Thursday 19 March 2020

A nice, and productive day

It felt like spring today, a balmy 9 degrees, calm and the warmth of the sun very pleasant. Three species of warbler heard and good signs of passage.

Sea watching records (PM)
Brent geese
09:00 - 9 Pale-bellied out from childrens play area
10:00 - 18-19 across the bay to join the above
11:00 - 6 across the bay heading for the above feeding area

Red-Throated Diver - flock of 6, quite high
Common Scoter - flock of c20 floating out
Eider a total of c400 but some very distant
Stonechat - 1 female along north harbour wall

Middleton Nature Reserve mid afternoon (MD&JR)
Chiffchaff - There were two singing either side of the lower carpark. A short walk around less than half of the reserve revealed at least 5 singing plus 1 seen only
Cetti's warbler 2 - The "no swimming" pond male was singing both times the pond was checked. The central marsh bird was singing earlier.
Goldcrest 2
Buzzard 2 blogging to east and again settling in the high trees just east of reserve
Merlin - 1 male flew one low and fast half circuit of the main pond before disappearing to north
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Weasel 1

The third warbler is a bit of a cheat, not a new arrival, but the garden Blackcap had hung on for another day and was again singing this morning.

South shore 08:45-10:00 (MD)
Wheatear 1 (probable 2cy male) at 08:50. It quickly moved on suggesting there could have been more earlier.
Not much of a picture, but it is the first of spring and nice to see.

Rock Pipit at least two between the saltmarsh and lighthouse.
This one in hot pursuit of of an unidentified invertebrate (it got it!)

Another bird also managed to capture breakfast


But wasn't for sharing