Visitor News

Heysham Obs
A rain disrupted ringing session at the hut feeders produced a mixed catch of only 33 birds:
Blue Tit 3 (2 retraps), Bullfinch 2, Chaffinch 2, Dunnock 4 retraps, Goldfinch 6 (inc 1 retrap from NHWall), Greenfinch 10 (1 retrap), Long-tailed Tit 3 (2 retraps), Robin 2 retraps, Great Tit 1.

Thanks to Craig Bell for todays sightings

North Harbour Wall
Twite- 51
Linnet - 22
Greenfinch - 4
Goldfinch - 7
Med Gull - Czech ringed

Harbour
Kittiwakes - 16
Guillemots - 2
Little Gull- 1 (fishers roof)

Outfalls/offshore
Little Gull - 4 (all adults)
Wigeon - 64
R T Diver - 1
R B Merganser - male
Peregrine - 1

Middleton
Scaup - 2CY male

Frosty Start

Heysham Obs

North Harbour Wall
45 mixed Finches early on Twite Linnet and Goldfinch
Not quite to plan just 7 birds caught 6 Twite and a Goldfinch.

Adult Med Gull (Czech ringed)
Kittiwake -1

Harbour
Kittiwakes - 8 2CY x 1

Thanks to Malcolm for the extensive Middleton report below.

Had a good walk around Middleton NR today, didn't see any grey wagtails, looks like the green ringed anomaly was in passage. Most resident birds now singing/calling including greenfinch, chaffinch, reed bunting (2), song thrush (2), robin, dunnock and wren.

There were a lot of birds on the boating pond when I first got there (9:00). I have put the numbers for the boating pond in () next to the totals

4 adult mute (6) juvenile

(1) scaup

17 (11) tufted

9 (5) gadwall

(2) pochard (male)

6 (2) mallard

10 (4) coot

3 (1) heron (frogging season!)

(2) little egret

(1) cormorant

(1) lapwing (on peninsular)

7 teal - looks like most of these have moved on

6 moorhen

1 little grebe (western scrape)

1 water rail (dyke north edge of central marsh)

2 stock dove

1 skylark (silent)

36 pinkfoot north 11:25

also

2 snipe OE

85 wigeon (RN)

JM

Great photo day

Todays birds at Red Nab, the outfalls and the Harbour. In total 5 little gull (2 x 2cy), 12 kittiwake, 5 guillemot, 2cy male scaup - the latter on Middleton

Czech Med's last few days of the winter

Heysham Obs
Spring is in full flow with the Great Tit examining last year's nest site in the gate post today and the Czech Med coming into full summer plumage and pawing the ground ready for its usual departure in 3-4 days time.  Will it return after an innings of ten years?


Coastal
Med Gull - Czech bird around anglers and another ad on Fishers roof
Guillemot - 3 in harbour
Kittiwake - 12 in harbour (one 2CY)
Little Gull - 2 x 2CY outfalls at highish tide
Twite - 42
Linnet - 11


Middleton mb pond
Pochard - 4 x male 1 x female
Scaup - 2CY male


The wind has unfortunately been too southerly for the moth trap in the last few days

A collection of birds at the Middleton sites and the Gulls at the North Wall.

Patch check

Heysham Obs

 

Outfalls

Little Gull - 3 adult and 4 x 2CY

 

North Harbour Wall

Twite - 30

Linnet - 5

Goldfinch - 3

Dunnock - 1

 

Harbour

Kittiwake - 14 (1 x 2CY)

 

Middleton Nature Reserve

Model Boat Pond

Scaup - 1 (the usual male)

Tufted Duck - 2 pairs

Pochard - 4 (3M, 1F)

Oystercatcher - 3

Lapwing - 1

Mallard - 1 pr

Grey Heron - 1

Coot - 1 pr

Mute Swan - 6 juvs

 

No Swimming Pond

Tufted Duck - 10M, 4F

Gadwall - 2 prs

Teal - 1pr

Coot - 4

Mute Swan - 1pr

 

Tim Butler Pond

Mute Swan - 1 pr

Moorhen - 3

Teal - 12

Mallard - 1 pr

 

Fence Pond

Coot - 1pr

Gadwall - 1pr

 

Other areas of Middleton

Little Grebe - 1 heard

Ringed Plover -1 heard

Linnet - 25

Pheasant - 3F

Song Thrush - 1 singing

 

 

Selection of feeders at the Twite station, this dinner time.

Little Grebes return

Heysham Obs
Another mild day and another sign of spring with trilling Little Grebes now on three of the Middleton ponds.  Good coverage of Middleton but rather patchy elsewhere.


Offshore
Eider - 81
Kittiwake - flock of 32 'in'


Inshore
Kittiwake - 19 harbour
Guillemot - 3 harbour
Twite - c60


Middleton NR
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 19
Gadwall - 2
Little Grebe - 3
Teal - 50
Pochard - 4
Coot - 10
Linnet - 17
Stock Dove - 2
Grey Wagtail - one colour ringed bird definitely older than last autumn
Reed Bunting - 1
Little Egret - 2

More of the same

Heysham obs
Bit windier today and more seagulls around but no new species

Little gull - min 16 outfalls
Med gull - 3 ads
Kittiwake - 19 (2 2cy)
Guillemot - 4
Scaup - 2cy male Middleton MB pond
Pochard - 5 with above
Twite - at least 45, prob many more as birds no identified in sea buckthorn

Fewer of the same

 Heysham obs

Little gull - 4 (2 ad)
Kittiwake - 18 harbour, one offshore, one outfalls
Eider - 72
Guillemot - 2
Twite - c55
Scaup - 2cy male Middleton
Wigeon - 74

Moth
Drowned dotted border Middleton

Lesser Black-backs pile in

Heysham Obs
Lesser Black-backs piled in today with up to 120 at any one time.
Sightings:
Little Gull 28
Kittiwake 23
Guillemot 4
Pintail 1 out
Med Gull 2 adults
Twite 35 plus

Middleton Nature Reserve
Scaup 2CY male
Pochard 5
Gadwall 9

Done from memory - notes left in office ! Will update tomorrow.
Thanks to Ian ands Malcolm.

Doing the rounds but little change

Heysham Obs


Middleton NR model boat pond
Scaup - 2CY male
Pochard - 4 males, I female
Tufted Duck - 11
Snipe - 1


Offshore low tide
Eider - 78
Red-throated Diver - 1


Harbour area
Shag - 1, prob 3CY briefly then flew out
Kittiwake - c15
Guillemot - 1 (& 1 inshore)
Twite - at least 60 (one green/white Machrihanish bird plus the old Heysham bird caught two days ago)


Outfalls
Little Gull - 2 x 2CY, 1 x Ad
Kittiwake - 2 Ad

Selection of Gulls in the harbour.