A bit of variety

A dry day with sunny spells. The light north wind alternating between NW and NE. 

South shore (Malcolm)

Two checks again, once as the tide covered the skear this morning and again as it being exposed this afternoon.

Pale-bellied Brent goose just 12 seen this morning but 26 arrived this afternoon 

Eider 16

Goldeneye pair drifted in with the making tide this morning, this is the first and could be the only sighting this year, as they are increasing scarce in the recording area.

Goldeneye pair

The female didn't take kindly to a passing male Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser 11 minimum seen on both visits.

Female Merganser with three males in hot pursuit 

This male and female seem to have bonded

Oystercatcher 1,500

Bar-Tailed Godwit 4 high to the north

Curlew just 10 seen

Redshank 350

Knot - none left the skear this morning, but there were 600 flying south of Heysham Head. None returned this afternoon to feed. We need an onshore wind to bring the shrimps close enough in for the waders to easily catch them, and at this time of year shrimps are the main attraction for Knot to the skear. Unfortunately it looks like easterlies now for the rest of the month!

Turnstone 60

Dunlin 2 high up the shore

Ringed Plover 4

The lack of shrimps was probably not the only reason for a lack of 
Knot this morning. This immature Peregrine was resting on the rocks.
You can just see that it has a pink ring on its right leg

The waders seem to tolerate a Peregrine when they are resting, there were over 150 Redshank feeding close in front of it. If I know there is a Peregrine there, you can guarantee that the Redshank know too. Their lives depend on it! Presumably they are confident of out manoeuvring it from a standing start. They didn't even take flight when the Peregrine flew to another rock.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a quick check of the two main ponds.

Main Pond

Mute Swan pair

Mallard 4

Gadwall 28 all seemed to be paired up

Teal pair

Teal pair

Coot 8

Moorhen 2

Little grebe 1

Chiffchaff 1 singing

"No swimming" pond

Gadwall 3 males

Tufted Duck 3 - 2 male and a female

Female Tufted Duck

Coot 1

Cetti's warbler 1 singing