Sunday 10 April 2022

Things are starting to move......

Light breezes today mainly SSE. Plenty of sunshine in the morning, but mainly high cloud cover after lunch.

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Report from Alan:

The weather this morning was not what was originally forecast. We had expected the sky to cloud over in the early hours and possibly drop some migrants.  In the event it was clear and frosty first thing and clouds were forming only from mid morning.

The catch at Middleton was predictably low for the five nets set:

Single retraps of Wren, Reed Bunting, Dunnock and Cetti's Warbler. This Cetti's was ringed  in 2017 and has been caught regularly since then.

Blackcap  2

Dunnock  2

Lesser Redpoll   4

Two Meadow Pipits only were seen passing over.

The moth trap set overnight captured one Early Thorn and one Clouded Drab.


Pete Crooks paid an early morning visit:

Heysham North Harbour Wall (7.30 – 8.05 am)
2 Red-throated Diver – 1 in winter plumage & 1 in summer plumage together on sea, drifted out on ebbing tide
7 Common Scoter (4 male, 3 female) flew out of the Bay


Knowlys Road, Heysham (8.15 – 8.30 am)
1 Red-throated Diver – winter plumage, different to previous bird
130 Eider
4 Red-breasted Merganser


Pete (M) also checked some key areas.

Redpoll 3 over Middleton/Heysham 

Willow Warbler c4 early on at Heysham Nature Reserve (first records this year)

2cy Shag fishing just north of Heysham head

3 Twite old heliport then flew towards Heysham Head 

2 Sandwich tern

6 Common scoter flying out (different to Pete C birds)


Alan Physick checked the north wall on the afternoon rising tide:

Sandwich tern 10+ on buoys by North wall, singles passing and fishing,

I had a look at 18:30. The terns were still blogging around the two buoys, but too far from
the north wall for my camera to discern any detail, so this shot is just to show location (MD)

Shag 1 2nd calendar year roosting on wooden jetty, probably the one seen feeding earlier out from the Head.

Wigeon pair + Shelduck 18 on Red Nab

No Brents seen or reported today

Linnet 9 (2, 4 and 3) along the Power Station perimeter fence

Rock Pipit 4