A thorough check, results in a good variety

A lightish east wind, overnight rain resumed about 09:30 and continued for much of the day

Report from Nick Godden (via LDBWS webpage  - see link on sidebar)

23/10 Heysham NR 8.15-10.00
Water rail 1
Snipe 1 s
Redwing 53 se
Blackbird 17
Song thrush 2
Robin 24
Skylark 1 s
Meadow pipit 9 s
Chiffchaff 2
Goldcrest 9
Goldfinch 24 s
Redpoll 1 s
Chaffinch 14 s
Brambling 1 s
Tree sparrow 1+ s
Greenfinch 4

Middleton NR East 22/10 4-6pm
Blackcap 1 m
Chiffchaff 2
Goldcrest 13
Pied wagtail c. 45 flying west to roost
Peregrine 2
Sparrowhawk 1
Mediterranean gull 1 ad flew west with Black-headed gulls

Apart from Nick's stuff......not a lot

South shore (MD)

We are moving back to spring tides now and the beach out from the saltmarsh is soon covered. The birds are aware of this and few bother resting there as they will be moved on again.

Shelduck were the exception 132 feeding on the channel out from the foreshore till moved on by tide.

Wigeon just 3 at the saltmarsh and only 56 at Red Nab (they were leaving Red Nab to saltmarsh as I was leaving)

No Mediterranean gulls seen this morning

Rock Pipit 3

Linnet c100 

Common Snipe 4 flushed by the tide from the pockets of saltmarsh grass just south of the saltmarsh 

Song Thrush 1 grounded - it had just started raining

Off passage Song Thrush

Stonechat 1 male again flitting around the western edge of the saltmarsh. By this time the rain was heavy so I didn't attempt a picture 

Kingfisher 1 - Red Nab was almost covered and the kingfisher shot past to the east as I walked along the foreshore. No picture today, but this shot from yesterday (at least it's a bit of colour)

Yesterday's Kingfisher 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a quick check of the two main ponds on my way home (MD)

Mute pair plus 6 mature cygnets on main pond when I arrived, but 7 when I returned 

Mallard 8 (3 female)

Gadwall 4 (2 on both ponds)

Teal 11 on "no swimming" pond

Teal, the males still in eclipse 

Lapwing 4 east

Sparrowhawk 1 juvenile 

Janet's dogs sniffed out this frog. It looks large, like a female full of spawn, but obviously not at this time of year. It has just puffed itself out to scare off the dogs.......it worked.

This is from yesterday, I'd had a quick look on the skear, but there was nothing new around. This clip is a Red-breasted Merganser snorkelling. They do this when the prey is shallow, often crabs, but not this time, it was catching about every second "dive". The speed at which its prey was eaten means that it was small, I expect it was catching shrimps, which are a decent size this time of year.