First Brent back

A mainly overcast day interspersed with short sunny spells and light showers. A light NE wind shifting to east in the afternoon.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

This from Peter and Rosemary's visit yesterday.

Yesterday turned out to be another breeding frenzy day for the Common Darters inhabiting the main pond area at Middleton even putting on a bit of formation-flying as part of the show. There were at least three mated pairs and quite a number of solo males.

Once again attracted to Peter's light coloured jacket

Not bad for November!

South shore - Malcolm 08:30 - 09:00

Just a check from saltmarsh to Red Nab

Reed Bunting 4 around the saltmarsh 

The only passerines along the foreshore were 2 Robins, 2 Wrens and a solitary Linnet

Linnet

Little Egret 2

Shelduck 63

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:15 - 10:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose 6. I had thought that they may turn up on a neap tide. Neap tides only expose some of the feeding areas and presumably those areas on the west side of the bay, where the Brent have been for a while, are becoming depleted. No shortage on this side yet. The tide wasn't far out but they were finding gutweed on the larger rocks.

Female Eider showing what a small Goose a Brent Goose is

Eider 125, there was a lot of displaying going on

Common Scoter 2

They were swimming in quite quickly against the ebbing tide.

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested Grebe 3

Shag 1 

Initially the Shag was on the rock on the right and a Cormorant was
on a larger rock to the left

It was doing a lot of flapping 

Not yet fully mature.

The Cormorant flew over and joined the Shag.....

.......and they had a flap together 

Later they flew off together too. But they soon split to go their separate ways.

Little Egret 4

Oystercatcher c1000

This will almost certainly be the bird seen on the heliport wall the other day.
Today it revealed its other leg showing a white ring KC. It breeds in Iceland
and been seen here several times before 

Curlew 25

Redshank c400

Knot c200 one yellow flagged bird was with them. Another ringed in Iceland. Unfortunately it hasn't been seen since it was here last October 

Turnstone 40

Janet walked through Heysham Moss Nature Reserve and had a couple of flyovers 

Little Egret

Sparrowhawk