Surprise sunshine!

As forecast it poured down all morning, but it eased after lunch and by mid afternoon it was clear blue skies! A light SW wind shifting to west.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Malcolm

A check this morning saw the six cygnets along the northern edge of the pool. A single adult was at the feeding area, a look at its legs showing it to be ringless.

Unringed adult Mute Swan. The ringed female must have been
elsewhere with her new beau 

There was no sign of any Gadwall, but 8 Tufted were back.

A second check this evening and there were now a pair of adult Mute Swans, with the male moving on the four remaining cynets.

Make Swan about to chase a cygnet off. The Cormorant was oblivious!

Still 8 Tufted plus 2 Gadwall

Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:00 - 15:30

What a treat, I wasn't expecting to get out here today in full sunshine. That said, apart from a nice flock of obliging Knot there wasn't a lot to see.

Red-breasted Merganser 1 was the only thing I saw on the sea except for gulls.

Red-breasted Merganser

Knot - there was a flock of c500, later joined by smaller groups to c600 total. I managed to check them for some time and read flags from three different schemes. 

Knot along the NW edge of the skear

This UK scheme orange coded (11E) flag was just visible

A Dutch scheme uses a combination of a coloured flag and rings

This yellow coded (63J) flag is an Icelandic scheme

Eventually a couple of cavorting Peregrines lifted all the waders. Just one Curlew heard, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Turnstone as recent. Dunlin 1.

There are always lots of Oyster shells around the skear, but they don't grow here. Oyster shells are the underwater equivalent of frisbees, they travel miles on a light current. But this Oyster has clearly grown here. It is empty now, but obviously in situ.

Not the normal flat shelled Oyster that I am familiar with. I believe that
 this is a Pacific Oyster. I don't know if they are grown commercially in the
UK, but it seems that despite their name they are a global species.

Imperial Rd - Malcolm

I parked up for 10 minutes in the rain this morning and saw nothing. I stopped off on my way home this "evening ", and both Stonechats immediately turned up.

Male Stonechat

Both Stonechats