Ducks consolidate

Middleton Nature Reserve
The increasingly aggressive mute have cleared the "no swimming" pond of ducks. All except the teal and an odd mallard are now on the main pond.
2 adult mute ("no swimming" pond)
4 juvenile mute (main pond)
8 tufted
1 pochard
5 gadwall
20 teal (Tim Butler pond)
4 mallard
1 little egret

2 roe deer
MD

Brief visit

ad kittiwake and ad med gull behind IOM ferry lunchtime

Pochard present

Middleton Nature Reserve
A male pochard has joined tufted on main pond. This is, I think, the first record this winter.
6 Tufted duck
1 Pochard
6 Gadwall
5 Mallard
4 Teal
1 Little egret
2 Pheasant
24 Redwing
47 Pinkfoot (south)
MD

Earlier 62 pinkfoot north

Amateur dramatics at the Heliport roost

Just managed to make it back from work - counting waders - to change into an 'unreliable amateur' (details confidential) and count waders for WeBS.  The heliport roost revealed a good array of birds and enabled most species to be counted at the individual level

Heliport roost
Redshank- 385 (initial guesstimate 370)
Ringed Plover - 43
Lapwing - 21
Dunlin - 68
Turnstone - 41
Knot - zero (all at Middleton?)
Black-headed Gull - 6

which left Oystercatcher.  Had just enough time to spend about 15 minutes on these:
"Visual impression" - 4500
Block count in 50s - 4800
Block count in 100s - 4700 plus about 60
Block count in 10s - took 'ages'! - 4840 - fortunately they kept still throughout
So yet again visual impressions underestimate - always doing this - especially with V or W geese flying over - amateur!!

The number of Oystercatcher at the sunny slopes and battery/west end groyne roosts were rather on the low side with 475 Redshank the stand-out. Adult Med just out of the area by the Battery groyne but anglers prevented access/time for access for a thorough check of Fishers roof for the Czech bird (can someone do this tomorrow pm please?)

Fishing Fest

North Harbour Wall
More than 30 vehicles along the wall just after lunchtime today.
Brief visit to replenish nyger seed saw just 13 Linnet and 1 Robin at the feeding area.

Heysham Reserve
A ringing session at the hut feeding area, still limited because of access difficulties, produced the following:
Goldfinch - 13 + 2 retraps
Blue tit - 7 + 3 retraps
Greenfinch - 6 + 1 retrap
Dunnock - 4 retraps
Chaffinch - 3
Robin - 2 retraps
Great tit - 1 + 3 retraps
Coal tit - 1 + 1 retrap
Blackbird - 1
GS Woodpecker - 1 retrap

Peace returns

The 12 squabbling gadwall from yesterday on Middleton Nature reserve have now reduced to a peaceful 7.
Also,
2 tufted
36 snipe circling
12 & 18 pinkfoot low to south
 2 water rail calling
1 pheasant.
Didn't check out the teal

Ocean Edge
Watched as tide covered salt marsh
54 common snipe
0 Jack snipe today

Red Nab
35 widgeon
1 little egret
MD

Good Gadwall

Full troll of Middleton Nature Reserve this morning revealed the following:
2 goldcrest and a chiffchaff (collybita) with mixed tit flock on eastern boundary of golf course. This is less than 100m from earlier chiffchaff sighting near Solrec.
4 adult + 4 juv mute
6 moorhen
5 mallard
2 tufted
12 gadwall, from memory this is the highest record of adult birds for the reserve
c30 teal
10 common snipe accidentally flushed, mainly singles.
8 + 10 flocks common snipe in from Ocean Edge direction, just before high tide.
1 meadow pipit.

MD

 Also seen on Middleton  was an  all white blackbird - thanks Doreen

High tide - Low count

The current 10m tides completely flush Ocean Edge salt marsh twice a day. This, coupled with slightly late start (marsh already 90% covered an hour before high water), resulted in lower than recent counts of snipe.

26 common snipe

1 Jack snipe

17 ringed plover

2 reed bunting

MD

Peacock surprise

Peacock butterfly on scrub on top of cliffs between Heysham Head and Half Moon Bay.
1 Great crested grebe feeding offshore.
MD

Med Gull Again

North Harbour Wall

Brief visit saw the Czech ringed Mediterranean Gull, in flight and on the railings, but no finches at the feeding area, just Starlings, a Robin and a Dunnock.

JM

Ocean Edge salt marsh at high water
106 Common snipe
4 Jack snipe