Saturday 29 January 2022

Sea watching.......best described as slow!

The heavy winds didn't start until late into the night. Strong WSW in the morning veering to WNW by evening. It threatened rain all day, but mainly just light showers until evening.

Shaun (09:00-10:00) and Pete (10:30-11:40) managed a sea watch, but mainly they just watched the sea!
Red-Throated Diver 1 close in
Mediterranean gull 1 adult in
Kittiwake 2-4 adult (both observers saw two birds, possibly the same ones, albeit 2 hours apart)
Nothing behind the lunchtime ferry.

South shore (MD 09:00 - 10:15)
Shelduck 30
Wigeon c100
Pale-bellied Brent goose 48 - they were feeding on Red Nab at 09:15 and set off towards the north side on my return at 10:10 (there were a similar number out from Whinnysty Lane this afternoon). These are them setting off, not a great clip, but it does give a sense of this morning's conditions. 

Shag 1 juvenile bobbing around in the middle of the harbour.

Rock Pipits 2 - the Red Nab and lighthouse birds heard only

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Just a quick look on the way home, not much change, except 2 Tufted again and 3 Shoveler. This is a nice group shot.
Three Shoveler, two Tufted, a male Wigeon and five Gadwall

Heysham skear late afternoon 
Eider c40
Great Crested Grebe 1
Knot c2,000 including one flock of c700 that came in high from the north of the bay.
Some of the Knot arriving from the north, with an Oystercatcher below

Redshank c150
Turnstone 20
Curlew 15
Ringed Plover c20 - they are very difficult to see when they are hunkered down behind a, similar looking stone. There are at least 11 plover in this clip, sorry about the juddering, but it was a bit windy!

By 15:45, the heavy rain that had been threatening all day, stopped threatening! The good thing about a west wind is that it, and the rain that it drives, is on your back as you walk off the shore.