Freezing (-3°C) overnight. A sunny day with a light variable breeze. Snow showers began after dark with freezing temperatures to follow!
South shore - Malcolm 09:30 - 11:15
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| The sun was just breaking through the low clouds. This Goldfinch was presenting as much of its back and rump as possible to catch what warmth it could. |
Pale-Bellied Brent geese 44 flew to Red Nab.
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| Pale-bellied Brent geese |
Pink-Footed geese 62 to NW
Wigeon 150+
Eider 1 male
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| Male Eider drifting in with the tide |
Kingfisher 1 flew across Red Nab
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| Kingfisher |
Rock Pipit one each Red Nab and lighthouse
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| Cormorants and Wigeon |
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| Turnstone and Bar-Tailed Godwit |
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| Grey Seal by No.2 outfall |
Saltmarsh:
Much of the marsh was already covered when I arrived, most of the Common Snipe would have already been flushed, but another 19 were flushed while I watched.
Jack Snipe 7 sightings, but probably only 5 birds as they tend to land back on the marsh fringes.
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| This is typically what you see, Jack Snipe lower middle |
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| Jack Snipe |
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| One of two Reed Buntings |
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| Song Thrush |
Middleton Nature Reserve main pond - Janet
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| Mainly Mallard, but there is a male Teal just showing. No sign of the Tufted, but there were several Gadwall |
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| Adult female Mute Swan |
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| I was quite surprised that the Cygnets greeted the mum with a display when she finally joined them. |
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| Moorhen, not actually as graceful as it looks here! |
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| Heron |
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| Blue Tit with a titbit |
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| Dunnock |
Howard checked the heliport, there were no roosting Knot. However he did find two high water roosts occupied. 2000 on the Sunnyslopes groyne and a further 3000 just out of the recording area on Teal Bay groyne. Flagged birds seen on both groynes have also been seen on the skear and heliport previously, so there is currently a pool of at least 5000 Knot.
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| One of the flagged Knot on Sunnyslopes groyne. Later seen on the skear |
These shots from the Heliport wall by Kevin Singleton
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| Curlew |
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| Wren |
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| Robin |
Heysham skear - Malcolm 14:30 - 15:30
Pale-bellied Brent geese at least 31 flying around
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| Pale-bellied Brent geese |
Eider 30+
Red-breasted Merganser 6
2000 Knot turned up, but they feed differently on these very fast draining spring tides. Lots of invertebrates get stranded behind the rough ground on the north side and the Knot stayed there until they all moved much further out, also to rough terrain.
I only saw a few flagged birds, and no new ones, but one was the same as one Howard saw on the Sunnyslopes groyne earlier. So the flags provide useful information about local population movement as well as their larger movement picture.
