First dark-bellied this autumn

Light rain pretty much all day. A fresher SW wind.

Just my stuff today (Malcolm)

Saltmarsh 

I watched this morning's tide cover the saltmarsh 

Common Snipe 13 flushed from the marsh and flew towards Middleton Nature Reserve. 4 more arrived from the NW settled briefly before moving on again.

Jack Snipe 2 flushed and both flew towards Middleton Nature Reserve 

Wigeon 202 

Linnet 5

Reed Bunting 3

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a quick check of the two main ponds on my way home.

Mute pair plus well grown cygnet 

Mallard 18

Gadwall 8

Tufted Duck 2

Teal 1 male

Swan and Gadwall upending 

The male Teal was feeding too.

Heysham skear

A walk out with the ebbing tide this afternoon. These spring tides go out quickly and I ended up at the western limit of the middle skear.

Little Egret 9

Great Crested grebe 6

Eider 1 male

Common Scoter 2 (male and a female/immature) feeding. They were very distant and kept diving. These record shots were the best I managed.

male Common Scoter

Female or immature Common Scoter

Wigeon 3 in the SE skear corner

Pale-bellied Brent goose 6 in SE skear corner.

Four of the Pale-bellied Brent and three Wigeon, feasting on sea lettuce

Dark-bellied Brent goose 1 - fortunately it had just stopped raining for a few minutes 

Originally on the sea on the south of the skear

It then flew to the north side of the skear and remained on the sea there

No Knot around this evening