Wednesday, 29 January 2025

A bit of winter colour

A fine sunny day with a light west breeze.

South shore (Malcolm)
I checked the waterline to the south of Ocean Edge this morning on the rising tide. There were almost no waders and a scan further south couldn't see any either.
Grey Plover 1 briefly on waterline, then south
Knot 65 south in three small flocks
Dunlin 1 south
Curlew 13 south in ones and twos
Curlew
Oystercatcher 15 feeding along the waterline plus several small groups north to Red Nab.

Pink-Footed goose 55 in a very high flock flying south.

Closer to the saltmarsh 
Lapwing 17
Redshank 23

Linnet 18 feeding on Samphire seeds.

Reed Bunting 1
Reed Bunting 

Dunnock also on the saltmarsh fringe

Red Nab
Pale-bellied Brent goose 27 before flying off to the south.
Some of the Brent geese getting ready to leave

Shelduck 10
Shelduck

Wigeon 165

Curlew and Oystercatcher 

The light for most of January made the world look monochrome. Today the bright sun made the colourful birds even more striking.

Female Kingfisher on her favoured rock by the freshwater culvert on Red Nab
Unfortunately, her short legs making it impossible to tell if this is the one ringed
earlier this winter on Middleton Nature Reserve


In the Nature Park 
Female Bullfinch.

Male Chaffinch

Goldfinch 

Jean managed a few checks today:
Some sightings from Middleton NR this afternoon:
Main pond
Mute Swan - the usual pair plus the immature
Gadwall 15 pairs 
Mallard 5 pairs plus a spare drake
Tufted Duck 1 male
Coot 1
Moorhen 2
Black-headed Gull 77
Herring Gull 3
Long-tailed Tit 3 on the feeder

The Mute Swans did a good job of seeing off some off-lead dogs that had raced
to the pond after being released from a car. The dogs came to a screeching halt
as they got to the three swans with their wings fluffed out and did an abrupt
about turn back to their owner!

Ringing area
Gadwall 1 pair on the fence pond
Mallard 1 male on the fence pond
Teal 5 (M&F on the fence pond, 3 in the dyke)
Snipe 3 in the central marsh
Moorhen 1 on the west
No Cetti's heard
Blackbird 2
Greenfinch 1
Magpie 1
Robin 1
Wren 1

Heysham NR
A Mistle Thrush was singing in the sunshine (I thought they heralded rain but not this one).

Some garden news
There were 16 Wood Pigeon in the conifers behind Janet's house on Meldon Rd
She doesn't normally see Wood Pigeons here, she has been away for
2 weeks, they may have arrived anytime in that period.

This is my garden (Malcolm). I've known for some while that there was
fox activity in my garden after dark. But this is 11:45!

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