Feeding station top ups

Heysham Obs
Just a short visit this pm with the north harbour wall producing:
Twite - 20+ in distant flight
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult in partial summer plumage

Enthusiastic Sean

Sean on the wall

Heysham Obs
North wall vigil
Pink-footed Goose - c20 SE
Purple Sandpiper - at least one
Med Gull - one adult, now in full summer plumage
Fulmar - first of year
Red-throated Diver - one offshore
Twite - 38 with c6 unringed (one probably killed by Sparrowhawk - it was certainly carrying a 'bird')

Low-level apathy

Heysham Obs
Not a good day today, it rained heavily every time a walk around was considered and an early morning ringing session was aborted with just a single Blue Tit troubling the scorers (only three other birds were caught as retraps, although one, a Blue Tit, had been first caught and ringed at Leighton Moss last November). A single Goldeneye was, as usual, on Middleton model boat pond.

So despite, five (potential) observers on site, nothing worth writing about!

Post-freeze Water Rail

Heysham Obs
Heysham NR walk
Water Rail - one by the dipping pond
Siskin - just single figure dribs and drabs, the big flock not encountered, but spends most of time down the dog track!

North harbour wall
"Dead" apart from:
 Twite - c45 seen in flight 

Mothy morning

Heysham Obs
Two Dotted Border in the Heysham trap
Siskin flock now up to 80-85 (flight only)
Skylark - one flew north over HNR at about 1330hrs

North Harbour Wall
Twite - 47 including only about 3 unringed birds.

Middleton NR
2 Little Grebe (one fence, one no swimming ponds), 4 Mute Swan, 25 Tufted Duck, 17 Teal, 18 Mallard, 1 Goldeneye, 9 Coot, 2 Moorhen
Mammals
Roe Deer - 1 roadkill on verge of Heysham link road just east of Trumacar roundabout.

Elsewhere
The first Small Brindled Beauty of the year at Millhouses along with the first March Moths

Peripheral Pinkfeet

Heysham Obs

At least 600 Pinkfeet this morning on the edge of the recording area along the first section of the bypass.  Here they are as seen from Middleton yesterday if you want to count them! (thanks Janet)

Heysham NR

Siskin - the flock commuting between the dog walk conifers and HNR alders is now 38 with at least one ringed bird (not from here, havnt ringed any for three years)

Goldfinch - 12 as above, staying separate

Raven - two over

The owl and the bumble bee

Heysham Obs
Heysham NR
Mist net ride maintenance by the dipping pond revealed:
Tawny Owl - one called twice from dense tree/scrub just to the south of the entrance gate
Siskin - flock of at least 12 in the alders

North harbour wall
Twite - c50
Med Gull - ad

Insects
Bombus terrestris by the dipping pond is really early!  Dotted Border in the moth trap.  A few 'flies' and winter gnats by the dipping pond

There's only one Twite

Heysham Obs
A very quick trawl both sides of the harbour revealed:

Twite - one came down to a fresh lot of seed late afternoon - the previous lot had either been eaten or washed away
Med Gull - ad harbour mouth
Ringed Plover - 14 Ocean Edge foreshore (two metal-ringed, including the usual aggressive male)

Heysham NR
Siskin - 2 north
Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin singing

Gales and high tides churn up wader distribution

Heysham Obs
The post-gale/flood tide 'dust-settling' coincided with Sean's day-long vigil and there were some surprises

Purple Sandpiper - THREE roosting on the wooden jetty
Bar-tailed Godwit - c2,000 on the low tideline
Knot - c20,000
Twite - c50
Med Gull - the usual two adults, one with quite advanced summer head plumage

More later

There is stuff out there..................

Heysham Obs
Really wild and woolly this morning, but without the rain.  The sea was covered for about half an hour after an instant result with a flock of Kittiwake

North wall 1000-1030ish, then 1300-1330hrs
Twite - 35-37
Kittiwake - flock of 42-44 in, then landed on sea and 'invisible', 11+17 out mid-afternoon
Little Gull - perhaps the same adult seen from OE side and later in harbour mouth briefly, then later presumably the same feeding in the surf by Half-moon Bay

Elsewhere
Another good catch in the sheltered Millhouses trap included the first Ypsolopha ustella and Tortricodes alternella of the year.  Nothing in the obs trap!