Whimbrel, plus first youngsters arrive

Another warm dry sunny day, perhaps the last for a while. A light variable breeze.

A check by Pete:

Not a lot over the sea but Sandwich terns have started their off-passage assembly on the buoys off the north wall (4 out of the 6 in total).  

Otherwise just 75 PF geese nw and 6 common scoter in truncated session

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

I set three nets at Heysham this morning just after dawn.  There was no early cloud cover as I had hoped for.  The morning was very slow with few migrants and only 18 birds were caught in five hours.
Singles of Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Lesser Redpoll and three Chiffchaffs were ringed.

A very aggressive Jay was caught , also 1 Wren, 3 Blackbirds, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Goldfinch plus single retrapped Dunnock, Robin, Blue Tit, and Goldfinch.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Kevin Eaves:

I went for a wander around Middleton nature reserve at lunch time today. 

1 Red Admiral - first of the year

2 singing Willow Warbler

and at least one of the pairs of Coot has had breeding success.

Coot pair with 4 chicks

 Janet:

2nd calendar year Cormorant 

Female Kestrel 

Male Bullfinch

Male Chaffinch 

Peacock 

Female Orange Tip

North shore - Malcolm 10:45 - 12:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose 4

Eider 45

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Little Egret 3

Knot c2000 but just resting along the western skear edge then most moved to a sandbar on the north side. No chance of checking them for flags.

This was as close as I got to the Knot

Bar-Tailed Godwit 104

Godwits arriving from the south

Bar-Tailed Godwits and Eider

Some of the Godwits 

15 of the 60+ Turnstone 

I checked the shore out from the play area as the tide was ebbing this evening 18:00 - 19:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose 33. Initially in two groups 16 and 17 out from the play area, then merged as they flew to the skear

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Sandwich Tern minimum 4 fishing

Sandwich Terns

I'd gone down hoping, but not expecting, that the Knot would arrive as they did yesterday (they showed no interest in feeding along the waterline this morning). None arrived, but a Whimbrel did - first this year.

It flew from further north

Then landed on the mud out from the play area

First Swallow Prominent of the year in my Bell Aire Park moth trap. Alison Hayward

Swallow Prominent