The SE wind shifted more to south during the day, overcast with showers pretty much all day.
North shore (MD)
Pale-bellied Brent goose 29 minimum - I walked out to the skear from from Four Lane Ends. Looking back to the children's play area there were at least 26 amongst the rocks in front of the play area. Not very close in today, as all the dog walkers were getting in their walks in before the rain started. Even so they were still easily visible from the promenade or Knowlys Rd. there were 3 more feeding in the SE skear corner.
These shots are from Kevin Singleton and were taken from the same location yesterday.
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| A nice shot showing the D and T blue rings of the Canadian ringed pair |
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| Some returning to the feeding area after being spooked, they tend not to fly far away now. You can see the wing bars on the middle bird showing it to be juvenile. |
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| Clearly not a Brent Goose - but it can be surprisingly difficult to locate distant Brent geese feeding among Oystercatchers. |
Eider c60
Great Crested Grebe 5
Red-breasted Merganser 3
Heysham Harbour
On the way back I checked the inner harbour from the end of the single track road.
Red-Throated Diver 1 - still on the gas offices side
Middleton Nature Reserve
Just a brief check of the two main ponds
Mute and Moorhen unchanged
Mallard 3
Gadwall 11
Shoveler 1 male
I would normally say, a good comparison clip, but no one is ever going to mistake a male Shoveler in breeding plumage, for anything else.
