First Blackcap and Whoopers on the move

 Very light variable wind, mainly NE in the morning and SW later in the afternoon, warmer and plenty of sunshine.

North shore

Morning report from Pete:

Pale-bellied Brent Goose 4 (earlier 6)

Eider 77 

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Great Crested Grebe 7

Whooper Swan 32 swans presumed this species seen distantly flying up Leven Estuary (plus later in the afternoon, c50 whooper swans on edge of tide off grange. Middle of bay)

Goldeneye 1 female

I was checking from the skear (MD)

Many of the Eider were males, desperately trying to woo the few remaining females.

The Goldeneye was feeding and was never on the surface for long, this is probably the best clip of it with a couple of Great Crested Grebes

One of the six Pale-bellied Brent feeding out from the play area early on was a first winter.

Canada Goose 3 distant flying east.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1 

Bar-Tailed Godwit

Black-Tailed Godwit  - a flock of c40 godwit flew directly overhead unfortunately the sun was behind them, but the calling and behaviour strongly suggests this species

Knot c50

Dunlin 3

Plus Oystercatcher, Redshank, Turnstone and Curlew 

Little Egret 3

Grey Heron 1

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Alan:

John and I set three nets at Heysham this morning from 09.00. The conditions were not ideal with bright sun and northerly, but light, airstream. Captures were few to start but improved, and did also include a Blackcap at 14.00.

Dunnock 3 retraps

Robin 2 + 2 retraps

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 1 + 1 retrap

Goldcrest 2

Long-tailed Tit 3 retraps

Blue Tit 1 + 1 retrap

Great Tit 2 + 2 retraps

Greenfinch 8 + 1 retrap

Goldfinch 9 + 4 retraps

Bullfinch 2 retraps

Mark Jones had a walk around at lunchtime.

3 singing chiffchaff , 2 reed buntings, 1 bullfinch and a comma main sightings

First Comma of the year

Middleton Nature Reserve (Mark Jones)

Quite busy, heard a water rail, 1 goldcrest, at least 2 little grebe trilling
also 2 cormorant fishing

Immature Cormorant on the main pond

South shore

Report from Kevin Eaves

Kittiwake 3 x 2nd calendar year, 2 on their pipe in the harbour plus one fishing on outflows with a few immature Common Gulls

I just checked from Red Nab to saltmarsh at high water (MD)

Shelduck 3 

Wigeon 6

Rock Pipit 2 on Red Nab

Wheatear 1 male on foreshore 

Different view of a Wheatear

Reed Bunting 1 on saltmarsh 

Common Snipe 10 flushed as the tide reached the marsh grass just south of the saltmarsh