A few extra thrushes

Heysham Obs
Middleton Industrial Est Wetlands 8:30 - 10:30am
4 mute, 9 coot, 4 moorhen, 1 little grebe, 4 goldeneye (1 male), 10 tufted, 13 teal, 10 mallard (including one white domestic version), 18 snipe.

There was a distinct impression of newly-arrived thrushes along the entrance road and around the office in the drizzle/rain this morning. Two olive-toned Song Thrush were being chased off by a more rusty-coloured territorial bird which was otherwise in song and there was a cluster of 10-15 unringed Blackbird. The ringed resident Robin by the office chased off two unringed birds in quick succession. This is all very odd so early in the year but the conditions were spot on for landfalling any trans-Irish Sea movement

Otherwise: 8+ Shag in the harbour, 1st W Med Gull attending anglers on the north harbour wall late afternoon and adult Little Gull on the end of Heysham Stage one outfall

Elsewhere
Purple Sandpiper at the seaward end of the Stone jetty at low tide. Mandarin drake on the canal between Hatlex bridge and the A6 bridge to the north continues to be a year-listing circus act as people wait for it to show authenticity by swimming away from them.