North shore
Heysham skear - low water 09:30 (Malcolm)
07:45 - 10:00
Pied/white Wagtail 1 due north just out from the promenade
Lesser Redpoll 1 in/off to NE
Meadow Pipit 146 in/off to NE
Goosander 1 female north (quite uncommon here)
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| Female Goosander |
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| Goosander flying past resting Brent geese and Oystercatcher |
Pintail pair - also not common here
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| Pintail |
Pale-bellied Brent goose 16 in 4 distinct groups, 5, 7, 2 and 2
Eider 23
Red-breasted Merganser 6
Great Crested grebe 3
Oystercatcher 1,500
Curlew 10
Redshank 150
Knot there were three small groups totalling 120, one was flagged but a regular one for this winter. I suspected that these represented the subset of Knot that have taken to holding their ground during Peregrine attacks and that earlier attacks had cleared the majority of Knot off the skear - more on this later.
Turnstone 60
Dunlin 8 inshore with
Ringed Plover 6
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| Not a Jackson Pollock, but a Dunlin and a Ringed Plover |
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| This Peregrine lifted everything |
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| Before coming in to land |
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| An adult Peregrine Falcon. It looked like a large female, but I have never been this close to one before to judge size. It certainly wasn't undernourished! The blood on its belly showing that it had just finished eating its latest kill. I wonder how many Knot it has taken this winter? |
It hung around a while before flying east, lifting everything in its path.
0820-0900hrs - near public field,horse paddock & prom - Diane Smith
Groups of birds coming in land from the bay.
30 meadow pipits
11 linnets
2 skylarks
There were lots of other groups of birds coming, but too far away to see
South shore
Janet checked the foreshore this morning.
Wheatear 2
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| Male Wheatear |
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| Female Wheatear |
Kevin Eaves checked this afternoon, still two Wheatears along the foreshore
12 Pale-bellied Brent on Red Nab - likely the 5 and 7 from this morning
Stonechat and 3 Wheatear this afternoon at Ocean Edge.
Meadow Pipits still coming over Heysham Nature Reserve at 14:30hrs - Pete
