Shovelers hanging around, but flighty!

An overcast dry day with a light east wind.

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

The Mute Swan pair on the main pond - Well it is nearly Valentines day!!

A second pair on the "no swimming" pond

Shoveler 6 (4 males) were alternating between the main and "no swimming" ponds

Gadwall on the "no swimming" pond

Long-Tailed Tits on the fat balls

This female Chaffinch also looks to have been on the fat balls!

Cetti's warbler singing from the reed bed on main pond.

South shore - Malcolm 14:00 - 16:15

Nature park

Goldfinch 20+ 

Goldfinch 

They were stripping the ripening tree buds

Bullfinch pair

Male Bullfinch 

Along the sea wall

Shelduck 22

Wigeon 270

Wigeon 

Rock pipit 2 - one near the waterfall and one around No.1 outfall

This is the one near the waterfall, it seems to be having problems walking, we have seen them in the past here with their foot shrivelled to just a stump. 

This is the one on No.1 outfall, you would wonder what it could find to eat here, but it clearly finds a small white grub at the end of this clip.

Rock Pipit

No Shag seen today.

Redshank 80

Redshank 

Turnstone 4

Oystercatcher 150 and Curlew 40 south

As I got back to Red Nab a Peregrine Falcon was coming in off the shore. It didn't have anything in its talons, but presumably it had already eaten, as at the same time c2500 waders were landing along the waterline.

By the time I reached them there were 1500 Knot and 30 Bar-Tailed Godwit. At least another 1000 Knot further south. Unfortunately by this time the light was fading quickly and I didn't manage to read any flags.

Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot and a Common Gull

Two of these Knot have the tiny bivalves that they were feeding on

The new StenaLine cargo ship, looking like Bugs Bunny as it emerges 
over the skyline