Wash and brush up

The fresh SW wind was even colder than yesterday, but it remained dry till late afternoon. The wind is increasing and the rain heavy as I type. 

South wall (MD)

Lapwing 154 out from the saltmarsh 

Shelduck 49

Wigeon c60. They were sheltering from the wind on the rocks of the lee side of No.2 outflow. They normally rest on the water in the channel here.

Wigeon and gulls sheltering from the cold SW wind

No Rock Pipit again, perhaps they too are sheltering from the wind, there are plenty of sheltered ares within the Power Station grounds.

Kittiwake 23 - 3 adult plus a first winter on No.1 outflow. 3 adult plus 16 first winter in the harbour

North shore

Late morning - Janet was exercising a friend's dog in the public field near the play area. She took this shot of Pale-bellied Brent geese looking for somewhere to land on the rocks.

45 Pale-bellied Brent geese over the play area rocks

I went down to check the skear at 14:00 - low water (MD)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 67 minimum 

Dark-bellied Brent goose 1

I went out from Four Lane Ends (Whinnysty Lane), which meant I had to cross the rocks. The bulk of the Brent Geese were further south, but a small group was just north of me. So, head down, I walked away and manage to pass them without disturbing them. This gave me the advantage of the sun behind me and being quite close. So I took a couple of shots.

While I was on the skear I kept looking back to the play area, a couple of times there was a group in flight, but they quickly landed again. Then, at low water 68 landed on the sea just behind me.

They may have been disturbed, or they may have decided that it was "the time", either way they made their way into the skear corner. There is no food for them here this year, but the fresh water does reach the sea here. Many drank and all of them washed in the brackish water (both the wind and the tide now, holding the fresh water in the corner).

The above clip begins with this Dunlin with the Brent, I was a bit surprised
how big it looked! It just shows just how small a goose Brent are (MD)

After  a wash and brush up, they rested a while. This is the dark-bellied bird. It seemed to be the one who decided that it was time to head back. They waddled to the shore then flew back to the rocks. It wasn't possible to see if any Brent had remained amongst the rocks.

Dark-bellied Brent centre

Knot c750 - when a wave passes through the flock, as it does early in this clip, it normally means that they are under attack, but I couldn't see a raptor and they quickly settled. If it was an attack it must have been quick and successful, as they soon settled again.

The same mix, but still of interest

Another mild day despite a bitterly cold west wind. Plenty of sunny spells.

South shore - lunchtime dog walk (MD)

Shelduck 96

Wigeon only c50 but the tide was out

Grey Plover 1 near wooden jetty

Kittiwake 22 - two adult and four 1st winter on the outflows. Another two adult and at least fourteen 1st winter in the harbour. There were at least two 1st winter behind the ferry, but couldn't be sure that they were new birds.

One of the adult Kittiwake on the outflows

This first winter Kittiwake behind the ferry already has a largely yellow bill

This first winter Kittiwake is more typical with a solid black bill

There is a honeycomb worm bed developing in front of the roundhead sloping wall. Always worth checking for Purple Sandpiper, but today only Oystercatcher and Turnstone 

The waders, or gulls for that matter, don't eat the worms, which will be safely resting several centimetres below the top of their tubes. But they find other invertebrates between the crevices.

This female Eider was just out from the roundhead too. She has a crab, and I suspect that she has already removed its claws, as she dives when the gull pounces and when she returns to the surface she has swallowed the crab.

Unusually, no Rock Pipits seen or heard today

North shore (MD)

Just a brief evening check of the rocks out from the play area.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 54 at least. They were feeding along the edge of the rocks as the tide reached them. This makes for easier grazing of the gutweed and sea lettuce. But this one finds a piece of brown seaweed (algae), it looks tempting, but is eventually discarded.

These were part of a group that were feeding amongst the more inshore rocks, 
but flew to the outer ones when the tide reached them

They were easily visible from the promenade as this clip demonstrates 

There was a large resting flock of Black-Headed gulls amongst the rocks, including one with a green darvic ring. Another 30 seconds and I would have been close enough to read it, when this commotion started above and they all took flight. I don't know what this Black-Headed gulls had, but the large gulls wanted it!

It managed to get away with its prize. The shot below is just a still from the clip.

It's mainly just the Brents today

And increasingly fresh west wind as the day progressed. A warm night and a dry day after a morning shower.

South Shore

Pete Crooks checked the play area rocks, late morning:

Pale-bellied Brent 74

Dark-bellied Brent 1

I walked out to the skear towards 11:30 low water (MD). I don't know if something spooked the Brent or they just wanted a rest, but c70 flew from the play area rocks and landed in the sea. This is the main group (there was another 3 also on the water). You can see the green marker post behind these at the start of the clip.

They chose to come ashore at the mouth of a freshwater runoff channel, many having a drink and a bath, perhaps this was their objective? They may be a large group, but there were different factions amongst it and some disputes. I couldn't see the dark-bellied amongst them and suspect it was with the other three, that had now moved on/back.

When I looked back a little later, they were trying to find somewhere to land out from the play area, but with so many birds it seems to be difficult for them all to "agree". This attempt eventually saw them landing in the less populated (and less weed available) rocks out from the Sunnyslopes groyne. But a second check a bit later, saw them back in front of the play area, where there continues to be plenty of gutweed and sea lettuce.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 4 on the shore

Dunlin c30

Turnstone c40

Knot c500

Some of the Knot

I mentioned the other day how difficult it can be to read any colour ringed Knot. I scrutinised the resting Knot and eventually located one with an orange flag. Unfortunately, initially its legs were in the water, then flew out of sight at the back of the flock.

Eider 14

More pairing up

Very light, still at times, breeze from west/SW. occasional light rain but mainly dry and overcast.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Just a handful of Teal hiding in the margins on the "no swimming" pond

Main pond

The usual 2 adult and 5 immature Mute

Moorhen 4

Gadwall 4

Mallard 6

Coot 2 - there has just been a solo bird this year so far. But two together today.

South Shore (MD)

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 - as soon as I got out of my car at the beginning of the Nature Park, one was drumming. Two then circled the trees, calling to each other, before resting in the trees near the white barrier.

Not really much to see here, the male is top left, with the female bottom centre. 

The female was hard to see through the twigs, but I did manage this identifiable clip of the male. You can hear his mate making contact calls 

Wigeon 318 waiting for the tide to reach Red Nab

Shelduck 105 feeding out from the foreshore. These are a few of them sifting small invertebrates from the mud surface. It was becoming quite misty as the tide covered the mud.

Kittiwake 20 - 2 adult and a 1st winter on No.1 outflow. 2 adult and 15 x 1st winter in harbour

Rock Pipit 4 - saltmarsh, Red Nab plus 2 individuals along the sea wall.

Linnet 2 near lighthouse 

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1 flew along the sea wall with the Curlew.

Bar-Tailed Godwit with Curlew

Not seen this dredger before, it's a belter! The Sospan-dau. 

Apparently, Sospan is Welsh for saucepan. As far as I'm concerned it is also Lancashire for saucepan! Dau is Welsh for two. So, the second in a line of dredgers named saucepan - oh the romance of the dredger ship namers!

Howard sent these shots. It's the old heliport sloping sea wall. This first shot was taken with his phone camera during storm Eunice last February, it shows the power of the waves here.

This next shot is today and shows that sections of the concrete wall at the Cafe end have been broken away. It isn't a coincidence that the damaged section hasn't got any protective boulders at the base.

I don't know what substrate is behind the concrete, but once exposed like this I imagine that it will quickly erode and undermine the wall. As Howard says, something to keep an eye on, particularly if we get storms during the upcoming high spring tides. (MD)

Long distance Brenting

Light variable breezes. Some sunny spells

Heysham skear - low water 09:50 (MD)

I couldn't resist another look although I chose a a central, easier track today. I wasn't expecting much different and that proved to be the case. Eider, Great Crested Grebes and Red-Breasted Mergansers much the same. There were no Knot or Dunlin today. Ringed Plover 18 on the inner skear.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose 2 - milling around the honeycomb worm reefs. There is no food for them here, presumably they were just resting. (These are not what today's title refers to)

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Carrion Crow 11 - they search the crevices in the honeycomb worm beds for food, but I don't really know what they are finding to eat. There are 9 in this clip.

South shore - high water 15:40

Kevin Eaves checked the sea wall and harbour

Kittiwake 17 minimum, 2 each on the outflows the remainder in the harbour, including 12 on their pipe.

First winter Kittiwake - nice shots to open to check the plumage details

I set off at the same time (2 hours before high water) and checked the shore out from the saltmarsh (MD)

Shelduck 105

Wigeon c180 (remaining on Red Nab as I was heading back)

Common Snipe 22 flushed from saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting 5 (saltmarsh)

Rock Pipit 4 (3 together on saltmarsh and Red Nab)

Kittiwake 1 x first winter near the saltmarsh 

Lapwing 35 on saltmarsh 

There were lots of waders on the sore out from the saltmarsh being driven in by the tide, plus there were many more further south, just out of the recording area.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 280

Knot c800

Dunlin c200

Grey Plover 17

These are some of the Grey Plover and Knot

Pale-bellied Brent goose 44 - the "normal" sequence of movement on rising spring tides is that any birds feeding on the north side, fly to Red Nab as the tide covers the north side feeding areas. But at 14:25 these 33 flew from the south to Red Nab as seen from the saltmarsh shore.

At 14:55 I'd got back as far as the saltmarsh slipway when these 44 flew off south.

Perhaps the additional 11 had joined from the north side, or I could have missed them arriving from the south.

These clips are from this morning on the skear. You regularly get foxes on the shore including the skear, but it's normally after dark (their eyes shining back from your torchlight can be disconcerting) they scavenge any edible flotsam. This dog fox was giving me a stern look, but he wasn't overly perturbed. I didn't see the second fox (presumably a vixen) immediately, she was laid down ignoring me, but her erect ears showing that she was alert.

I gave them a wide berth and left them to it, although I suspect that they had already been to it! A little later a pet dog was barking, not at the fox, just from the shoreline. When I looked back the male fox was making his way across the beach towards Heysham Head, he was keeping a close eye on the barking dog, before upping his pace. I couldn't see the vixen, but suspect she was were I left them.

The battle lines are drawn......

An overnight light frost followed by a dry and often sunny day. Very light NW to NE breeze (calm at times)

Heysham skear - low water 09:05 (MD)

Pink-Footed Goose 735 in 10 north bound skeins between 08:00 and 08:55

Shelduck 1 north

I mentioned last night that I will be able to get further out this morning than I have since autumn. Not only further out but further south and north too. I took the south side heading out. The going was very difficult, the honeycomb worm beds and reefs have grown here, and they are not easy to traverse.

This is what laid ahead of me, some of these beds are 1.5m high.

Shag 1 immature feeding just out from the southern honeycomb worm beds. The gull has a small starfish. At this size they try to swallow them whole.

The honeycomb worm beds thinned out after about 250m after that the winter storms have stripped all the mussels. All that remains are the rocks of the skear bottom and banks of broken shells. It took 45 minutes to reach the first channel. This is as far as you can go in just wellies, it's a mile from the shore, and it only takes 25-30 minutes as a rule.

First channel, with bare banks on both sides. To the left is the start of the
outer skear, on the right is the end of the middle skear

So, the honeycomb worms have survived and the mussels have gone. There are also extensive honeycomb worm reefs on the north side. This is what today's title refers to. The battle for ownership of the skear between the mussels and honeycomb worm begins here. The honeycomb worm have the advantage of, first, still being here, and then the opportunity to spread further before the seed mussels arrive in spring. But when the seed mussels do arrive they arrive en masse and can smother everything. Unfortunately (for the mussels) the seed mussels attract large numbers of gulls (mainly Herring) that feed on them. I look forward to watching the battle unfold.

Knot 350 in small flocks

Knot and a couple of Dunlin. But this shot is not about the birds, it's just to show how  beautiful it
is out here on a nice morning. The dark banks just behind the Knot are Honeycomb worm reefs 

Cormorant 18 at least feeding and many seen catching flounders. This one has a large one but quickly released it. It is just about on the limit of what they can swallow and they normally try, but it was being harassed and I suspect it knew there were plenty of more suitable sized flatties around.

Cormorant with a large Flounder

Eider 38

Wigeon 2

The lack of mussels here is not a problem for the Eider at the moment. This clip of Eider and Wigeon starts with a female Eider eating a crab. She then catches and eats another all within 30 seconds!

Great Crested Grebe 6

Red-breasted Merganser 19

By this time the tide was coming in quickly and concentrating the birds. This clip starts with preening Eider, then feeding Merganser, Cormorants resting after feeding and a feeding Cormorant with a more conservative sized flattie.

Just a small, section of the north side honeycomb worm reefs

Tides do not come in and out at a regular pace, they begin by coming in slowly, then start to speed up before slowing down again before high water. It was now 90 minutes flood and it was coming in very quickly.

Time to leave!

South shore- high water 14:40 (MD)

Just a check of Red Nab to the saltmarsh towards high water

Pale-bellied Brent goose 18 arrived at 13:00 and also seen flying south at 13:50. These are them arriving at Red Nab.

Shelduck 8

Wigeon c200

Rock Pipit 4 - 1 on Red Nab, 1 + 2 together on saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting 8

Skylark 1

Nature Park 

This Jay was retrieving some buried nuts near the newt pond.

There are three finch species in this shot. Male and female Bullfinch, two Greenfinch
and a Goldfinch. You will probably need to open the image to see the detail.

A walk in the rain

A freshening SW then NW wind. Today's rain confined itself to the duration of my lunchtime walk, then quite a sunny afternoon 

Jean managed a check of Middleton Nature Reserve:

Main pond 
2ad 5imm Mute Swans as per usual
Moorhen 1
Mallard 2M, 1F

No swimming pond
4prs Gadwall
1 Coot
1 male Tufted Duck

Cetti’s Warbler at edge of reedbed on W side of ringing area

Pink-footed Goose 28 flew over heading south

Borrans Lane
Little Egret

South shore (MD)

My only outing today was to exercise my daughter's dog along the sea wall at lunchtime. It lashed it down on the way out, not so bad coming back.

Wigeon 200+ around Red Nab then south as it was covered by the tide.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 22 - I didn't see any on the way out, but they could have been missed in the rain. As I returned, they were gathering on the water, which is often a prelude to flight. And so it proved to be.

Red-breasted Merganser 1 female

Kittiwake 17 - 6 on the outflows (2 adult), 2 x first winter behind the ferry, 9 in the harbour (3 adult)

I like Janet's term for this pipe where they choose to rest......."their pipe". These are two adult and a first winter on their pipe. There were four more 1st winter birds further along the pipe.

This is the third adult with another first winter on the secondary waterfall. The young bird seems to have a particularly broad neck band, perhaps it was just the way it was holding its neck.

Rock Pipits 4 - sea wall near wooden jetty, sea wall near Red Nab, foreshore and saltmarsh.

Skylark 2 saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting 5 saltmarsh 

Ringed Plover 26 - flew south over the caravan park, did a couple of circuits of the saltmarsh....

Ringed Plover

.....before settling on Ocean Edge grass. I say "settling" but they were far from settled!

At least the weather is set fair for tomorrow, and I am hoping to get further out on the skear in the morning than the light has allowed me since autumn - can't wait! (MD)

Peering through the mists......again

Very light southerly breeze. Low cloud/mist/drizzle all day.

Just my stuff so far (MD)

Heysham skear - low water 07:35

It was dark and misty......(I feel like saying full stop)

Brent geese - 3 flying around skear, at 09:05 a distant flock of 20+ flew towards the rocks out from the play area (which was out of visible range)

Pink-Footed geese - several skeins heard milling around above the mist.

Eider 18

Pintail 2 (duck and drake)

Great Crested Grebe 6

Still no Little Egrets

When you can see almost nothing, you can always watch the water. The lack of wind this morning does allow you to see just how quickly these 10 metre tides come in.

When I started this clip I was on the water's edge. By the time it finishes the water is three metres past me. You need to know that you have a safe path back when it comes in like this.

South sea wall

A pleasant walk along the wall starting 90 minutes after high water.

Pale-bellied Brent goose - I was expecting to see a largish flock arrive from the south, but it didn't happen. There were two already feeding on Red Nab.

Wren on Red Nab

Redshank on sloping sea wall

Female Red-breasted Merganser taking off from the pool on Red Nab

Kittiwake 16 -  4 adult plus 2 x first winter on the outflows. Another 10 x first winter in the harbour

This Black-Headed Gull grabbed this whitebait/sprat from No.1 outflow. It is almost snatched away by an adult Kittiwake, unfortunately you cant really see the Kittiwake in this clip.

Close up from the above clip showing the fish

Rock Pipit 2 - Red Nab/sea wall and lighthouse area.

Shag 1 immature on wooden jetty

A cosmopolitan mix

 First a couple of updates from yesterday.

Jeff Gorse paid a visit and enjoyed a walk along the south sea wall:

All the usual suspects in place Sunday PM (1.30-3) at Red Nab to the Harbour, 3 brent geese amongst large numbers of wigeon on the rocks at Red Nab, kingfisher and little egret fishing the same gully, several curlew and in the harbour area lots of kittiwake including this youngster which landed to preen almost at my feet

First winter Kittiwake

On checking her pictures, Janet realised that there were two different Grey Seals yesterday 

This female was near the wooden jetty

This one looks to be a male, was near No.2 outflow

And so to today. Very light variable breeze, overcast all day with the odd light shower.

South Shore

I just checked the saltmarsh as the tide covered it (MD). No Jack Snipe today.

Common Snipe 14

Wigeon 200+

Kingfisher 1 again flew from Red Nab towards Middleton Nature Reserve 

Reed Bunting 5

Skylark 1

Janet had a walk along the sea wall

Pale-bellied Brent goose 12 at least on Red Nab

This splendid Cormorant was also on Red Nab

Kittiwakes 20+ again mainly in the harbour. Janet took some lovely shots, these are just two of them.

First winter Kittiwake

Adult Kittiwake 

Young gull with a fish, I can't be sure what it is (fish or gull! MD)

Rock Pipit on the sloping sea wall

This Robin near the lighthouse was looking a bit bedraggled 

Kevin Eaves also had a look along the wall

Female Red-breasted Merganser near Red Nab

North shore

Howard managed to read another 5 colour ringed Knot at the high water roost, despite there only being about 1,000 birds today

This one is part of a Dutch ringing scheme

I checked the shore out from the play area on the ebbing tide in the late afternoon fading light (MD)

Pale-bellied Brent goose 24 - almost certainly including those on Red Nab earlier

Dark-bellied Brent goose 1

The lightning was strange, the sky was grey, the sea was grey and flat (looking like the sky) and a grey mist excluded all but the highest distant features. This is the main group of Brent arriving from the south side, it shows what I mean. The dark lines behind the brent are ripples in the channels, not the nonexistent horizon.

This is the Dark-bellied Brent feeding with 2 Pale-bellied. You can see the large pieces of weed being eaten. A feast after the short cropped weed on Red Nab.

I was stuck, I didn't want to risk spooking them. I had to wait till the tide ebbed onto the shore, before heading away from them. When it had ebbed enough I carefully moved past them at a safe distance along the waterline. Success! But I needn't have bothered, 10 minutes later they flew out and rested on the sea a while. I don't think they were spooked, I've noticed previously that after feeding a while they often take a break, presumably to allow some digestion. Although this pattern isn't always clear as they are often spooked on busier days. Either way it allowed this in flight shot as they flew over me.

The light was fading quickly, but the Dark-bellied bird is more obvious in flight.
It is just right of centre

Eider 11

Great Crested Grebe 1

Bar-Tailed Godwit 18 feeding

Black Tailed Godwit 73 in one flock heading north

Black-Tailed Godwit

Finally, Jean checked out a seldom visited section of the recording area: Borrans Lane off Middleton Road. It's in grid square SD4159 so is in the recording area 

Teal 8

Redwing 25 in the trees along the path to the large substation 

There are some horse paddocks, stables and dung heaps so there were plenty of birds there including 25 Goldfinch, 17 House Sparrows a Pied Wagtail and an unringed Grey Wagtail. 

The whole area looks like it might be brilliant if there are "fall" conditions in spring.

A check of Middleton NR ringing site

Cetti's Warbler and a Water Rail heard in the central marsh.

Good and thorough coverage

Perhaps the last freezing night for a while, light SE breeze. Mainly overcast with a few afternoon showers.

South Shore

I just checked the saltmarsh just before high water (MD). I watched the whole of the saltmarsh being covered and again the Common Snipe surprised me, today by their relatively low numbers.

Common Snipe 15

Jack Snipe 5 seen, 1 possibly duplicated, but unlikely. A possible 6th could not be confirmed 

Reed Bunting 7

Skylark 5

Skylark 

This lark was calling as it flew, I was hoping my camera would pick it up, but it didn't. I just managed a couple of short clips, so I put them together.

Janet had a walk along the sea wall and took these nice shots.

Heron Flushed from its favoured rock

Kingfisher on Red Nab

Rock Pipit having a bath in the groundwater runoff on Red Nab

Not sure what this Black- Headed Gull has, but I'm not convinced that it is edible

First winter Kittiwake with a very edible sandeel or whitebait

Adult Kittiwake on the harbour "kittiwake pipe"

Grey Seal

Pete and Jean did a thorough count as part of this month's WeBS survey. 

This is Jean's report, it includes the snipe recorded above.

From Ocean Edge saltmarsh to Heysham Village Bay:

Cormorant 67

Shag 1

Grey Heron 1

Little Egret 1

Wigeon 198

Oystercatcher 7780

Ringed Plover16

Grey Plover 1

Knot 5425

Jack Snipe 5

Common Snipe 15

Redshank 351

Turnstone 9

Black-headed Gull 66

Herring Gull 24

Great Black-backed Gull 14

Kittiwake 24 (20 x 1st winter, 4 x adult, most in the harbour and a few on the outfalls)

A Grey Seal was fishing by the outfalls

Most of the Oystercatchers and all of the Knot were roosting on the heliport sea wall (with a few overflowing onto the top). The Redshank were mostly on Red Nab, with others on Ocean Edge saltmarsh.

Howard managed to read another 7 ringed Knot today, despite the Near Naze birds being regularly lifted by "snappers wanting in flight shots".

This Knot's flag is blotched, but after careful checks of both sides it was  
eventually read. It is already beginning to get its red summer plumage