Brent are back

Mainly overcast with light showers. The wind was more to the south and much colder.

South shore - mid morning 

Rock Pipits 2

Ringed Plover 2

Shelduck c50

Wigeon 206 (sat on the beach and in shallow channels as the tide ebbed, made for easy counting)

Some of the Wigeon resting on beach.

Report from Dan:

Heysham Head

Goldcrest 1

Song Thrush 1

Smithy Wood / Smithy Scrub

Goldcrest 5

Blackcap 1 (male, ringed)

Heysham NR

Goldcrest 4

Chiffchaff 1

Moneyclose Lane / Dog Track

Blackcap 1 (male, ringed)

Goldcrest 8

Bullfinch 8

One of the Bullfinch

Ocean Edge

Linnet 17

Heysham skeer - low water 14:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose - 5 in the SE corner of the skeer. The children's play area, out from Knowlys road, might be worth checking at high water in the morning.

Two of these are ringed. The one second from the left is a returning bird VDRB, ringed as an adult on Axel Heiberg island, Canada 2/08/14. This is its third successive winter visit to Heysham. The bird 2nd from the right also has Red, Blue rings and is definitely "V". This is almost certainly the long term companion of VDRB, unfortunately it never left the water. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to confirm.

In the previous two winters they were accompanied by 2 and 4 juveniles respectively. All the birds looked to be adult today, but perhaps I was too far away for plumage details.

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Great Crested grebe 1

Eider 3