Littles linger, but no tern today

Yesterday's gale quickly died down in the early evening. Today's wind was light from the west. Several showers, mainly in the morning.

South shore

Good coverage today with three visitors, but no sightings of the juvenile Arctic Tern.

Shaun was first to check:

07:30-09:00 : 

Little Gull minimum of 12 (3 adults, 2nd cy and 8 1st cy). 

Wigeon 187

Great Crested Grebe 1 near the harbour intakes

Rock Pipit 3.

I was going out as Shaun was coming off (MD), he said that there was only one adult Little Gull first thing and the other adults had only recently appeared. This continued as when I was returning there were two more adult giving a total of 14 Little gulls. Same number as yesterday but a different mix (8 adult and 6 1cy yesterday).

These shots from Janet who checked later still:

Adult Little Gull

1st calendar year Little Gulls
The low winter sun at this point made for difficult photography but interesting pictures 

The Great Crested Grebe was still in the harbour, by this time it was raining:

I checked the saltmarsh edge on the way back.

Linnet 4

Rock Pipit 1 (additional to Shaun's)

Reed Bunting 2

This clip shows one of the Reed Buntings, the Rock Pipit and a Dunnock foraging in the high water tide line.

This adult Mute Swan was flying high to the north over the saltmarsh 

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Seeing the Mute Swan movement prompted me to have a quick look on the way home.

There had been some changes with the Mute here too.

Adult female Mute Swan on the main pond with 6 cygnet 

The other 2 cygnet were on the "no swimming" pond. There was no sign of the male.

Also on the "no swimming" pond

Male Tufted duck

Water Rail 1 squealing

Cetti's Warbler 1 singing