Back to winter plumage

Today's title refers to the observers, not the observed. A very cold NE wind meant  digging out the woolly hats and gloves that had been stored away for summer.

A 'guest appearance' from out in the sticks by Pete.  Thanks to people who have the Obs area within their daily exercise range - Shaun, Malcolm, Kevin and Janet.  Thanks very much to Malcolm for coordinating daily sightings.  If the CNC and Harbour police are reading this, please go easy on any birders who might be (safely) stopping and staring at the sea during their exercise period - the big spring seabird passage is coming up - see for example the daily log for 10th May last year.  Thanks.

Two interesting recent ringing recoveries:

Grey Wagtail 
Ringed:   Middleton NR as a juv on the rather late passage date of 7/10/14
Seen:  Warton saltmarsh, River Ribble estuary     25/1 and 22/2/15
Seen: as a female of a pair      Blackpool North Shore    4/4/20

Has this been in the Fylde all the time since ringing and recorded wintering by Ian Walker and latterly with potential local breeding status by Stephen Dunstan?    A long gap of 'invisibility' between the last two sightings!

Knot 

JL	Ringed	Altcar, Merseyside	22/09/2017
SR77260	Seen	Leighton Moss	14/4-18/4/18
	Seen	Griend, NETHERLANDS	02/08/2018
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	3/2-4/2/19
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	08/02/2020
	Photo	Heysham old Heliport	07/03/2020
	Photo	Heysham old Heliport	09/03/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	11/03/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	21/03/2020
	Seen	Terschelling, NETHERLANDS  53 22N 5 17E	11/04/2020

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It was quite probably ringed as a 1CY in 2019 which might have explained the Leighton Moss sightings whence it presumably didn't go via Holland to Greenland!   What its doing this spring may be a 'dog leg' migration via Holland, Porsanger (NW Norway) and then Greenland.  In this respect, no history of Icelandic sightings - favoured as the more direct route stop-over

Only records so far are from my (MD) stroll along the low water tide line out from Half-Moon Bay this morning.
Eider 25
Great-Crested Grebe 5
Red-Breasted Merganser 15
Sandwich Tern - 2 in 11:30