Unremarkable low tide channel

Low tide channel from Knowlys & out on skeer!
Wigeon 3
Great-crest - 6
RBM - 3
Eider - 4

Redwing have been hanging about far more than usual with the proliferation of berries:

Thanks Janet

Middleton Nature Reserve - two main ponds

Gadwall 32

Tufted 2 male

Shoveler 1 male

Wigeon 1 female

Coot 1

Moorhen 12

Little grebe 1

Tuesday

10:45 - Bird landing, unfortunately out of sight, on rocks in front of north wall roundhead was, almost certainty, an adult or near adult Shag (MD)

Wigeon 175

Rock Pipit 1

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just the two main ponds checked:

Gadwall 30

Tufted 2 (male on "no swimming" female on main pond)

Wigeon 1

Teal 6

Coot 1

Redwing - several flitting around

Sunday webs

Nothing of specific interest on coastal  WeBs but 10.3k Knot on the heliport were spectacular

Belated ringing totals for November saw (new ringed) 64 Greenfinch, 40 Goldfinch, 24 Blackbird and a few bits and bobs including a Firecrest

Middleton Webs
Mute Swan 12, Moorhen 14, Coot 1, Gadwall 35, Wigeon 1, Shoveler 2, Mallard 6, Teal 8, Water Rail 2+, Snipe 7 (& 2 Pheasant, c20 each of Blackbird and Redwing)

Rock Pipit 3 - lighthouse area, one visiting 2019 2nd brood nest hole
Meadow Pipit 1 - near waterfall

Large numbers of Pinkfeet over Heysham after dark

Shag - repeat performance

Shag - Ad or near ad  in harbour mouth again 1345 before moving into harbour.
Little Gull and Guillemot flying S offshore


Middleton Nature Reserve 
Gadwall 27
Wigeon 1
Teal 3
Tufted 1 (m)
Shoveler (m&f)
Coot 1

Still plenty of Redwing feeding

Friday

Ocean Edge saltmarsh - high water
The 9.3m tide just covered the saltmarsh, revealing  just a few snipe (MD).
Jack Snipe 1
Common Snipe 7

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Just the briefest check of the two main ponds revealed a male Tufted has joined the 25 Gadwall and 2 Shoveler .

Blackcap 1 female in a garden NE section of recording area.

Another one to add to "elusive" status - Black Redstart

It's nice when a plan comes up with a good sighting.........Shame that the plan was locate the Purple Sandpiper, and came up with a:
Black Redstart 1 f/imm - 10:05 - about an hour before high water. Red Nab was mostly covered. (MD).
It flew low along sloping sea wall from the direction of No.2 outflow. It initially landed on rocks below the wall where the freshwater culvert drains on to Red Nab, and disappeared from view. As I got within 50m it flew from here towards the exposed natural red rocks, I lost sight of it over the eastern edge of Red Nab. I hoped that it had landed, but I didn't see it again. After an extensive check of likely habitats nearby, I concluded that it must have doubled back towards the Power Station grounds. Just popped out for a drink?
This sighting suggests that the bird seen on 27/11 is lingering, and hopefully will be for some while.

Salt marsh - tide not much higher than yesterday, with reduced wind.
Common Snipe 6 (reduced waves tends to move birds in rather than flush them up)
Reed Bunting 2
Linnet c30

One elusive plus one habitual

Ocean Edge - am
Tide flushed 18 Common snipe off the salt marsh, but not quite high enough today to flush any Jack snipe. Tomorrow might be high enough, Friday's tide will be. Jack snipe are more likely here when the tides are rising, as now, they tend to stay away after being flushed a few times.
Rock pipit 1
Purple Sandpiper 1. As far as I know (MD) this is the first sighting since 12th and 13th November. Elusive? Yes, but possibly predictable. Today's bird was seen flying east from the direction of the small beach between Red Nab and Ocen Edge foreshore at 10:50, just after high water. The previous  two sightings were from same location on similar height tides. Worth checking this beach about an hour before and up to high water on spring tides.

Middleton Nature Reserve- pm
Gadwall 31
Wigeon 1
Shoveler 2 (m&f)
Teal 10
Mallard 6
Coot 1

Redwing - up to 32 seen flying around at one time, plus many more feeding on hawthorn all around the Reserve.

Great White Egret 1. This is the habitual bird. So I decided to hang around to see if it was still commuting in the "evening" (MD). It finally turned up at 15:45, by then quite dark. It flew from the direction of golf course to ESE.

Tuesday - Shag

Shag 1 - adult or near adult briefly in harbour mouth before flying in to the inner harbour, out of sight line.

Middleton Nature Reserve
Pretty much as yesterday, but the Wigeon was back on main pond with 5 Gadwall (31 in total)

Hopefully more later

Monday

Nice day, but nothing of interest on south shore this morning.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)
Grey wagtail - second sighting of same colour ringed bird. At least three different ringed birds are around the Heysham area this winter. More lingering birds than normally located from the ringing program.
Gadwall 28 - no sign of the wigeon, but all the Gadwall were all on the "no swimming" pond, I have only seen the Wigeon on the main pond
Shoveler 2 (m&f)
Coot 1
Little grebe 1 - offering slightly better views on "no swimming" pond.

Redwing- at least 40 feeding on the Reserve.

Mediterranean Gull - 1 adult behind IOM ferry

Wigeon conundrum, settled........

The only bird of note seen on the sea was a juvenile Kittiwake behind the IOM ferry.

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Just checked the three ponds on east side of MNR:
Main pond
Mute 3 adult 7 juv
Gadwall 6
Mallard 4
"Wigeon" 1 - this is the bird previously thought to be a hybrid, partly down to its unusual behaviour. But the decision now is: just a female wigeon with odd habits. See pic below (MD)
Moorhen 6

No Swimming pond
Mute 2 adult
Shoveler 2 (m&f)
Gadwall 21
Teal 2
Coot 1
Moorhen 6

Tim Butler pond
Mute 1 adult
Mallard 4
Gadwall 2
Moorhen 2

Redwing 17 grounded

The odd, at least by behaviour, female Wigeon.