Dunlin pitfall

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall area
A decent number of waders on the wooden jetty which will initiate a bit of tinkering with Friday's WeBS, as today is when you are supposed to do it!  Three longish bills were assumed to be Purple Sandpiper, although only two could be clearly seen.  No - out walked a Dunlin - an unusual record on here:
Turnstone - 122 & possibly 5-10 hidden
Purple Sandpiper - 2 visible
Dunlin - 1
Med Gull - adult in flight
No Twite: no food, but some put down

Miniscule Baywatch

Heysham Obs
Interesting to see that Morecambe Bay and the conservation of wildlife therein seems to be in safe hands, given the stunning revelation that our MP is a mate of David Hasselhoff.   He was invited to Morecambe and seemed to be very impressed with the teeming muddy expanse.  Pamela Anderson in panto this Christmas?

North harbour wall
As the title
 implies, a very short visit revealed zero on the sea but
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult on the railings
Twite - 11 at a disturbed feeder

Middleton NR (thanks Malcolm)
Coot (12), Mute Swan (4), Moorhen (7), Teal (3), Tufted Duck (17), Mallard (8), Goldeneye (1), Little Grebe (2)

Peripheral goosewatch
More tricky this morning and spread on to fields which could not be seen from the recycling centre road (too dangerous to stop on the bypass).  About the same number as yesterday with nothing other than unringed/uncollared PFG in the 1,900 or so gone through.  A lot of flights at turbine blade height all through the area between the Overton road and the recycling road - all on the south/east side of the A683 bypass 

Pinkfoot monoculture

Heysham Obs
Very careful perusal of the flocks this morning revealed 4,650 as viewed from the new road to the recycling centre.  Ther were definitely others 'over the top' of the drumlin, but perhaps no more than 200-400.  Not even a neck-collared bird located with them & definitely no sign of yesterdays Barnacles

As already posted, a visit trying/failing to locate Little Owls at 1805hrs last night revealed that at least "a lot" of these geese remained in the fields after dark and the 'level' of the after-dark calls was very similar to that experienced this morning, suggesting similar numbers! (c/f implications with respect to adding a supplement to the turbine EIAs on both sides of the bypass - this is the first indication that geese have remained in situ after dark in this area, although it has been recorded several times around Pilling)

WeBS count
Nothing unexpected with the highlights
Jack Snipe - one flushed off OE saltmarsh
Med Gull - 2 ads roosting on Fisher's roof
Purple Sandpiper - (eventually) two showed on the wooden jetty

Barnacles on the edge and Tawny twosome

Heysham Obs
The Pink-footed Geese were in the fields along the edge of the recording area this afternoon.  Perhaps more significantly, a "large number" were heard to still be in the fields way after dusk at 1805hrs:

Pink-footed Goose - c2,500
Barnacle Goose -  2

All these easily visible from the new road to recycling centre (thanks Pete)

HNR Office & area
Greenfinch - a late afternoon visit saw an absolute minimum of 28 around the feeder - the usual mid-February influx/passage at last
Tawny Owl - immediately responded to brief tape by the entrance gate and a decision to give a quick burst of female call (when leaving at just beofer dusk) produced BOTH male and female responses!

Insect
Dotted Border in the moth trap

Feeding station top ups

Heysham Obs
Just a short visit this pm with the north harbour wall producing:
Twite - 20+ in distant flight
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult in partial summer plumage

Enthusiastic Sean

Sean on the wall

Heysham Obs
North wall vigil
Pink-footed Goose - c20 SE
Purple Sandpiper - at least one
Med Gull - one adult, now in full summer plumage
Fulmar - first of year
Red-throated Diver - one offshore
Twite - 38 with c6 unringed (one probably killed by Sparrowhawk - it was certainly carrying a 'bird')

Low-level apathy

Heysham Obs
Not a good day today, it rained heavily every time a walk around was considered and an early morning ringing session was aborted with just a single Blue Tit troubling the scorers (only three other birds were caught as retraps, although one, a Blue Tit, had been first caught and ringed at Leighton Moss last November). A single Goldeneye was, as usual, on Middleton model boat pond.

So despite, five (potential) observers on site, nothing worth writing about!

Post-freeze Water Rail

Heysham Obs
Heysham NR walk
Water Rail - one by the dipping pond
Siskin - just single figure dribs and drabs, the big flock not encountered, but spends most of time down the dog track!

North harbour wall
"Dead" apart from:
 Twite - c45 seen in flight 

Mothy morning

Heysham Obs
Two Dotted Border in the Heysham trap
Siskin flock now up to 80-85 (flight only)
Skylark - one flew north over HNR at about 1330hrs

North Harbour Wall
Twite - 47 including only about 3 unringed birds.

Middleton NR
2 Little Grebe (one fence, one no swimming ponds), 4 Mute Swan, 25 Tufted Duck, 17 Teal, 18 Mallard, 1 Goldeneye, 9 Coot, 2 Moorhen
Mammals
Roe Deer - 1 roadkill on verge of Heysham link road just east of Trumacar roundabout.

Elsewhere
The first Small Brindled Beauty of the year at Millhouses along with the first March Moths

Peripheral Pinkfeet

Heysham Obs

At least 600 Pinkfeet this morning on the edge of the recording area along the first section of the bypass.  Here they are as seen from Middleton yesterday if you want to count them! (thanks Janet)

Heysham NR

Siskin - the flock commuting between the dog walk conifers and HNR alders is now 38 with at least one ringed bird (not from here, havnt ringed any for three years)

Goldfinch - 12 as above, staying separate

Raven - two over