The light breeze drifting round again, starting NW and ending SE. A misty start, but the sun broke through by mid morning. After that high cloud with some sunshine.
South shore - mid morning towards high water
Pale-bellied Brent Geese 42 on Red Nab they remained over high water. Today's tide was 8.9m tomorrow is 9.0m, with a fresher west wind forecast, they will only remain over the tide tomorrow if there is minimal disturbance at high water.
Shelduck 52
Wigeon c200
Song Thrush 1 on saltmarsh
Rock Pipit 1 - only the waterfall bird heard today
Shag 1 juvenile in the harbour
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| Two Cormorants, the rear bird is a mature adult in breeding plumage. The younger bird in front is just developing its breeding plumage |
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| It will be a few more years before this juvenile Shag sports its breeding plumage. |
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| Male Kingfisher with a fully black bill |
On my return from the harbour, this female was fishing
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| Female Kingfisher with red at the base of the bill |
At that point they were both around, this one (male I think but the light was difficult) managed to catch a common goby
This is interesting, they often fish at the freshwater culvert outlet, but this one, looks like the male, actually flew inside the culvert. I expected it to return quite quickly, but it didn't. Presumably the low sunlight was allowing enough light into the culvert for the Kingfisher to fish inside (MD)
Middleton Nature Reserve
Just a mini circuit before dusk
Mute Swan 8 adult 9 immature
Coot 1
Moorhen 15
Mallard 17
Gadwall 33
Teal 2
Shoveler 2 a female with a male in partial breeding plumage
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| Today's female with male Shoveler |
No sign of Tufted Duck or Wigeon
Common Snipe 8
Roe Deer 3 - a buck with presumably a female on central marsh plus one on the west side hill (thanks to a passing dog walker for this record)
Jackdaw c220 - it felt like "The Birds". There has been an increasing presence over recent years, but no idea where these have come from (MD). Jean proposed the possibility that local farmers may have been spreading slurry on their fields and the Jackdaw had been feeding there. Does anyone know if there are fields around Middleton being slurried?
They came in to roost on the two pylons either side of the main pond. This clip is the south side pylon.
There were as many, if not more around the north side pylon, but more distant. This is the north side pylon after the birds settled. |
| Jackdaw roosting on north side pylon |
Just out of the recording area:
Both the Lamppost Mediterranean gull and the Sandy Lands Black Redstart reported today.
Janet took these shots just south of the recording are near Middleton sands:
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| Waders concentrated by the rising tide, many of these would have started just out from the saltmarsh |
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| It wasn't just Janet keeping an eye on the waders |
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| Meadow Pipits |
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