Melanism, leucism and November dragonflies.

The light SE breeze continues. Overcast with sea mist for much of the day. The sun tried to break through mid afternoon and briefly raised the temperature from 9°C to 10°C.

Heysham skear - low water 09:30 (Malcolm)

No Brent geese turned up to feed in the skear corner today, but 3 Wigeon did. I've never seen any feeding here before, but it is understandable, there is lots of suitable weed to feed on this year.

Eider 2 males

Red-breasted Merganser 1

Great Crested grebe 1

I went down to see if any of the Knot were colour coded. There were more around today, over 2,500. Only three flagged birds were seen and just two of them read. Both had been seen here earlier. 

The (or a) melanistic bird was with them today, it is very hard to spot when it is resting, it is just like a shadow.

Melanistic (dark) Knot resting on the skear

Other waders as of late.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

Just two nets set this morning. There were a small number of single figure Redwing groups attracted but no Fieldfares.  A flock of 13 Woodpigeons flying purposefully southwards may have been migrants and a flock of c300 Pink footed Geese went south well to the East of the reserve.  There were fewer Blackbirds grounded also than of late.  However, 14 more Redwings were caught and ringed and another unringed Chiffchaff was also caught.

 

Redwing  14

Cetti's Warbler  2

Blackbird  2

Goldcrest  2

Chiffchaff  1

Reed Bunting  1

Bullfinch  2

Goldfinch  1

Wren  1

Blue Tit  1 + 1 retrap

Janet checked just after lunch.

A medium sized dragonfly was flying around the "no swimming" pond. Possibly a Migrant Hawker disturbed from wherever it was waiting for the sun to return.

Shoveler 2 a male and female type on the "no swimming" pond.

Shoveler 

I checked the two main ponds a little later (Malcolm). I couldn't relocate Janet's dragonfly but the Shovelers were still there. The female/immature kept her distance but the male was mobile allowing a nice close up,shot.

Male Shoveler

The Mute Swan pair and cygnet were on the "no swimming" pond again, with a solitary adult on the main pond.

Shoveler 2

Gadwall 21

Mallard 12

Tufted Duck 4

Teal 2

Coot 22

Moorhen 8

Little grebe 2 (one on each pond)

Boy's club - Gadwall, 2 Tufted and a Teal

South shore

Kevin set off at the only, brief, point in the day when the sun broke through, and spotted a medium to large dragonfly flying along the western edge of the saltmarsh. Unfortunately too distant for any detail, although no blue seen, and it quickly disappeared and couldn't be relocated.

A walk along the sea wall located.

Silver Y moth 3

I checked the foreshore and around the saltmarsh edges a little later.

Meadow Pipit 1 

Wasn't sure what it was at first sight as it had a broad white edge to its tail.....

......but it was just a leucistic tail feather

Wheatear 1 - another late bird.  

Not the one seen by Kevin a couple of days ago, which looked pale.

Just out of the recording area - the Horse Paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall

The Green Sandpiper was showing nicely