Quite a lot going on today

The morning north light wind drifted to NE by the afternoon. High cloud with some sunny spells

South Shore

Report from Pete:

Little Stint 1 juvenile with 250-300 small waders inshore off south end Ocean edge then flushed by Sparrowhawk and landed south of Potts corner - only about half the flock grilled in time.  

Mediterranean gulls 5 outfalls and area (2 2cy, 3 ad)

Late common whitethroat in brambles sw corner Heysham harbour

Barnacle Geese 2 south (they are barely annual here)

I had a quick look at high water (MD)

Only the closest Red Nab rocks still exposed

Sandwich Tern 2 (adult with juvenile)

Adult with juvenile Sandwich Tern

Also on the rocks:

Ringed Plover 30 - this one got a rude awakening 

Dunlin 12

Redshank 10

Turnstone 5

Rock pipit 3 - this one was acrobatically catching flies lifted by the rising tide.

On the, largely covered, saltmarsh:

Linnet 17

Common Snipe 1

Wigeon 2

Mediterranean gull 1 - sat on the water with Black-Headed gulls, this clip shows the Med, then location 

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Summary from Pete:

Four grounded redwing flew inland 0703, later two more.

A small goldcrest arrival, a few Chiffchaffs

Tree Sparrow migrant flock of  9 south

Detail report from Jean:

Ringing today

New birds:

Wren 1

Robin 1

Goldcrest 1

Great Tit 1

Blue Tit 1

Goldfinch 2

Grey Wagtail 2

Greenfinch 2

Chiffchaff 1

Treecreeper 1

Long-tailed Tit 1

Retraps: 

3 Robins, one of which was first ringed in 2017. It was looking its age, very tatty looking because it was moulting wing, head and tail feathers. The longevity record for Robins is 8 years so the Heysham one is getting there! 

2 Goldcrests, one ringed at Middleton NR as a youngster last October, the other first ringed at Heysham in 2019.

2 recent Blue Tits.

Just 2 Pied Wagtails to add to Pete's vis above

Heysham skear - low water 08:45 (MD)

Eider 11

Wigeon 7 south

Pink-Footed goose 33 high north 09:10 + 30 high south 10:00

Little Egret 11

Great Crested Grebe 11

Red-breasted Merganser 21 - 19 ended up in the NE corner of skear which is their favoured feeding area on the rising tide. There are 16 in this clip.

Shag 1 x 2nd calendar year. It had been feeding in the NE corner, then someone walked along the far bank.  The walker was totally oblivious to the Shag, but this clip shows the Shag's reaction, not spooked, but it wasn't prepared to lose sight of the potential threat. It also provides a good size comparison to the equally wary Eider.

After the walker had moved on, it returned to feeding

Waders : Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone plus

Ringed Plover 13

Knot 35 + 4 south

Half Moon Bay towards high water (Kevin Singleton)

Swallow 2 heading north

Rock Pipit 2

Rock Pipit

Jay 1 over Tranmere Crescent 

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Mute Swan pair plus 7 cygnets on main pond plus another adult on Tim Butler pond

Heron 1 - this was interesting, the Heron normally feeds near the peninsula on the north side. But today it was in the water where the swans are regularly fed. There was no one around (I don't count!), but the swans were still feeding. What the Heron has obviously "worked out" is that the same food that attracts the swans also attracts the fish, which in turn attracts the Heron! Unfortunately a visitor arrived before it could catch anything.

Heron at the swan feeding point on the main pond.

Mallard 7

Gadwall 7 on "no swimming" pond plus 1 on Tim Butler pond

Moorhen 7

Coot 1

Little grebe 2 on "no swimming" pond

Insects:

Common Darter 7 (4males)

Migrant Hawker 5 (4males)

Speckled Wood 4

Red Admiral 1

Common Field Grasshopper - not heard any calling for a while, but they are still around. This one has quite an rufous end to its abdomen.

Common Field Grasshopper 

It's not easy to see in the above shot, a bit easier when it moves. In this short clip, its abdomen is throbbing, I know almost nothing about grasshoppers but guess it's part of the getting warm process (MD)