A lovely day, perhaps the last for a while

An overnight frost then a dry and often sunny day. Very light breeze, mainly SE.

Heysham Nature Reserve - Alan

I set a single 18 metre net this morning by the feeders behind the Heysham office from just after 08.00.  It was still and frosty to start with and the air remained chilly throughout.  It was a slow start with few birds coming to feed until mid morning onwards when things picked up a little. By 13.45 a total of 43 birds were caught:

Greenfinch  7

Chaffinch  2

Goldfinch  14 + 5 retraps

Great Tit  3 retraps

Blue Tit 4 + 3 retraps

Singles of Siskin, Robin, Long tailed Tit, Dunnock and Wren (retrap)

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

There is still at least one pair of Shoveler on the main pond

Chiffchaff in the southern section 

Greenfinch

South shore

I walked out to the waterline just after low water, it's a long walk on these tides, but it was a lovely morning for walking - Malcolm

One of two Reed Buntings on the saltmarsh, with a Wren.

Pale-bellied Brent goose 2 were flying around before heading south

Shelduck 6

Great Crested Grebe 1 drifted in with the tide.

Pied Wagtail 1 in/off

Bar-Tailed Godwit 72

Knot 3000 - they split into two flocks 2000 moving south, 1000 moving towards the outfalls

Dunlin 25

Mainly Knot on the mud

The Knot were easily spooked, lifting whenever an Oystercatcher or Gull
called. The remaining birds in the water are Bar-Tailed Godwit

But they kept landing again, they seemed to be finding small molluscs quite easily 

Janet checked later towards high water

One of two Rock Pipits on the foreshore 

Knot and a few Dunlin

Pale-bellied Brent geese and Wigeon 

Male Wigeon

Despite the gutweed being quite lush now, they still argue over feeding rights!

Feeding Brent goose

Heysham skear - Malcolm 16:15 - 17:15

I checked the skear as the tide was leaving it. It is nice to be able to get out in the evening again!

Pale-bellied Brent goose 10

Eider 18

Red-breasted Merganser 3

By this time there wasn't a breath of wind and the sea was flat.

Brent geese filing past

A Merganser pair were feeding, albeit leisurely. The male doesn't even bother to dive, he just looks below the surface to see if there is anything about worth diving for.

800 Knot were feeding but only two flags seen and both seen before. By the time I finished, the light wasn't conducive to checking Knot, but it was a very pleasant evening.