A light predominantly SE breeze in the morning switched to the NW by lunchtime. A couple of light morning showers.
Middleton Nature Reserve
Ringing report from John:
Three nets set at Middleton this morning, and although only seventeen birds were caught over a four-hour period, they comprised a nice selection :
Lesser Redpoll x3
Willow Warbler x2
Sedge Warbler x2 including one, which was first ringed as a young bird in 2020.
Bullfinch x2
Blackcap x2
Garden Warbler x1
Cettis Warbler x1
Lesser Whitethroat x1
Grasshopper Warbler x1
Robin x1
Dunnock x1
Report from Pete:
Sea Heysham 0700-0850:
Red-Throated Diver 1
Manx Shearwater 2
Guillemot 2
Common scoter 1
Arctic tern 1
Sandwich tern 17
Swallow 52
House martin 2
Whimbrel 10
Goosander 1 male.
All inbound - vis poor with eg main scoter line not visible.
Bar-Tailed Godwit 40 on mud by Red Nab at high water
I had a walk along the south shore 07:30 -09:00 (MD).
Shelduck 12 - 8 east and 4 in
Eider 2 males, one on harbour mouth and one in.
I managed 8 Whimbrel and 2 Sandwich Tern, but probably already included in Pete's count.
Wheatear 4
Linnet 4 (all males)
Rock Pipit 4 - 1 on Red Nab, 2 near lighthouse and 1 above the waterfall.
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| Rock Pipit above the lighthouse nest hole |
Talking of nest sites, the female Carrion Crow is now sitting on their nest on the wooden jetty. We do not normally reveal the precise location of nest sites, but it would be a keen egg collector indeed to scale the wooden jetty (there is no longer a connection to shore).
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| Female Carrion crow on nest, visible from the lighthouse. The male was resting further along the jetty |
No sign of any Kittiwakes today
Kevin Eaves heard singing male:
Sedge Warbler in the scrub directly behind Red Nab
Lesser Whitethroat in the Nature Park
Angela Gillion relocated the singing Grasshopper Warbler near the go kart track (see post 27/04/23 for location). And was clearly delighted when she also managed to see him.
A nice clip, particularly with a mobile phone.
