Monday, 27 January 2025

An interesting Eider ring recovery

A cold fresh SE wind. Showers in the morning, less frequent in the afternoon with the odd sunny (short) spell.

North shore this afternoon on the ebbing tide (Malcolm)
Pale-bellied Brent goose
Three Brent geese flying to the north

20 minutes later, presumably the same 3 flew back

Eider 37 including several 2nd calendar year males.
Four of the Eider coming in


Adult and 2nd calendar year Eider - only obvious for the males

A metal detectorist (Matthew Smith) located an unburied metal ring high up the shore at Heysham yesterday. This has been identified as belonging to a male Eider. Already at least 2 years old when it was ringed at Foulney IslandCumbria, 20-Jul-2019. 
It was ringed by Ian Hartley and it was Ian who provided this detail - Many thanks to both Ian and Matthew.

Red-breasted Merganser 7

Oystercatcher 2,500 (A higher estimate today, but probably no more birds than usual and there were probably more. I only estimate what I can see at any one time, today more were concentrated in the small area of shore exposed).
Curlew 30
Redshank 100
Knot 100
Turnstone 25
Ringed Plover 8
Oystercatcher, Knot and a Ringed Plover

The Knot were mainly hunkered down, but two were seen to be flagged, both have been seen previously on the skear this winter.
Part of a UK scheme. Ringed on Ainsdale beach Merseyside 08/05/24