Merganser numbers growing

WNW breeze first thing freshened and moved to the north. Plenty of sunshine.

Pale-bellied Brent goose c15 seen flying north past Half Moon Bay (Pete)

So far, the only other reports are from my morning walk (MD)

Heysham skear  - low water 07:40

Eider 200+ close in, almost certainly many more further out

Red-breasted Merganser 17 (a group of 9, others in ones and twos)

Great Crested Grebe 6

This clip starts with four of the grebes (the one that surfaces actually has a small fish, but appears not to want the others to see it), then pans back over five of the mergansers.

Waders: as ever, Oystercatcher by far the most numerous, Turnstone 100+, Knot c200, also Redshank, Curlew and Dunlin. This Dunlin is ringed, unfortunately, just a metal ring and almost impossible to read in the field.

As the rising tide cleared the birds from the skear, many of the Oystercatcher moved to the shoreline before their high water roosts on the Heliport and Red Nab. This clip is just to give an idea of numbers.

Similarly, these 9 Carrion Crow were resting before being pushed off the skear. Large numbers of Crows on the skear is a relatively new feature. I can't recall seeing them here before the honeycomb worm colonies became established. I don't think they eat the worms, but the form of the colonies seems to trap suitable food within the crevices. The surface they are stood on here is an old, re-exposed honeycomb worm bed. They don't feed on these, only the fresh, active colonies.

Carrion Crows

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a quick check of the two main ponds on my way home, fortunately there were some ducks today.

Mute one pair, presumably the aggressive male and his mate, on the "no swimming" pond. 5 adult and 7 immature birds on the main pond.

Mallard 4 (2 pair)

Gadwall 18

Moorhen 6