A nice start to the weekend

A dry sunny day with a freshening south(ish) breeze

This s yesterday's Shag resting in the harbour - Dave Bickerton

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan

Just a couple of nets set this morning behind the office building.  The 43 birds caught and ringed, virtually all coming to use the feeders there, included a high proportion of retraps.  The single Lesser Redpoll may have been on the move or just attracted with the others to the seed.
The catch comprised:
Single retrapped Wren, Great Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Redpoll  1
Song Thrush  1
Chaffinch  2
Dunnock  1 + 1 retrap
Robin  1 + 1 retrap
Coal Tit  3 + 1 retrap
Blue Tit  4 + 5 retraps
Goldfinch  5 + 2 retraps
Greenfinch  11 + 1 retrap
 
A very large flock of Pink-footed Geese that flew southwards well to the east of the reserve at 07.00 was too far away to attempt an estimated number.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:45 - 10:15

Pink-Footed goose 58 to SE

Pink-Footed geese

Eider 9

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested Grebe 5

Shag 1 

This looks like a pecking order. 2 Cormorants a Shag and a male Eider

Curlew 40+

Curlew with Oystercatcher and a Redshank

Oystercatcher c1500

Redshank 50

Knot c2000. They were spread along the western edge of the skear and flew off to the south when the incoming tide reached them.

Some of the Knot, just before being moved on by the tide

I managed to read three flagged birds. This one was a regular here last winter.
Since then it has been seen in Iceland in May and at the Wash in September 

Turnstone 25

Dunlin 31

Dunlin amongst some of the Honeycomb worm clumps. The heavy seas
of the recent storms has done little damage here

This Herring gull is taking off with a mussel that it will probably have to drop
several times before it breaks. The skill is landing directly behind it before any
other bird makes off with it.