Plenty of Hirundines

Another sunny day, not quite so warm, particularly this morning with a cold NE wind. The wind more due east this afternoon and not quite as cold.

Ocean Edge (Jean)

08:00-09:30 

2 Wheatears

14 Meadow Pipits going north

2 Swallows north 

29 Linnets - the Linnets were  hanging about the saltmarsh area.

Heysham skear (Malcolm)

08:30-09:45 on ebbing tide

Eider 47

Red-breasted Merganser 8

Red-breasted Merganser pair

Wigeon 1

Wigeon and Oystercaters

Great Crested grebe 6

Little Egret 3

Oystercatcher 800

Bar-Tailed Godwit 105 - here they are coming in to rest on the skear, after feeding along the waterline further south. Pretty much everything else caught in this clip, Eider, Merganser, Oystercatcher, Redshank and a Knot.

Six were in full or partial summer plumage

Curlew 6

Redshank 150

Knot 3

Turnstone 100 - 80+ in one flock

There was a trickle of passerine movement NE, the only ones identified were 7 Meadow Pipit.

Then a female Merlin turned up and the trickle turned into a dash!

Female Merlin

Merlin chasing a small passerine 

It seemed to disappear inland, but a few minutes later, it or another flew north to the west of the skear.

Barrel Jellyfish 

Not a particularly large one. That's my size 9 welly

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Moorhen

Summer plumage Little Grebes

Willow Warbler 

Green-veined White

Heysham Head (David Kaye)

15:00-16:00

Swallow 30

House Martin 3 - first of the year

South shore (Malcolm)

15:20-17:00

I walked to the waterline out from Ocean Edge

Wheatear still 2 along foreshore

Linnets still at least 2 on the saltmarsh 

This male Linnet was carrying a largish seed, a possible gift for his mate?

The only obvious waders along the waterline were 

Oystercatcher 80

Curlew 50

Curlew and Oystercatcher 

Dunlin 4 - I think these must have just come in as initially all 4 bathed in a drain. Then just stood still as the tide rose up around them.

This one didn't move as I walked past just a few metres away.
Is it just me, or has it a wry smile at the base of its bill?

Bar-Tailed Godwit 60

They were resting with Oystercatchers just out from Red Nab

Bar-Tailed Godwit just beyond Red Nab

Until moved on by the rising tide, they then flew north over the caravan park

Shelduck 5

Pale-bellied Brent goose 4

Three of the Brent on Red Nab

Swallow 3 individuals north. That brings today's total to 35 Swallow and 3 House Martins