Iceland Gull at Middleton

Model Boat Pond

A fine portrait of the Iceland Gull by Gavin Thomas

Gavin and Ian watched the Iceland Gull until dusk as it returned to Ocean Edge and then the harbour area. Also 5 adult Med Gulls, including 2P96

The Iceland Gull once again enjoyed much of its time today on the model boat pond at Middleton until 14.10 at least.
Also there:
11 Mute Swans (4Ad/7juv)
6 Gadwall
12 Tufted Duck
2 Pochard
3 Little Egret

North Harbour Wall
1 Med Gull (Adult)
2 Guillemot
4 RB Mergansers
1 GC Grebe
c30 Linnet/Goldfinch flock, possibly included Twite but none identified. Flock very flighty.

River Lune Golden Ball
1 Med Gull (Adult)

Quick power walk

Heysham Obs
North wall & harbour area
This is now closed off until further notice at the end of the Centrica entrance and obviously any pedestrian access beyond there is completely (as usual) at your own risk with a lot of tripping hazards and holes created by the storm surge.  Stay out other than strictly on the road itself is the recommendation.

Med Gull - ad north wall, 2 ads seaward end Heysham one outfall
Red-throated Diver - 1
Common Scoter - one female
Guillemot - one harbour mouth
Rock Pipit - one south harbour wall
No obvious Twite in c35 finches, mainly in flight
Mute Swan - Ad & ?2CY flew across bay from Foulney direction and headed inland
Very few Eiders a surprise

Middleton model boat pond
Iceland gull - juv at least 1130 and an hour or so later after flying off at 1140. Ate a sea buckthorn berry - definitely worth an old fashioned BB note ' I can find no evidence in the literature' etc

st Pochard, 9 Tufted Duck, 6 Gadwall,3 Little Egret, 2+7 Mute Swan

Iceland Gull is back

Heysham Obs
Alan restored the Twite feeding area this morning and 17 Linnet, 6 Goldfinch and 3 Twite were on the seed fairly soon afterwards.  There might, however, be some limitations on access to the north wall as the clearing up operation begins.  After an obvious dearth of large gulls around the harbour, the juv Iceland Gull reappeared on Red Nab late morning as this rubbishy record shot via scope/mobile indicates:

...............as does the fact that the tide was just about to cover the roosting site.  Also 78 Wigeon and a single Meadow Pipit in the area.  Two adult Med Gulls in the harbour along with a single Guillemot visible (but up to 3 underground)

Middleton pm
Iceland Gull - on model boat pond at least 1350hrs
Pochard 1 m, Tufted Duck 9, Teal 64 (65 on Wednesday!), Mallard and gadwall 6 each, Litle egret 3, Snipe 1, Moorhen 15, Coot just 2, Meadow Pipit 8 and the mega - a male Pheasant!

Above: The scene at Ocean Edge foreshore after yesterday's tidal surge

 

Below: The tidally rearranged Twite feeding station

Short and destructive but pretty bird less

Heysham obs
The twite station was like a model of the Grand Canyon and another chunk of the wooden jetty ended up on ocean edge grassy foreshore. The sand works fence was seriously damaged and scoured of its hard-worn embryonic vegetation.  The heliport was completely flooded.
The first image here taken at least an hour before high tide:

 

 

Sightings
Little gull - two ads on sea on incoming tide
Med gull - two ad heliport
No sign Iceland gull
Pochard- male Middleton model boat pond

Head on Iceland

Heysham Obs
A bit of instructive birding this morning when all the gulls were head-on perched on Fisher's roof as viewed from the north harbour wall about 400m away.  I was told on arrival that 'it wasn't there' but this was because of a perception problem with a face-on white-winged gull in perhaps especially early winter juvenile plumage.  The base colour of the breast and underparts is darker than similar age argenteus Herring Gull nearby and, at that range, appears a uniform brown, not a paler dirty white with darker flecks as on the Herring Gull.  So simplistically, you were actually looking for the darkest juvenile/first winter bird as per head on views!

On the other hand if it's side on as in this picture, it's a doddle!

Photo by John Girdley

Fisher's roof
Iceland Gull - juv from at least 0845-0925
Med Gull - 2 adults

North wall
Red-throated Diver - 2 'in'
Goldfinch - 31 on seed, others heard
Linnet - 20 on seed, others heard
Twite - 1 on seed and at last one other heard

Moths
Single female December Moth and (male) Winter Moth

As you were with Iceland gull again absent at high tide

Heysham obs

Harbour area and offshore
Iceland gull - present in harbour area early pm
Red-throated diver- 2 offshore
Twite - 6 plus
Med gull - at least 3 adults

Ocean edge and red nab
Wigeon - 116

Middleton m boat pond
Large collection of gulls over the tide and two little egret and 6 tufted duck

Iceland Gull elusive

Heysham

North Harbour Wall
The finch flock this morning was very restless, partly a result of pigeons hogging the seed area.

Goldfinch - 17
Twite - 1 ringed with Orange/Blue over Pale Blue.
Linnet - 20 at least.  Accurate count not possible because of constant coming and going.

General
Iceland gull - on red nab from at least 1330 to 1410 when flew back towards harbour.
Common scoter - female in
Med gull - at least five
Guillemot - one in harbour and at least two in underground reservoir

Moths
Two mottled umber and one b lacticollela

Always cover the cover at high tide

Heysham Obs

Thanks to Pete Cook

Must get the local patch website stuff sorted out.  A really jammy 'patch find' this morning with good birders who got up at the proper time checking everywhere but the old Fisher's roof on which was a juv Iceland Gull - presumably a small female.  Its behaviour also suggested that it has been around for a day or so as it quickly located the waterfall.  Hopefully it did not clear off at lunchtime when it flew off up the harbour and out of view.  Pics later.

North wall/harbour area
Iceland Gull - juv, pres female, 1000ish to at least 1145ish, then on Red Nab until at least 1330hrs when all observers left
Red-throated Diver - one in the harbour - didn't get good enough views myself to age it - any help please?
Med Gull - 4 adults, including 2P96 darvic-ringed bird

Red Nab
Oystercatcher 1200
Knot 200
Redshank 10
Curlew 8
Turnstone 1
Wigeon 86

Middleton Nature Reserve
Model Boat Pond:
Gadwall 3 pairs
Cormorant 2
Little Egret 2
Grey Heron 2
Pochard 1 male
Tufted Duck 3 female
Moorhen

Lovely Morning for a Stroll

Heysham North Harbour wall
A beautifully clear morning but small numbers of birds.
Around the feeding area were:
Linnet - 16, some already ringed
Goldfinch - 4
Dunnock - 2
Robin - 1
Feral Pigeon - 3
Gentleman Reading Newspaper - 1.  This person sauntered down over the feeding area to the harbour's edge whilst I was trying to count through a telescope and then slowly returned, stopping every few steps to concentrate on his newspaper, even stopping for a couple of minutes standing on the seed to carefully read an extra-gripping piece of news!

Mediterranean Gull - 1 adult with right leg ring above tarsal joint.

Ocean Edge saltmarsh
No finches present. Area and caravan park quiet.

Middleton Nature Reserve

2 mute + 7 cygnets

2 coot

14 moorhen (9 in horse's field near Tim Butler)

6 gadwall

3 tufted

3 mallard

42 teal

1 cormorant - feeding on boating pond, but didn't see it catch anything

2 little egrets - also "feeding" on boating pond

1 snipe

also heard Water Rail (or small piglet)

1st winter BHG with metal ring - lower right leg (from Leighton?)

 

70 linnet

2 bullfinch

8 meadow pipit

Hut Moth Trap
Angle Shades - 1
Mottled Umber - 1

ajd

Underwhelming stuff

Need to learn how to brand days like this starting with 'our' 6 mallard and our 95 wigeon off ocean edge . The mega year for December moth continued with another two plus a mottled unber