Merganser reinforcements

A dry day but mainly overcast and cooler. A light west breeze

Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Janet

Just a brief check

Pair of Shoveler

It wasn't certain that this male Shoveler was another male, but it probably was.

Reed Bunting 

He takes advantage of the seeds dropped from the feeders

Showing his specialised bill shape

North shore

30 Pale-bellied Brent geese south past Heysham Head - David Kaye

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:30 - 10:30 and 16:00 - 17:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 17 seen both visits. These will be some of David's.

Shelduck 2 north this afternoon 

Eider 18

Red-breasted Merganser 23 this morning. 3 feeding around the skear plus 20 that drifted in with the tide.

Female Red-breasted Merganser

Little Egret 4

c3000 Knot left the skear early in the tide again this morning. Half flew south the other half fed along the waterline for a while, before returning to the skear. Later on the ebb tide there were at least 3000 knot, many moving on to the north after a feeding session. Some of the groups had very few flagged birds amongst them, but one new bird for this winter was seen.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 12 this morning 

Some of the Godwit arriving 

Knot and Godwit along the waterline

Knot on the sker

Pale-bellied Brent goose and Oystercatchers