Black Redstart & Chiffchaff again

Heysham Obs
A Chiffchaff was around the Heysham NR office again this morning - again not seen very well but sounded like collybita

A Black Redstart on the north harbour wall mound at lunchtime (thanks Alan)

An abortive search in conditions which were too windy for any sign of Cetti's Warbler on Middleton. Predictably, given decent weather, two of us are away this next two days doing surveys so any basic daily reaffirmation of the usual culprits (Meds, Twite etc) gratefully received

North harbour wall
Twite - c60 (23 trapped, 11 new 12 retraps, two from 2008/9, the rest this autumn)
Med Gull - adult
Purple Sandpiper - one below wooden jetty
Goldfinch - 1
Rock Pipit - 1

Outfalls
Little Gull - 1CY

Elsewhere
52 Little Egrets out of the Leighton roost this am but no mention of any GWEs. Cetti's Warbler in three different locations at Leighton this last two days with an absolute minimum of two birds

If only it was a birdrace!

Heysham Obs
A thirty second scan of the outfalls from Ocean Edge:
Twite - flock of 8 flew past
Med Gull - adult seaward end of Heysham 1
Little Gull - 1CY seaward end of Heysham 1

North Harbour Wall
Med Gull - 1 Unringed Adult
Twite - 48 around feeding area (of these, 7-8 unringed)
Goldfinch - 1 with Twite

Awful miserable southerlies

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Med Gull - two adults following in the IOM ferry - the usual birds
Twite - 12ish
Guillemot - one in harbour
Goldfinch - a good Atlas RR on the mound

Outfalls
Little Gull - 1CY

Early morning Med-fest & interesting wader recoveries

Heysham Obs
A Dutch ringer toured Morecambe Bay in mid-November looking for colour-ringed waders and he came up with this rather good one in the Red Nab/Ocean Edge area. Thanks to Richard for informing me today about this:

Knot USA ring 1313-59880 & CRs
Ringed: Alert, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada 82 30N 62 20W on 9/6/07 as ad male
Seen: Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore (SD45) on 12/11/09

Ringed Plover NW23526 & CRs
Ringed: Snettisham, Norfolk TF6433 on 16/7/04
Seen: Nesting female at Snettisham 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Seen: Cockersands, near Glasson, Lancs 30/9/07
Seen: Ocean Edge area winter 2008/9
Seen: Ocean Edge area 6/12/09 (first time this winter)
Not recorded nesting at Snettisham in 2009 as far as we know.

Nature reserve
Water Rail calling in marsh

Outfalls
Little Gull - 1CY

North wall area
Med Gull - 3 adults & one 2nd winter early morning. The adults comprised yesterdays birds, including the Czech-ringed individual. The very elusive (and usually elsewhere) 2nd winter MAY be ringed, but not possible to see the legs this morning. Please report the ringed or otherwise status if you do see it on the deck. Thanks.
Twite - 19 around harbour
Auk spp - one 'out'

Middleton IE
27 Teal, 10 Tufted Duck, 3 Mallard. one Pink-footed Goose, 5 Snipe

Elsewhere
Four Snow Geese still being added to people's fence-hopper lists on Aldcliffe. Unringed 2nd winter Med gull on the river between the rail and Greyhound bridge, central Lancaster. The(?) Bonxie JBP at high tide - flew up Kent Estuary. Great White Egret Bolton-le-Sands was the longish-lost colour-ringed bird which was regularly documented until a few weeks ago but off the radar since then

Gripping communication

Heysham Obs
Who got the better deal? Ian Gardner being alerted to a very distant Bonxie/southern hemisphere skua agg. and as a result of 'looking in that direction' picking up a very close Little Auk heading out of the bay at Rossall. A big welcome to the RSPB/LDBWS group who managed to see quite a bit, even the tricky closest Purple Sandpiper

North wall 1045-1130ish
Bonxie/Great Skua - one 'out' low over the water very distantly at 1112hrs, almost certainly observed in Cumbria. See above caveat at this range.
Purple Sandpiper - two separately on the wooden jetty
Guillemot - one in harbour
Med Gull - 3 adults: an adult with a lot of black on the rear crown was on the corrugated ex-Fisher's roof at high tide and the usual two appeared to feed on anglers scraps from mid-afternoon
Twite - 25 or so but elusive due to angler presence

On the down side, there was absolutely nothing floating in on the sea in the diver/grebe/seaduck categories in 45 minutes of fast-moving tide

Outfalls/Ocean Edge
Little Gull - 1CY stage 2 outfall
Kingfisher - 1
Twite - 3
Linnet - 2
Reed Bunting - 3
Little Egret - 1

Elsewhere
3 Great White Egrets apparently seen at Leighton Moss yesterday but not seen coming out of the roost this morning (51 Little Egret). 2 Cetti's Warblers Leighton Moss this morning - by the 'spring' (on lower hide to causeway path, about half way) and along the causeway itself

Last minute bird

Heysham Obs

A Woodcock on the reserve entrance road at dusk saved us from a blank day

Elsewhere

The recent Sunderland 1CY male Long-tailed Duck. Thanks Alan.

Slavonian Grebe still at Pine Lake

Early morning bits but missed the ferry!

Heysham Obs
A quick early morning check, but the ferry had arrived by the time a quick visit to check the 'followers' was scheduled - its often a bit early when the wind is westerly - the reason not being rocket science! The internet is a wonderful thing - just found out that the 'weather whirlpool' headline on here a week or so ago has been linked to a washing machine website!!

North harbour wall
Twite - just four seen & plenty of seed left from yesterday
Med Gull - adult soaring above the anglers
Guillemot - one visible in the harbour
Purple Sandpiper - one visible on the outer section of the wooden jetty
15 minutes seawatching produced a surprising male Common Scoter 'in' and an unsurprising four Shelduck 'out'

Ocean Edge south beach - high tide
Ringed plover - 31 - no colour-ringed birds
Turnstone - 5
Grey Plover - 1
Dunlin - 2
Knot - 2
Redshank - 224

Outfalls
Little Gull - adult & 1CY in the morning but both dispersed on the incoming tide & not seen lunchtime

Elsewhere
Three Scaup (one ad drake) off Scalestones Point (North Morecambe promenade). Black Redstart just outside the area at Dunsop Bridge Bowland AONB offices - just to the south of the LDBWS area SD65 boundary on the Whitewell road.

A few twosomes

Heysham Obs
Wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - 2

Harbour
Guillemot - 2

North wall & area
Med Gull - 2 adults
Twite - 4+

Elsewhere
37-40 Little Egret Ashton Hall roost

December Chiffchaff

Heysham Obs
Heysham Nature reserve
A collybita-type Chiffchaff toured the bushes around the office from at least 0905-1045hrs. Pre-wind ringing comprised one each of Coal Tit, Dunnock, Greenfinch & Chaffinch!
Pink-footed Goose - 64 headed south at 1515hrs

Coastal sites
A quick look round recorded the following:
Med Gull - 2 adults (including Czech-ringed bird) around anglers on the north harbour wall plus another adult by Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Twite - c30 reported by angler on the seed (obviously not excluding Linnet)

No obvious sign of any Purple Sandpiper (plenty of hidden bits) or Guillemot (ditto) or Little Gull

Elsewhere
Dramatic late news of a Grey Phalarope at Greta Foot on the Lune today, presumably been around since the SW gales but on an obscure flood/oxbow. Unfortunately flushed by Canada Geese but surely still in the area. Up to 9 ad and 4 juv Whooper Swans Lune Valley Melling area (7 ads seen today, 9 two days ago). One Great White Egret still at Leighton Moss & area

Then there were two

Heysham Obs
Quick coastal check

Outfalls
Little Gull - 1 1CY

North harbour wall
No Twite (3 rabbits) - 24 there at 09.30, all ringed except one.
Purple Sandpiper - two together on the outer section of the wooden jetty
Med Gull - ad in harbour

Elsewhere
Long-tailed Duck, probably 1CY male, on a private pond at Sunderland 15th-26th November. 4 Snow Geese and 3 Whooper Swans Aldcliffe (& 11 Grey Partridge). Slavonian Grebe Pine lake and the Great Grey Shrike elusively at Dalton Crag