Geese on the rampage and well 'ard Linnets

Heysham Obs
Black Redstart - late news - presumably the wide-ranging wintering female/imm was along the shoreline at half-moon bay for an hour late afternoon

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 3 adults, including recent arrival with lots of black on rear crown plus the Czech-ringed regular
Twite - 57
Linnet - 3 These could be easily identified by the refusal to be intimidated by rabbits, unlike the wimpish Twite which shot off as soon as the beasties entered the nyger arena. Indeed, one Linnet kept lunging aggressively at a rabbit!
Goldfinch - at least one

Overhead
Greylag - 12 south
Pink-footed Goose - 60+71N, 250+32+90S
Whooper Swan - single bird south

Heysham Nature reserve
Chiffchaff still by HN reserve office 0950hrs

Ocean Edge area
Jack Snipe - 1

Middleton IE
Little Grebe - 3
Mallard - 9
Teal - 2

Elsewhere
Mouthwatering menagerie including 3 Barnacle and 4 white Lesser Snow Geese Heaton Marsh late afternoon. The Lune valley Whooper Swans were visible from the layby just south of Melling garage and comprised 9 adult and 4 young (& 4 Mute). Couldnt see any darvics, but distant and legs often obscured. Presumed abietinus Chiffchaff Stodday sewage works. Male Snow Bunting on the tideline near Crook Farm this afternoon [not sure which side - note no vehicle access north of lighthouse cottage]

Highlighted by Jack Snipe & winter Stonechat

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Twite - c60, forming two groups with very few of the 30 seen well ringed
Rock Pipit - one (perhaps the same below)

Heysham N Res
Chiffchaff - at least one, quite possibly two

Middleton IE
Tufted Duck (4), Snipe (7), Jay (1) and female Stonechat

South harbour wall
Rock Pipit - same as above?

Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Jack Snipe - 2

Elsewhere
Chiffchaff - one collybita Bentham sewage works in hedge just to north. Cant get on to LDBWS site to check (1755hrs)

Routine sightings

Heysham Obs
Nice weather again, so two of us are upland bird surveying tomorrow (Saturday), so any routine coverage of the usual suspects (Meds, Twite etc) gratefully received. Thanks. Please text or e-mail me (see right hand column)

Some good seawatching coming up with wind speeds for Heysham on Metcheck for e.g. 18th December between 280 and 325mph westerlyish!!

South harbour/wooden jetty area (thanks Tom)
Purple Sandpiper - 2 at midday
Med Gull - one ad following IOM ferry

Middleton IE (thanks Malcolm)
A Teal-less afternoon visit saw: 4 Mute Swan, 6 Coot, 8 Moorhen, 10 Tufted Duck, one Pochard, 2 Mallard, 3 Grey Heron, 3 Snipe in what might be the last wildfowl-fest for some time if the long-range forecast is correct

North harbour wall (thanks Alan)
A slightly disappointing Twite-ringing session with just c30 birds visiting this morning produced 7 unringed birds and 12 retraps - but the Bay view was lovely! The single Goldfinch-in -residence was also ringed!

Elsewhere
Further late afternoon confirmation that the Slavonian Grebe is not hiding in a corner of Pine Lake. This site could really come into its own over the next few weeks. No reports of any Great White Egret in the last few days.

Very quick visit

Heysham Obs
Office area
Chiffchaff calling

North harbour wall
Twite - 67, but being disturbed by angler's spaniel and wouldnt settle
Med Gull - ad
No sign of the Black Red on the mound or in old sandworks

Elsewhere
Nothing yet

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