Friday 11 March 2022

Eleven warblers singing!

Very gusty SE wind high cloud with some sunshine in the morning, but rain started just after lunch and never really stopped.

Only mine (MD) and Janet's records so far - not bad though

Chiffchaffs 9 (at least) singing males plus many others seen/heard calling. 
Middleton Nature Reserve 6 - there appeared to be a singing bird either side of the road near the bottom car park, but only counted as one, another in NW corner of main pond, one near Tim Butler and at least three along the track on east border of the golf course.
Heysham Nature Reserve 3 two in the reserve and another, located by Janet along the dog walk
This is Janet's dog walk bird and typical of the semi obscured
views today, really nice to hear them singing though
This is the bird near the bottom car park at Middleton 

Still from the above clip

This is one near the golf course

The other warblers singing today were:
Cetti's warbler 2 both the central and western marsh males singing.

Other stuff on Middleton Nature Reserve 
Wildfowl as yesterday, plus additional adult Mute on Tim Butler
Common Snipe 1
Jack Snipe 1

Other stuff on Heysham Nature Reserve 
Bullfinch 6
Reed Bunting 1 male
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 - there was a male drumming and this female, presumably looking for food. It makes a change for me to be still and the background swaying.

I like this clip. Its only short and "only" a Blue Tit, but we sometimes forget just what an attractive bird they are,

Pete advised that there could be Wheatears moving through today, unfortunately it was after lunch before I checked the foreshore, any that there may have been had already moved through. Still some birds around though.
Glodcrest 1 near small anemometer 
Rock Pipit 2
Meadow Pipit 1 grounded on foreshore 
Stonechat 1 female initially on foreshore then moved to Red Nab, where this brief and distant clip was taken.

Finally, I've shown this effect before, but this is slightly different to last time. It's just the wind blowing the "sand" over the shore. As last time we are in a series of neap tides so this stretch of shore has not been covered for a few days. But last time the sand storm was initiated by a strong wind suddenly starting. Today's wind is in a long line of southeasterlies, what triggered today's "storm" was the onset of the rain. The mud was dry, so every raindrop raises a puff of particles that the wind catches before it can land again. As soon as the rain wetted the mud, the sand storm stopped.