Very light variable breeze till late morning when a fresh west wind began. Some light showers. The winds getting strong by 21:00, and forecast to increase significantly for a while overnight.
There was a very sharp grass frost at dawn this morning but no wind in spite of the forecast 8-10 mph.
Ringing was disappointing with few grounded birds and little overhead movement except for Pink footed Geese.
This morning's ringing was just:
1 Cetti's Warbler plus 1 previously ringed elsewhere (details now received - ringed at Woolston Eyes as a juvenile on 22/7/22 (near/below the M6 Thelwall viaduct))
1 Reed Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
2 Grey Wagtails.
Vis: Pink footed Geese - 24 + 60 northwards high and early. Rest of morning saw 9 groups south totalling c586.
Mistle Thrush - loose group of 9 birds moving north over east side of reserve were probably this species
Meadow Pipit - just 3 NW to SE
Alba Wagtails - just 2 W to E
Starling - Three groups totalling 30 south
Pete's morning records:
Red throated diver flew out of Bay
2cy Shag wooden jetty
Just 5 Mediterranean gulls outfalls area (1 1cy, 1 2cy).
Off Heysham Head:
Great Crested Grebe 8
Red-Breasted Merganser 6
only 5 Eider seen!
I had very little time today so just managed three brief stop offs (MD):
Imperial Road
Plenty of covids:
Carrion Crow 5 feeding/resting
Magpie 4 feeding
Jackdaw 23 originally feeding in harrowed field to east of the road (out of recording area), but then flew over the road and settled in the large stand of trees.
Cetti's warbler 1 calling near the pond near the recycling centre gates. There has not been a bird recorded here over summer. Not contact calls, there were some unusually long combinations, that seemed to me to be a bird practicing its repertoire.
Middleton Nature Reserve main ponds
Mallard 8 on main pond plus 2 on "no swimming" pond
The mute family have shifted to "no swimming " pond again
Moorhen 5
Little grebe 1
Gadwall 16 - this male has a particularly prominent dark crown and pale face.
Shoveler 2 (male and female)
 |
| Male and female Shoveler top, female Gadwall below |
Migrant Hawker 1 male
Ocean Edge
Rock Pipit 1
Linnet 22
Shelduck 113 resting behind rocks in the lea of the freshening wind, east of Red Nab. These are some of them.
Just out of the recording area - Potts Corner (Middleton sands)
Report by Pete Crooks
A very impressive wader spectacle with the incoming 9.1 metre tide:
2 juvenile Little Stint
1 juvenile Curlew Sandpiper
2000+ Dunlin
170 Grey Plover
100 Bar-tailed Godwit
Plus Knot, Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover (but not counted!)
1 adult Mediterranean Gull
1 Sandwich Tern heard calling while I was scanning through the Dunlin, but not seen.
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