A light NW, later shifting to NE wind. Plenty of sunshine with an odd light shower.
Heysham Head (MD)
I went at low water to check the location of the reef I saw yesterday. Today's low water was 0.3m higher than yesterday so the the reef wasn't as exposed. I doubt it is a new feature, but is certainly higher than previous years and if the honeycomb beds don't get smothered by this year's mussels, it will continue to grow. It is directly out from Heysham Head, and today appeared as two separate reefs, but they are connected.
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| A honeycomb worm reef forming out from Heysham Head. It will only be visible during the lowest tides (1m today), but will attract marine life around it and should be attractive to diving birds. |
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| Looking north from the Head on these low spring tides you can see the full extent of the skear. The outer skear is on the far left. The rest visible on this shot is the middle skear. |
Rock Pipits 5 at least, there was a displaying male on the northern tip, he attracted two other birds. Below the high cliffs were two lots of two birds, possibly one of these pairs had been with the displaying male earlier.
Greenfinch 10 - they were concentrated in the bushes at the northern edge of the Head. These are some of them.
Linnet 2 (but the gorse on the southern section not checked)Goldfinch 2 in the wooded area
There was lots going on in the Glebe garden (always worth a visit). This male House Sparrow made me smile, where else would a House Sparrow want to nest?
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| He managed to attract a female |
Following yesterday's theme of spring flowers.........
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| A lot of snowdrops are already going over, but this stand was nice |
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| As were the swathes of Crocuses - Daffodils nearly out too |
South shore (MD)
Kittiwake 2 adult and 4 first winter still in the harbour. This adult was taking a bath.
Shag 1 immature on wooden jetty
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| Immature Shag, third from the left. |
Pale-bellied Brent goose 6 - they were just landing on Red Nab as I walked out, and on my return they were obviously getting ready to leave, so I took this clip.
Rock Pipit 4 - lighthouse, Red Nab and 2 on saltmarsh. So minimum of 9 seen today
Common Snipe 3
Jack Snipe - 3 snipe that flew from the line of marsh grass to the south and landed on the saltmarsh looked to be Jacks
Middleton Nature Reserve (Mark Jones)
Mute Swan 5 juvenile on the peninsula, the 2 adult were back on the pond, other wildfowl unchanged.
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| Male Pochard on "no swimming" pond |
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| Cormorant feeding on the main pond |
Just out of the recording area - Pete checked the large numbers of, mainly, Pink Footed geese feeding in the fields adjacent to Oxcliffe Road. Unfortunately, many remained obscured by the hedges, but out of the visible birds he managed to locate:
Barnacle Goose 4
Russian White Fronted Goose 2
