More Arctic Terns through

A light overnight south wind switched to NE early morning. Reasonably dry but with low cloud/drizzle early evening.

Pete and Jean checked the low tide channels from Knowlys Rd and the North sea wall early morning.

Goldeneye 1 drake

Pintail 2 - male and female 

Teal 2 female

Eider  185

Common Scoter 5

Red-breasted Merganser 6 

Great Crested Grebe 3

Sandwich Tern 2

Arctic Tern 6 in

Pale-bellied Brent goose 4 initially at the play area off Knowlys Rd, then flew to Red Nab.

South shore

I checked along the sea wall towards high water (Malcolm)

The Brent geese were still on Red Nab. Note their relaxed feeding method now compared to the frantic grazing over winter.

Wheatear 4

Linnet 2 at lighthouse and 4 on saltmarsh 

Pied Wagtail 1

Rock Pipit 1 by lighthouse 

Female Speckled Wood in the scrub behind Red Nab - first this year

Janet took these nice shots along the sea wall yesterday.

Rock Pipit flying to the top of the lighthouse
for a better vantage point to watch Janet from.

A second calendar year Cormorant 

A mature Cormorant 

In the Nature Park

Male Blackcap

Chiffchaff 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked this morning

Grasshopper Warbler 2 reeling - 1 in the central marsh and 1 where the old brick weighbridge building used to be.

Also singing from the main path, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Common Whitethroat 

Coot - walking (ok, running) on water

Goldfinch collecting nesting material from the Reedmace seed heads

Orange Tip butterfly 2

Shieldbug (gorse?)

Closer to home Janet leaves a feeder filled with dog hair for her local residents.

Blue Tit

Female House Sparrow

Heysham skear

A quick early evening check (in the only rain of the day Malcolm)

Eider, Great Crested Grebes and Red-breasted Mergansers not counted but similar to this morning's counts. Still 2 Sandwich Terns.

Shag 1 adult feeding on the south side.

Whimbrel 3

Bar-Tailed Godwit 107 - the last two on the right here both catch a lugworm. The mud they are feeding on has been fluidised by the draining water, making it very soft. This allows them to probe deeper and makes the extraction of the worm easier.

Knot c2,550

Peregrine Falcon 1

Just out of the recording area - horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall

Glossy Ibis there mid morning at least.