Several shades of grey!

Very low cloud all day but it remained fine. No air movement at all at times, when there was a gentle breeze it was from the south.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

The morning was mild and overcast with a very light SSE air movement.  Thrushes appeared not to have arrived in large numbers on this side of the country yet.  A few single figure groups did fly over from west to east, presumably having reached sight of the sea and turned back. They took little notice of the Mp3 player. The three Redwings trapped early on were already grounded.  Plenty of Blackbirds were in evidence around the reserve.  A Water Rail recording was played briefly near the reedbeds but with no response at all. Two Snipe flew a few a couple circuits round the site. Nets were set from just before 07.00 until 11.00 - the catch was poor for the time spent there. Jean did very much better at the Heysham feeding station.

Redwing  3

Blackbird  1

Chiffchaff  1

Long tailed Tit and Blue Tit  1 retrap of each

Chaffinch  1

Bullfinch   1

Reed Bunting  2

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

Another ringing session dominated by Goldfinches. 19 more new ones caught bringing the total since mid September to 121. 

42 birds of 9 species caught between 0820 and 1300hrs

Blue Tit 0 new 2 retraps
Great Tit 1 new 2 retraps
Chiffchaff 2 new 0 retraps
Goldcrest 1 new, 0 retraps
Robin 1 new 2 retraps
Dunnock 0 new 2 retraps
Chaffinch 2 new 0 retraps
Greenfinches 4 new 0 retraps
Goldfinch 19 new 4 retraps

All retraps from this year apart from a Dunnock from last year. One of the Great Tits was ringed in May in a nestbox on the Landscape Strip woodland.

Nothing much overhead - a flock of 6 Siskin and three flocks of Pink-footed Geese heading south totalling about 240, just 2 Redwing, 2 Song Thrushes and a few Blackbirds.

South shore (Malcolm)

I walked in with the rising tide this morning, out from the saltmarsh. The grey light and still conditions made everything look monochrome.

Pink-Footed goose 59 (7 and 52) flew low towards the Fylde coast. These are additional to Jean's birds, so 299 in total.

Pink-Footed geese

Shelduck 18

Shelduck and an Oystercatcher 

Wigeon 151, first at Red Nab then to the saltmarsh 

Whooper Swan 6

Whooper Swans - the shipping lane buoy providing a "splash" of colour!

It felt a bit surreal as they flew past barely making a sound.

Oystercatcher 300 resting on the mud plus 40 were the only waders along the waterline.

Curlew 89 flew in small groups from the north side.

Curlew

Knot none landed but c1,000 in smallish flocks flew south

Knot

Redshank 65 feeding around the saltmarsh 

Grey Plover 10 resting high up the shore with a feeding group of  8 Ringed Plover and a Dunlin

5 Ringed Plover and a Dunlin

Grey Plover

Carrion Crow 18 foraging on the shore

Carrion Crow

On the way back to the saltmarsh a small raptor was flying off with a kill. Possibly a Merlin, but only seen from behind.

Linnet, ominously only 2 (3 here yesterday)

Heysham Head (Janet)

Janet was struck by the same sentiment as me: "The light was as flat as the sea, it almost looks black and white!!"

Eider 2

These shots are Knot coming in to roost on the rocks. A few Redshank and Turnstone also on the rocks