, warming themselves 
on an old plank in the scrub near the lighthouse 

Pink-Footed geese 70 south (no white geese amongst them)

Shelduck 19 out from Red Nab

Wigeon 105

Wigeon making their way to Red Nab

Little Egret 5

I didn't see any Butterflies along the sea wall, but there was a Harlequin Ladybird and....

a Drone Fly, a big one!

This is an Ivy Bee. Not recorded in the UK until 2001. But they have 
spread quickly. They feed on Ivy flowers hence this is their flight season

They are still uncommon, although they have been recorded in Heysham before.
This is the first one that I have seen, a new bee for me.

Just out of the recording area.

Just a single barnacle goose with Pinkfeet along Clay lane, Heysham (flock flew ex-roost over Heysham golf course early am) - Pete

Interesting goose just to the east

A fine sunny day with a light NE breeze

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

There were no grounded migrants caught early this morning and the catch was largely made up of birds using the feeders.  There was a higher than usual proportion of retrapped local birds too. Another Cetti's Warbler was caught plus one Lesser Redpoll.  Greenfinches began to appear from mid morning onwards.
The total catch comprised:
Single Cetti's Warbler, Long tailed Tit (retrap), Great Tit (plus one retrap), Robin, lesser Redpoll and a retrap Wren.
Blue Tit  4 + 4 retraps
Goldfinch  4 + 6 retraps
Chaffinch  3
Greenfinch  12 + 1 retrap

Heysham skear - Malcolm 10:45 - 12:15

A very low neap tide that didn't expose much of the skear

No Eider, Mergansers of Grebes seen

Little Egret just 3

None of the Egrets were trying to feed

Oystercatcher c1500. Two Icelandic scheme birds were seen for the first time this winter period

Recent history awaited. Hopefully they have both been seen on their 
breeding areas in Iceland

Curlew just 8

Knot - a long thin line of Knot were arriving from the south as I was walking out. Probably returning birds after a a raptor attack. It must have been successful as they weren't disturbed again. Eventually c2800 ended up on the skear. I could only find three flagged birds, two youngsters ringed in the UK this autumn and seen here earlier plus an Icelandic scheme bird seen for the first time this winter.

Knot arriving in a line, instead of the normal swirling ball

Last sighting of this bird was off passage in Iceland in May this year

This Knot still in partial summer plumage 

Redshank c50

Redshank and Knot

Turnstone c60

Ringed Plover 5

Both the above species are well camouflaged in this terrain 

One Turnstone 

Two Ringed Plover

Just out of the recording area. 

Ross’s Goose with Pinkfeet.  First seen flying NW over Aldcliffe, then Heaton Msrshes.  Pete C saw it fly over while at Heaton Marsh. Its now with PfG opposite Sunnyside Caravan Park view from Oxcliffe Road

It spent most of day to east of Meldon Road visible from that road accessing the radar station  

See more on LDBWS website 

https://lancasterbirdwatching.org.uk/forums/topic/snow-goose/

A busy morning!

A cold start gradually warming in the sunshine. A light variable breeze

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean

Visible migration

The light north-easterly airflow meant that quite a few different species of birds were visibly migrating over the Heysham area, some drifting a bit further east than they meant to and then having to turn back when they saw the sea and reorientate - this was the case with Redwing at least.  Here is what we managed to see in between net rounds so these are very much minimum numbers:

Pink-footed Goose  - 1945 south

Redwing - 636, probably many more

Mistle Thrush - 1 SE

Sparrowhawk - 1 south (often accompanies Redwings ie food)

Jackdaw - 160 south

Raven - 2 SW

Jay 3 - SW

Chaffinch - 10+ south

Siskin - 1+ south

BRAMBLING - 2 south

Bullfinch - 2 south

Goldfinch - flock of 20 south plus another 20 ringed

Greenfinch - flock of 15 SE plus 22 ringed

REDPOLL  - 1 south and 1 ringed so probably going south (today's target species for ringing)

Pied Wagtail - 1 south and 1 grounded

Skylark - 1+ south

House Sparrow - 1 arrived with a Greenfinch flock and chirped noisily from a bush near the office before heading south and into a net!  This species only turns up once a year on the nature reserve and always during migration time. 

Even lower (in height) migration included:

Wren - 4 unringed birds together in one net so must be on the move, plus one other.

Cetti's Warbler - 2 (1 ringed, 1 singing by the track up to the car park). 

Chiffchaff - 5 ringed

Ringing

The nets intercepted 65 birds from 0800-1215:

Greenfinch 23 (1 retrap)

Goldfinch 20 (5 retraps)

Chaffinch 1

Redpoll 1 

Chiffchaff 5

Cetti's Warbler 1 - an unprecedented 12 have been newly ringed at HNR this year so far. Last year there were 4 and previously none, although one has occasionally been heard on the reserve near the boardwalk.

Goldcrest 1 - unprecedentedly few so far this year! 

Long-tailed Tit 3 (1 retrap)

Blue tit 2

Dunnock 1 (retrap from 2023)

Robin 1

House Sparrow 1

Wren 5

Redpoll

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by Alan

The sky was crystal clear overnight and in the morning and there was a quite heavy ground frost.  The three nets set (with very cold hands!) produced 35 birds by 11.30.Nine of one of the target species, Redwing, were caught out of approximately 50 that dropped to the Mp3 lure from very high in the sky on passage.
The total catch comprised:
Blackbird  3
Redwing  9
Great Tit  1 + 1 retrap
wren  2 + 1 retrap
Robin  2
Goldcrest  1 retrap  (this bird was ringed at Heysham on 03/10/26)
Cetti's Warbler  2
Blue Tit  1
Chaffinch  3  (passage birds)
Chiffchaff  4
Bullfinch  4
Greenfinch  1

South shore - Malcolm 14:45 - 16:00

I went to the waterline out from the saltmarsh to watch the last hour before high water. We are back to neap tides now and it was a little too low today to be ideal

No Linnets seen or heard around the saltmarsh 

Shelduck just 8 close in but many more further south

Redshank 40 close to the saltmarsh 

Curlew just 4

Bar-Tailed Godwit 2 

Oystercatcher 250 

Knot c1000 (more south of the recording area)

Dunlin 200

Sanderling 15

Knot

The two Bar-Tailed Godwit in this shot. Unfortunately the light was behind.
The Oystercatcher behind is just swallowing something.

One orange flagged Knot was seen, but not read. This Knot has
a pale blue ring, but has lost its orange flag

There were 14 Sanderling together and this lone bird. It looks to have found a small crab in this clip.

The bulk of the Sanderlings were on the waterline out from Red Nab

They were very mobile and not easy to count, but at least 14.

It was a juggling act today.....unfortunately all the balls ended up on the floor!

A cloudless sunny start till late morning when heavy showers began. The sun returned for the last few hours of daylight. A NW light wind.

South shore 

Malcolm 11:30 - 13:00. The morning sun and today's 8.3m tide were ideal for checking waders along the waterline. Unfortunately, by the time I reached the saltmarsh heavy rain had started. So I just went along the sea wall instead. Yesterday, during a basically wet day I managed a relatively dry walk along the sea wall. Today in what was supposedly a dry day, I got a soaking!

Linnet 150 on the saltmarsh 

Greenfinch 8 around the saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting 3 around the saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting 

Shelduck 113 out from the foreshore 

Shelduck filtering the mud

Wigeon 54 ended up on Red Nab

One of three Little Egret

The only passerine along the wall was this Pied Wagtail 

There were loads of Black-Headed gulls but mainly resting, not feeding.

Gulls along the south rail of No.2 outfall

Gulls along the north rail of No.2 outfall

There were also lots of gulls on the mud between the outfalls including 5 adult a 2nd calendar year and a 1st calendar year Mediterranean gull

2cy (top) and adult Mediterranean Gull

This green ringed adult is one of our regular veterans Ringed as a chick
in Germany 2012. It has been seen here pretty much every summer since

They were running out of space and another heavy shower was just starting. 
Time to head off.

Janet also checked Ocean Edge and was thwarted by the weather. At least the rain wetted mud provided a nice mirror effect 

Oystercatcher 

Redshank

Curlew

I returned in the sunshine this afternoon (Malcolm) 15:30 - 17:00. But the tide was now ebbing and the onshore wind holding the water on the mud for 50m beyond where the waterline should actually be, so no chance of checking legs for colour rings. Shame, there were a lot of waders.

c5000 waders, mainly Knot. But the sun was behind them 

These are along where the waterline should be, but I am stood in water here.
The only way to get a decent look at them was to wade out behind them

I managed to get behind them but the flock split in two

These to the north in full sunlight 

These on the south, but still well within the recording area.

14 Bar-Tailed Godwit were even further out

There were smaller waders higher up the shore so I left the Knot and Godwits in peace. Most of them were just sleeping anyway.

Knot nodding off

3 of 4 Grey Plover and 2 of 300 Dunlin

Dunlin and Redshank

This male Sparrowhawk is becoming a regular in Janet's garden

Clearly not one of the two that have been ringed in the recording area this autumn