Merganser reinforcements

A dry day but mainly overcast and cooler. A light west breeze

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Janet

Just a brief check

Pair of Shoveler

It wasn't certain that this male Shoveler was another male, but it probably was.

Reed Bunting 

He takes advantage of the seeds dropped from the feeders

Showing his specialised bill shape

North shore

30 Pale-bellied Brent geese south past Heysham Head - David Kaye

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:30 - 10:30 and 16:00 - 17:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 17 seen both visits. These will be some of David's.

Shelduck 2 north this afternoon 

Eider 18

Red-breasted Merganser 23 this morning. 3 feeding around the skear plus 20 that drifted in with the tide.

Female Red-breasted Merganser

Little Egret 4

c3000 Knot left the skear early in the tide again this morning. Half flew south the other half fed along the waterline for a while, before returning to the skear. Later on the ebb tide there were at least 3000 knot, many moving on to the north after a feeding session. Some of the groups had very few flagged birds amongst them, but one new bird for this winter was seen.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 12 this morning 

Some of the Godwit arriving 

Knot and Godwit along the waterline

Knot on the sker

Pale-bellied Brent goose and Oystercatchers

The spring tide really sprung in

Another dry sunny day with very light variable breezes 

North shore - Malcolm

I walked out from Half Moon Bay this morning to check the waterline south of Heysham Head on the flood tide. c2000 Knot arrived from the skear very early in the tide, but the speed of the rising tide made them very flighty. Today's tide at 10m is the highest of this set of spring tides and it covered the shore very quickly! 

The Knot ended up on the mud below the Heliport wall, and no doubt roosted on the wall over high water. No reports received of high water checks yet.

As well as the Knot and Oystercatcher there were:

Bar-Tailed Godwit 36

Dunlin 25

Oystercatcher and Bar-Tailed Godwit 

Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot and Dunlin 

A few of the Knot are moving to summer plumage 

The speed of the incoming tide kept moving them on

Just one Eider north

One of two Great Crested Grebes

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Little Egret 1 south

I checked the skear this afternoon on the ebb tide.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 30 flew to the rocks out from the fishing platform 

Brent heading to the rocks out from the fishing platform 

Later they flew back after being spooked by a dog

No matter, there is plenty of food on the skear now too

Eider 30

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Little Egret 4

There must have been 3000+ Knot but they were thinly spread over the quickly expanding skear and many flew north after a short feeding session. Like the Brent, I think they are spoilt for choice as to where to feed at the moment.

Male Siskin and a Goldfinch on Kevin Eaves' garden feeder this morning 

More evidence/hints of nesting

Another dry sunny day with a variable breeze. Not quite as warm today, peaking at 13°C

Heysham Nature Reserve - Alan

It was a very different session today with only singles of Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and Coal Tit caught. The feeder finches too were in much smaller numbers and a high proportion of retraps.  I had to take the nets down around midday although there more birds beginning to come to the feeder area at that time.  Perhaps an early afternoon session will be worth a try.

The total catch:

Coal Tit  1

Chiffchaff  1

Goldcrest  1

Wren  1 retrap

Goldfinch  7 + 5 retraps

Robin 2 retraps

Blue tit  1 + 5 retraps

Great Tit  2

Greenfinch  3

Four Jays were arguing noisily opposite the office building and a Cetti's Warbler called all morning nearby.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Shoveler pair

A lone male Gadwall

Female Mute Swan

A Buzzard had just left this spot with its kill/carrion
Lots of white feathers, possibly a gull?

It returned shortly afterwards with empty talons, it must have taken
the kill to its mate, presumably on the nest. This was in the southern 
section of the reserve.

Jay

Cetti's warbler 

Green Woodpecker calling near the golf course 

Small Tortoiseshell 

Ocean Edge foreshore - Janet

Male Wheatear

It's not often a Wren stays still enough for a shot

North shore - Malcolm

I was heading out to the skear 08:00. Still quite early on the flood tide, but 2000 Knot decided to leave the skear and feed on the mud out from Heysham Head. There is some very treacherous mud here at this stage of the tide. Be very careful if you head this way, particularly on these spring tides which don't allow you any time to make a mistake. I was fine, I know where the dangerous areas are, but it just meant that I couldn't get as close as I like and couldn't follow them as they moved further south.

As well as the Knot there were 18 Bar-Tailed Godwit feeding and the ubiquitous Oystercatcher.

Bar-Tailed Godwit showing its barred tail

One of five Red-breasted Merganser 

I returned to the skear on the ebb tide at 14:00

Eider 70+

There were at least 2500 feeding Knot, but they soon moved off to the north, but not before a few flagged birds were seen.

Cormorant in breeding plumage 

It was hazy, resulting in the sun turning everything shades of silver and black

Red-necked grebe off Rossall at low tide this am - perhaps one to look out for? 

The sunshine continues

Another warm sunny day. It just failed to reach 18°C again. A light variable breeze.

South shore Janet towards high water this morning.

At least 4 Chiffchaff in the Nature Park

This Song Thrush clearly has a young family to feed 

Lovely overhead shots of a Little Egret as it leaves Red Nab

Some of the Pale-bellied Brent geese and Wigeon at Red Nab

Redshank

Cormorant 

Curlew on the saltmarsh 

Heliport wall - Malcolm

I'd gone down as the sea was leaving the wall, hoping for the 1000 or so Knot to move to the mud. In the end just 200 did, but one was flagged. As I waited, I was entertained by a male White Wagtail - first this spring. 

You can see it watching the flies overhead before catching one in flight.

White Wagtail 

The resident male Pied Wagtail wasn't happy!

At least providing a nice comparison shot

Heysham skear - Malcolm

I checked twice (it was a nice day!) 07:45 - 09:15 and 14:30 - 15:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 17 in morning, 9 in afternoon 

Eider 8 in morning 85 in afternoon 

Red-breasted Merganser 3 both sessions 

Little Egret 1 in the morning 4 in the afternoon 

Pied/White Wagtail 1 in/off this morning 

Knot 2500 in the morning 3000 in the afternoon some flags were read, but these tides move so quickly that they are soon moved on on the flood and the ebb exposes large areas of skear quickly for them to spread out in.

It is unusual for a flagged bird to obligingly stand on a promontory like this!
This is an Icelandic scheme bird, details awaited 

Most of the Knot soon moved towards the western edge. It is impossible to check them, and much else, against the afternoon sun.

Brent Geese, Eider and Oystercatcher along the western edge

Joined by Knot

Just out of the recording area, well quite a long way out really, but they are big birds.

Two Cranes (possibly the same two seen here yesterday) landed in fields near Bradshaw lane Pilling this pm. Keep looking upwards!