Interesting response to a shift in wind direction

Freezing overnight. It was dry again and almost calm till 12:00 when a west wind began.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm

Just a quick check of the main pond this morning.

There was no sign of the Tufted Duck or Gadwall, then two Gadwall arrived.

Everything was serene, not even the Coot were bickering. I wonder how long that will last!

Pale-bellied Brent geese 31 out from the play area below Knowlys Rd - David Kaye

Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:00 - 15:15

No Eider seen

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Great Crested grebe 2

Bar-Tailed Godwit 49 along the waterline in two groups.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 

Don't watch the Godwits in this clip, watch the wave action. The onshore wind creates waves that muddy the shallows. As I pan out you can see the line between the clear deeper water and the coloured shallows.

There are a huge amount of tiny shrimps around at the moment, they are attracted to these coloured margins as the disturbed mud releases the detritus that they feed on, and the colour in the water provides some cover. During the recent period of offshore breezes there have been no Knot on the skear. I suspected that these onshore winds might attract them back by tomorrow, but 1500 were already on the skear edge! This is only 2 hours since the onshore wind began, so, baring an unlikely coincidence, the Knot must have headed here as soon as the wind changed. This suggests that the experienced birds can anticipate suitable feeding conditions based on the wind, tides and time of year. I managed to read a couple of flagged birds, it would be interesting if they have been seen elsewhere recently.

Some of the resting Knot at the skear edge, no chance of seeing if any are
 flagged, as the rough skear and tightly packed birds obscure any flags.

A paddle further out provides a better view of some legs at least

One of these has an orange flag of a UK scheme

Redshank 150 were shrimping all around the skear edges.

Other waders in similar numbers to recent 

Redbreasts provide much of the interest

Overnight frost and a cool overcast day. The light NE breeze continues.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm

I was feeling a bit ropey today, so just had a sedate plod by the ponds and around the central marsh.

Main pond

The Tufted Ducks were absent again, but there were 10 Gadwall.

Mute, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen unchanged 

"No swimming" pond

Completely frozen over and empty 

Fence Pond

Moorhen 1 - you can hear a Great-Spotted Woodpecker in this clip

Water Rail at least 4 calling. Their piglet like squeals are unmistakable, but their softer contact calls can catch you out. Nothing to see in this clip, other than the area where a Water Rail is calling from.

Teal 8 in the more sheltered small pools/dykes

Great-Spotted Woodpecker at least 1, probably 2

Green Woodpecker 1

Jay 1

Common Snipe 2

My reaction time today was far to slow to manage a decent shot of any of the above!

Kestrel 1

Little Egret 1 east

Little Egret with muddy feet

Cetti's warbler 1 making contact calls

Bullfinch 2 males, doing what they always do in winter, feed on the swelling tree buds.

Male Bullfinch 

Some of the buds were more than just swollen!

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

Just a brief passing check, fortunately the Stonechats were accommodating today. They never seem to feed in one area for long, so presumably cover all of their territory in a food searching cycle. I don't know the extent of their territory, but they were near the stone blocked gate near the roundabout about again today.

Both Stonechats 

A Robin regards this area as its territory. It is politely asking the male Stonechat 
to move on

Male Stonechat 

Robin happy when the other redbreast has moved on.
He'll be back.

Kestrel 1

Buzzard 1

Roe Deer 2. These look to be the young female and male, that had been accompanying an adult female until recently. The clip begins on the female, the male has small velvet covered antler buds. The crackling sound is from the cables overhead and the swoosh sounds from the nearby wind turbines.

It's more about what there wasn't today

Another dry day, but today it was overcast. The almost nonexistent NE breeze remains.

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Malcolm

No sign of the Shovelers this morning.

Tufted Duck 8

Gadwall 6

Little Grebe 1

Mute, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen unchanged 

Still some ice but much of the pond is now ice free

The Tufted Ducks were happily feeding again.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 12:00 - 13:00

Pale-bellied Brent geese 8 - 3 flew north, 5 arrived from the west and headed to the play area rocks. There would likely have been more Brent there, but not checked today.

Pale-bellied Brent geese

No Eider

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Great Crested grebe 4

No Little Egrets

Oystercatcher 1500

Curlew 30

Bar-Tailed Godwit 13

Redshank just 12 and all along the northern edge feeding in the drain

No Knot 

Turnstone 40

Dunlin 15

Ringed Plover 13

The low Knot and Redshank numbers will be linked to the lack of shrimps in the shallows due to the clear water. The significant reduction in mussel cover is likely linked to the low numbers of Eider.

Bar-Tailed Godwit and Dunlin

One of the Godwits still with a blush of summer plumage 

The Ringed Plovers were high up the shore, where they usually feed. They seemed to be finding plenty to eat.

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

No Stonechats seen

Water Rail 2 calling

Heron 2

Kestrel 2

This female hovered over a few locations 

Before deciding to watch from a pylon

This shows just how sharp their eyesight is. The Kestrel spotted a rodent
in a quite overgrown area, and flew this 100m flight line to catch it. 

It then flew to this lamppost to eat it. No sign of a tail on the rodent,
so presumably a Vole.

By the time I had got close enough for a better view, it was just cleaning up after its meal. I don't suppose the designers of this light sensor envisioned this use of their product, but this won't be the first time it has been used as a face wipe. 

Just out of the recording area, Heaton marsh - Pete

Adult Russian White-fronted goose with 246 greylag 

Shoveler hanging around

Another overnight frost, but not so severe. A dry and mainly sunny day with a very gentle NE breeze.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

I checked the main pond mid morning - Malcolm. The pond was ice covered except near the feeding area. The Tufted and Gadwall were nowhere to be seen. The Shoveler pair were still here though.

Shovelers on thin ice

Janet checked this afternoon. Much of the ice had melted, some of the gadwall had returned and the Shovelers were on the water.

Male Shoveler 

Female Shoveler

This Coot was finding the pond weed.....

.......but not this one

This Blue Tit's ring code is clear enough to identify it as one ringed at
Middleton Nature Reserve in 2023, it was retrapped in both 2024 and 2025

Pheasant a group of 5 were accidentally flushed.

Heliport - Malcolm 15:30

Pale-bellied Brent geese 16 feeding below the sloping wall just out from the slipway near the cafe.

Shag 1 juvenile feeding by the Near Naze rocks.

It caught a Common Blenny

Three dives later it caught a Shore Crab. This sequence begins with it having a lump in its throat where the Blenny was refusing to go down.

Middleton village - Malcolm

These are the trees on the north side of Middleton Rd that mark the southern 
boundary of the recording area. It is where a Rookery began 2 years ago. Both
Carrion Crows and Rooks were in the trees today.

Carrion Crow

Rook

Just across the road in the horse paddock behind Middleton Parish Hall, were 2 Redwings. Technically outside of the recording area, but easily seen from it.

Redwing

Plenty going on today

An overnight frost left the ponds with ice over much of them. A sunny day with a very light NE breeze.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:15 -10:30

Pale-bellied Brent geese 6 (3 x 2) around the skear, the higher shore not checked

Pale-bellied Brent goose

Eider 4

Red-breasted Merganser 7

Great Crested Grebe 7

Little Egret 4

Shag 1 juvenile 

Waders pretty much as recent, including just 150 Knot in small groups

Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Turnstone 

The recent set of spring tides has reset the course of the main drain, and it now
once again runs along the northern edge of the skear. All we need now are some
onshore winds to stir up the mud and attract large numbers of shrimp here.

South shore - Janet

There were several Snipe on the saltmarsh , this one just managed to land
before having its picture taken

Linnet

Robin

Shelduck

Goldcrest in the Nature Park 

Imperial Rd - Malcolm 15:00

Both the male and female Stonechats turned up as soon as I arrived.

Male Stonechat

Female Stonechat looking pale in the sunshine.....

.......but the side in the shade looking much darker

This is a location shot. The female is centre shot, just beside my car
parked on the road by the blocked entrance 50m from the bypass 

Green Sandpiper 1 - it flew from the edge of the road and headed to the horse paddock just beyond the roundabout 

Green Sandpiper. Not a great shot, but it was calling as it flew

I went to check the horse paddock, but the small pools there were completely 
frozen over and there was no sign of the sandpiper 

Little Egret 3

Great White Egret 1 - it was flying north over the fields to the east of Imperial Rd, unfortunately landing out of sight.

Great White Egret and Little Egret

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet checked at lunchtime. The main pond was largely frozen and the gulls were standing on the ice, unfortunately none of them were ringed.

Black-Headed gulls and Mallard

First winter Black-Headed gull

Teal and Gadwall

Female Tufted Duck

The Coot can't help but chase each other!

Long-Tailed Tits

Female Chaffinch 

I checked at 15:15 - Malcolm

Loads of gulls but still none ringed

Gadwall 24

Tufted Duck 4

Mallard 30+

Teal 7 on the "no swimming" pond

Shoveler pair

Gadwall and Coot

This pair of Shoveler wasn't here when Janet checked earlier

Grey Heron

I had gone to watch from the south side to see what was roosting. These seen between 15:20 to 16:00. 

Jackdaw 100+

Wood Pigeon 24

Stock Dove 56. They came from the north, east and south, the biggest group was 7

Wood Pigeon 

Stock Doves, the earlier birds tinted by the setting sun

Some of 49 Lapwings heading towards the River Lune

Just out of the recording area Heaton Marsh - Jean and Pete

White-Fronted goose 10 adult and 4 juvenile 

Easily visible from the high point Heysham end of Golden Ball road.