Monday 17 October 2022

First Wheatear for a while, plus some of the regulars

A strong wind pretty much due south to begin with, then moved further to SW before easing early evening. Sunny spells.

First some additional shots from Craig Bell's successful search for Yellow-browed warblers on Heysham Nature Reserve yesterday (see yesterday's post for the YBW pictures):

Chiffchaff 

Long-Tailed Tit

Male Common Darter
They were still around today, Janet saw some on Middleton Nature Reserve 

Oystercatcher from sea wall

Heysham skear (MD)
I had a short walk along the inner skear at low water, at 3.3m it didn't go out far, and not much was on the sea or passing over 
Little Egret 10
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Great Crested Grebe 2
Wader: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Turnstone, Redshank 100+ (there always seems to many more on these low tides, I don't think it's because they are more concentrated), Ringed Plover 27 and Knot 4!

South shore 
Mediterranean gull 2 seen by Pete in a very brief check as the tide turned

I had a walk on the afternoon rising tide (MD)
Linnet 70+ on saltmarsh 
Rock Pipit 3
Wheatear 1 (first since 23rd September)
Wheatear 
Wigeon numbers are growing there were 54 in the channel next to No.2 outflow, waiting for the tide to reach the gut weed covered Red Nab.
Wigeon

Shag 1 x 2nd calendar year in the harbour. This is the same platform that four cormorants were resting on yesterday. No cormorant today

2cy Shag