Plenty going on

The light easterlies continue, ESE in morning NE by evening. High cloud with little sunshine.

Seawatch report from Pete:

Sea this am: 

Arctic Tern: 18 plus perhaps the same 8 into the Bay then distantly out then back in, 

Arctic Skua - two DM together (also seen SJ)

Common Scoter 30

Sandwich Tern c25

Red-throated Diver 3

Black Tern 1 (also seen SJ)

Swift 1

Swallow 5

Whimbrel 3

96 Eider

2cy Shag

3 Red-breasted Merganserlow tide channel

Ringing reports:

Middleton Nature Reserve - John.

Three nets were set at Middleton this morning, with not a very large catch, but a reasonable selection, with a first Grasshopper Warbler for the year being caught.

The catch comprised:

Willow Warbler          5 new and 1 retrap

Sedge Warbler            2

Goldfinch                    2 

Lesser Whitethroat     1

Grasshopper Warbler  1

Cetti's Warbler             1 retrap

Blackcap                      1

Dunnock                      1 retrap

Whitethroat                 1

The retrap Willow Warbler was ringed initially at Middleton in 2018 as a young bird.

Heysham Nature Reserve - Jean

Meanwhile at Heysham NR I caught 

Willow warbler 3

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 1

Song Thrush 1

And it felt flippin freezing! 

South shore on ebbing tide (MD)

Wheatear 3

Rock Pipit 3 - Red Nab, Lighthouse. The bird that appears to only have one leg is still around, today between the lighthouse and the waterfall. But it does have two legs, presumably something is wrong with the right one. If you watch this clip carefully (near the beginning) you can see it try to correct its balance with its right foot.

Whimbrel 3 on Red Nab

Turnstone 1 one Red Nab and none on the wooden jetty. The only other waders seen were the Oystercatchers.

Heysham skear - low water 17:45 (MD)

White Wagtail 1 male flew north from promenade 

Pink-Footed goose 1 looking bedraggled on the shoreline 

Eider only 40 close in but the outer channels not checked.

Red-breasted Merganser 7

Shag 1 2nd calendar year seen flying to north side to feed. This clip is actually from yesterday, but this is the same area where it was feeding today.

Sandwich Tern 12 feeding

Arctic Tern 40 north 17:30

Whimbrel 6

Turnstone again the only other wader apart from Oystercatcher, and again just one seen on the skear. But c100 flew in from the south and started feeding amongst the rocks near the promenade.

From Kevin:

The sea wall continuous to deliver the goods ....... 

in this case a lovely little Figwort Weevil.

I certainly find this little creature interesting, and it has striking features, but I'm not sure that I could bring myself to call it "lovely" (MD)