A bit better variety

A dry day but mainly overcast. The east wind becoming strong and blustery by late afternoon.

Nature Park - Kevin Eaves

Ca. 30-35 Siskins near the small anemometer, accompanied by a Goldcrest and a male Bullfinch.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm 10:45 - 11:15

Just a quick circuit around the eastern section.

Main Pond

2 adult and 6 immature Mute Swans

8 Tufted Duck

6 Gadwall

20+ Mallard

Little grebe at least one trilling

Tim Butler pond

Teal at least 12

Woodcock 1 flushed from the trees on the south bank

"No Swimming" Pond 

Tufted duck pair plus more Mallard around the fringes 

Little Egret 1 east

Little Egret

Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:30 - 15:30

A check as the skear was becoming exposed, by this time the offshore wind was quite strong.

Pale-Bellied Brent goose 25

Some if the Brent geese

Eider 100

The males are in full wooing mode now. Shame their calls aren't easily picked up by my camera. It is the constant background noise here, although my ears do filter out the Oystercatchers!

I went to check out the Knot, there were c500 in 4 feeding groups. Then something spooked them and they all headed off to the north. I didn't see any raptors, but they had many more eyes than me and much more at stake! I just managed to read a few flags, but from three different schemes.

This is an Icelandic scheme. At least the yellow flag stood out in the fading light.
Details awaited

Curlew, Knot and Oystercatcher 

At least the crows had something to shout about

Morning showers, then dry and overcast. A light SE breeze dwindling down to nothing in the afternoon.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:00 - 15:15

A check as the tide was ebbing.

No Brent Geese seen

Eider 160, easy to see on a flat sea.

Some of the Eider heading back into the bay

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Great Crested Grebe 2

Great Crested Grebes

Little Egret 5

Herring gulls and Little Egret 

Oystercatcher 15000

Curlew 20

Redshank 180

Knot 80

Turnstone 40

Dunlin 70

Dunlin in the foreground, the Oystercatchers behind not included in the skear count

Mainly Redshank 

The Redshank, Black-Headed and Common gulls were shrimping where the freshwater runoff flows into the SE skear corner. Presumably the runoff providing enough detritus to attract the still tiny shrimps.

None of the Knot were flagged, but this one had a distinctive white spot on
its crown. One to watch out for

This Oystercatcher with a partially leucistic head is even more distinctive.
I tend to see it about one in ten visits 

Carrion Crows 25, they were being particularly noisy today.

Cormorant and Carrion crows

Redwing bonus

Light rain on and off for most of the day. A SSE wind

Middleton Nature Reserve - Kevin Eaves

There was a female Siskin near the main pond bird feeders, and a Green Woodpecker, heard singing and seen in flight near the Tim Butler pond. Five cygnets still present on the main pond being occasionally pestered by the new male.

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

It had stopped raining briefly and the sun was out, even more briefly!

Buzzard 1 calling a lot from the copse area

Kestrel 1

Stock Dove 2

Stock Dove

Teal 2

Common Snipe 4

No Water Rails calling and no sign of the Stonechats 

Howard checked the high water roosts for Knot.

There were zero Knot on the Heliport this am, I checked Sunny Slope groyne which had c1000 on, they were constantly being lifted with corvids, 3 flagged birds seen but unrecorded.

I ventured along the prom into Morecambe where there were c1500 knot on the Park Street groyne, 1 flagged bird recorded OfY (Orange flag over Yellow ring)  LJH

Although this shot is north of the recording area this flagged bird has also been
recorded on the skear this week too. Ringed at Inverness Firth Scotland in 2022.
It has visited Heysham before in the spring of 2023

Heysham skear - Malcolm 13:15 - 14:15

Still light rain showers.

Pale-bellied Brent goose. 21 minimum seen landing by the rocks out from the fishing platform.

Eider 70+ many flying back into the bay after drifting out on the tide.

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Curlew 63. As well as the typical 25 around the skear, two groups of 26 and 12 flew in

Knot 1300 - initially there were just two small groups totalling 140, they were joined by other small groups to c300. The rain had stopped and I had just begun checking them for flags when a loud whoosh overhead were another c1000 fleeing from a Peregrine Falcon.

Unfortunately, the 300 lifted as the above flew past and it was one of those that the Peregrine took.

Peregrine flying south with a Knot

All the Knot continued north, I didn't expect to see them again, and I didn't.

Other wader as recent 

These Redwing (c100 total) were feeding in the horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall. All these shots are just beyond the southern boundary of the recording area, but the Redwing were flighty with people working in the far paddock and twice took flight and circled over the trees placing them well within the recording area.

Redwing plus a Goodfinch

This is the gate that opens onto Middleton Rd

I check this area whenever I pass. I had checked this morning and there was nothing, this second check was 14:30 - Malcolm

Just a bit of Knot stuff

The morning rain soon eased, then dry with occasional sunshine. A fresh east wind.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 12:30 - 14:00

Not a lot of time today and not really a lot to see. 

No Brent geese seen or heard. Just 24 Eider on the sea, no Mergansers or grebes seen.

Waders as recent including 700 Knot.

The offshore winds are still no good for stirring up the shallow water to allow the small shrimps to move into the shallows around the skear. But we are moving back towards spring tides now and the quickly ebbing water in the narrow drains is enough to muddy the water. The gulls were shrimping in the main drain, but only closer to the Stone Jetty where the drain is narrow and the mud less consolidated.

A line of mainly Black-Headed gulls shrimping in the drain as it meanders 
towards the northern edge of the skear

The Knot headed towards the northern edge of the skear.
The water upper right is the same drain that the gulls were feeding in, but
here it widens as it passes along the edge of the skear

Many of the Knot fed in the water, but not after shrimps, they were easily finding mussels the size they like. Presumably the flowing water was helping to expose them. You can see several mussels being swallowed in this clip.

Knot eating mussels

Some of the Knot elected to feed on the dry mussel beds, several flagged birds
read, but all seen recently. This one was ringed at Skógarnes Iceland last year

A few Common and Black-Headed gulls tried shrimping in the drain along the skear edge, but soon gave up. But this clip does show the speed of the ebbing tide, and we are only half way to full spring tides.

No insects today!

It was a cold fresh SE wind, it remained dry but overcast.

Heysham skear - Malcolm

Two checks again, one on the ebb tide this morning and again on the flood this afternoon/evening

Pale-bellied Brent geese 25 seen flying around this morning and 22 this afternoon 

Brent Geese

Eider 47 this morning, none seen this afternoon 

Eider

Red-breasted Merganser pair seen both visits

Red-breasted Merganser

I mentioned yesterday that there is always a Starling presence on the skear, today their presence was unmissable.

Starlings

Waders pretty much as yesterday. There were 1000 Knot this morning and still 700 this afternoon, no Peregrine disturbance seen while I was there.

A few flagged Knot were read, but this terrain is tricky. This is one of the better
areas, but not many of these have their legs on view. One flag can be read though.
MAP ringed Merseyside 2024

This one is a bit easier to see in a brief bit of morning sunshine.
Ringed at the Wadden Sea Netherlands 2019. Seen in Iceland 2024

Knot, Turnstone, Oystercatcher and Redshank

Insects emerging!

 A very light SE breeze and relatively warm sunshine (10°C)

Heysham skear -Malcolm

I went out this morning 10:15 on the ebb tide, then checked again on the flood this afternoon (13:30).

Pale-bellied Brent goose 31 seen this morning, 21 this afternoon 

Brent geese this morning 

Brent geese this afternoon, with conger rock behind

These two are on a quite barren area of skear, there are traces of gutweed, but they are looking for weed (sea lettuce is favourite) broken free in deeper water by the recent storm, leaving fragments trapped between the stones.

Eider 45 around the skear 100+ nearer the Stone Jetty

Great Crested grebe 2

Little Egret 3

Oystercatcher 1500

Curlew just 20 this morning, 45 this afternoon 

Redshank 120

Knot 1000 before a Peregrine attack sent them all north this morning. Only 100 in 2 small groups this afternoon.

Turnstone 45

Dunlin 30

Ringed Plover 7

The Peregrine must have been a male, it was so small, that I mistook it for
a Merlin 

Other birds, in this case Oystercatchers, get much closer to raptors
when their talons are full.

Starlings rarely get a mention, but there are always some on the skear.
They definitely collect grit here, but I think some do find food as well.

When I got back to my car this morning, a Common Drone Fly was warming 
itself. Clearly tempted out of hibernation.

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

Just a quick check this afternoon, this morning's drone fly reminding me that insects were on the menu again. Sure enough both Stonechats were feeding. This is the male, but the female zips through the frame, unfortunately I didn't pick her up again in this clip.

Female Stonechat

Male Stonechat

Teal 5

Accidentally spooked Teal, leaving a trail of........"confetti"

Water Rail 1 squealing

Other insects were also stirring.

2 Ruby Tiger caterpillars in the sunshine on the south sea wall this afternoon - Kevin Eaves

At least two Shag around

Very strong overnight east winds eased during the day. Some heavy showers, but not many and the day actually finished in sunshine.

South shore - Malcolm 14:00 - 15:30

For once I timed my walk well regarding the weather. As I set off the skies were still dark and menacing, but brighter weather was on its way, making for interesting lighting. By the time I got back the sun was shining!

The Fylde coast, including Blackpool Tower heralding the brighter weather 

The tide was rising, but even as I finished it was way too early for any Brent geese to move from the north shore.

Shelduck 15 on Red Nab

Wigeon 255 counted on the sea but more flew in as the tide reached Red Nab.

Many of the Wigeon were between No.1 outfall and the wooden jetty

This one looked deep in thought, or perhaps just admiring her reflection 

Great Black-backed gulls

Red Shank 95

Redshank.
Other waders: Turnstone 6, Curlew 12, Oystercatcher 1

Cormorants on No.2 outfall displaying their breeding plumage white thigh patch,
the middle bird is more mature with a grey head

Cormorant 

Shag at least two. There was one in adult plumage in the harbour, plus another in the harbour that looked to be a 2nd calendar year bird. Walking back along the sea wall there was an immature bird feeding alongside No.1 outfall, but possibly the same bird.

2nd calendar year Shag

This is where the adult was resting, on the closest platform 

It then had a swim around, but showed no interest in diving.

Quite striking plumage 

In the Nature Park

Long-Tailed Tits one small feeding group.

Sparrowhawk 1