Minimal coverage

Heysham Obs

Not a lot today:

Twite - 30 north harbour wall
Kittiwake - 4 harbour
Guillemot - one harbour

Nothing of interest outfalls or behind midday IOM ferry

Late News
Pink-footed Goose - flock of 200 NW on 4th March

Late whizz round

Heysham Obs

The only coverage today was a late whizz around the usual easy to cover places

Scaup - 2CY male Middleton model boat pond
Kittiwake - 5 on the pipe in the harbour
Finches - none on the north wall and none had been seen by any nearby anglers (and no dogs on the prowl to be an obvious cause) - the anglers reported a photographer had earlier been 'disappointed' not to see any.
Heliport - everything shifted by a couple in red clothing apparently shouted at by the same photographer - not having a good day as, in addition to the above, the wintering Meds have, I think, gone!

Moth
The first March Moth of the year

Pinks on the move

Heysham Obs

3 flocks of Pink-footed Goose: 5 +25 north at 0905hrs and 60 north at 1000hrs

North Harbour Wall
Twite 16
Redpoll sp 1 heard overhead
Linnet 1 singing
Pied Wagtail 3
Red-breasted Merganser 1 main channel
Great-crested Grebe 2 main channel
Eider 80 Kent Channel

Heysham Nature Reserve
Goldfinch with colour rings (orange over yellow on right leg and metal over white on left leg)


Middleton Nature Reserve
Brimstone butterfly
Frogspawn

An unremarkable sunny day

Heysham Obs
The highlight was undoubtedly Acleris hastiana in the moth trap - the only moth

Not a lot happening this morning with many of the wind driven birds having drifted off


Coastal
Little Egret - one Red Nab
Eider - 82 offshore
Great-crested Grebe - 10 offshore
Kittiwake - 7 in harbour
Guillemot - one visible in harbour
Finches - c50 on seed early on
Pink-footed Goose - 200 flying high and purposely NW over the bay towards Cumbria at around 08.00.


Middleton model boat pond
Pochard - 3 males
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 10
Mute Swan - 6 imms

Todays photos from the site at Middleton

Flight of the bumble bee

Heysham Obs
First, alerting people to the new Flamborough Bird Observatory website - go to fbo.org.uk

Most of the coastal observation was concentrated at distance this morning ahead of the flooding tide, scrutinising the birds around the offshore skeers, many of which only see daylight on 10 metre tides.  Despite the distance, the Eider count in recent times has 'always' been 80.  Nothing else of interest was seen in the distance, despite a lot of large gulls to go through, with just 5 RBM and 3 Great-crested grebe.

Two bumble bees seen today but too distant to identify, but the only butterfly in a cool wind, despite full sunlight most of the day, was a Small Tortoiseshell at Middleton

Coastal low tide
Eider - 80
Common Gull - 43 on the seaward end of Heysham one - a definite influx
Little Gull - one 2CY seaward end of  Heysham one
Med Gull - adult north wall (unringed?)

Miscellany
Pair of Common Buzzard circling over Heysham Moss this morning, only just outside the area and certainly a 'seen from'.  See 2013 report for the changing status of this species.
Goldcrest - singing male near anemometer, Moneyclose Lane
Redwing - one HNR this am along with what might have been a small influx of migrant Blackbird
Pied Wagtail - two northbound vis mig birds
Long-tailed Tit - unusually in recent months, an unringed bird HNR!

Middleton NR
Gadwall - 12 - record count
Scaup - 2CY male
Pochard - 2 male
Tufted Duck - 15
Teal - 15
Little Grebe - 1
Stock Dove - 2
Linnet - 81
Lapwing - 3
Skylark - one


The Lesser Whitethroat seen in a Heysham garden on 28/2 was just in the recording area

Moth
The first Pale Brindled Beauty (and probably the last) of the year was a melanistic individual this morning

The Ladybirds are out and moving on the Heysham site.

Bits of migration

Heysham Obs
5 Siskin flew over this morning and three unringed male Goldfinch were trapped during a very short ringing session.  Only one adult Med Gull could be located during the morning, despite loads of anglers.  Events elsewhere suggest we may have missed a passage Stonechat or two this last few days, although the favoured Middleton has been well-covered.  Rather odd what has happened to the wintering Black Redstarts as absolutely no sight nor sound in recent weeks


Inshore
Med Gull - adult fishers roof at HT
Little Gull - 2CY outfalls on dropping tide
Kittiwake - at least 11 in harbour
Guillemot - 2 visible in harbour
There were about 30 finches in the sea buckthorn during a brief visit to the NHW feeder area this am


Offshore 
Red-throated Diver - one out


Middleton NR model boat pond
Scaup - 2CY male, identifiable as such only on its known history - looks like an ad now
Pochard - 2 males
Gadwall -pair
Tufted Duck - 11


HNR office area
Siskin - 5 east (flock)
Goldfinch - three unringed males caught in two-round mist net session

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.