A misty start with occasional light rain. The sun came out in the afternoon and another patch of evening mist. Light west to WSW wind.
Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)
I just had a short walk around (dog walking duties)
The ponds not closely checked but still 2 pair plus 1 Mute. 4+ Coot, 4 Moorhen, 2+ Little Grebe
Pete advised that this morning's conditions were ideal for a Willow Warbler fall, and so it proved.
Willow Warbler 6 singing males plus at least 4 others
Chiffchaff 7 singing males
Blackcap 1 singing male plus anoth male and female seen
Cetti's Warbler 2 singing (no swimming pond and central marsh males)
Wheatear 4 together - I'm so used to seeing them on the shore rocks, they always look strange when perching in a tree.
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| Four Wheatear |
Jay 3
Tim checked out Heysham Head:
Took the binoculars down to the Head late morning-lunchtime.
3 Rock Pipit on the cobbles at the Throbshaw end of Half Moon Bay. Could hear another 150m towards HMB, but did not see it. Later on the way back saw a RP parachute in front of the cliffs.
5-6 linnets
Similar greenfinch
A pair of RB mergansers fishing just off the HMB rocks.
1 little Egret
In the wood -
3 very quarrelsome Jays
2 Chiffchaff
Heysham skear low water 17:00 (MD)
Very infuriatingly, the mist rolled in just as I reached the water's edge, so stuff on the sea was largely obscured.
Pale-bellied Brent goose 4 on north side of skear - seen before the mist arrived, there were no others.
Red-breasted Merganser 5
Great Crested Grebe 2
Eider c100
The above three records affected by poor visibility.
Little Egret 12 - here are five of them shrimping
