Heysham Head (David Kaye)
Wheatear 1
Saltmarsh to Red Nab (Malcolm)
A check while the tide was out this morning
Shelduck 27
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| Shelduck filtering tiny molluscs from the mud |
There was nothing on the foreshore and nothing passing over until I was almost at the Red Nab end of the foreshore. Then Meadow Pipits were coming in/off quickly 36 in10 minutes beginning 09:45. It then petered off, with only 2 more in the next 5 minutes.
Chiffchaff 1 singing and another calling in the Nature Park.
Middleton Nature Reserve
Janet checked first
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| One of several singing Chiffchaff |
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| This Cetti's warbler had been singing near the main pond. |
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| Reed Bunting below the feeders in the lower main pond car park |
I did a quick count of the wildfowl after lunch (Malcolm)
Mute Swan pair - female sitting
Gadwall 25 (an unpaired male on the "no swimming" pond)
Tufted Duck 2 pairs
Coot 9
Moorhen 3
Little grebe 1 trilling on the main pond
Cetti's warbler a second bird was singing by the "no swimming" pond
Chiffchaff still one or two singing. This clip is the Tufted Ducks, but it is really about the Chiffchaff singing in the background.
Heysham skear (Malcolm)
I checked from the promenade this morning as the tide was covering the skear. There was no sign of any Brent geese or Knot. By this evening the east wind was quite fresh and the water was coloured slightly in places. 1,500 Knot arrived almost as soon as the skear was exposed. Later they were joined by another 500. The rough terrain and many feeding in the water, makes spotting and reading flags awkward. This clip ends with an orange flagged bird in the centre of the frame.
These tides still ebb quickly and they were soon feeding beyond where I could see them without looking into the setting sun. Still several flags were read with a high proportion of them new ones for this winter, plus others not seen since November.
Pale-bellied Brent Geese 2
