Another tricky Obs area year tick

Merlin - female OE saltmarsh on incoming tide
Jack Snipe - 3 OE saltmarsh
Snipe - 17 OE saltmarsh
Pale-bellied Brent - two as above
Chough - sheep fields area at 1330, resting on road drying wings!

Med Gull - Czech bird north wall
Pink-footed Goose - 200 SE
Nothing offshore at HT on flat calm sea!!

Stormy day

Couldn't manage the early incoming stages of the tide and both Malcolm and I arrived to find the tide where it normally would have reached...........but still with 1.5 hours to go!

Kittiwake - flock of 11 out and one poss two ads on outfalls
Twite - one along OE saltmarsh tideline
Jack Snipe - one OE tideline
Snipe - two OE tideline
Med Gull - 2 adults horse fields roost and one on Fishers roof
Chough - flushed from sheep field area by fire engine activity . then seemed to fly over houses.  No other sightings which suggests it was hiding in 'dead' ground on the sheep field most of the day

Foul weather birding

Jean missed Chough and Stonechat yesterday and opted for a walk from the cafe to the tall cliffs as the seemingly clearing weather produced a nasty sting in the tail.  A birdless soaking.  As soon as the weather cleared, up popped the female Stonechat along the same route and a short detour produced the Chough in the sheep fields.  Earlier coastal coverage saw a few waders counts and a couple of Meds

From now onwards, the onus will be more on visiting year-listing birders to find and "put out" the Chough.  It can be quite time-consuming to locate and we (Malcolm, Jean and Pete) seem to have spent quite a chunk of the last month or so doing that and there are now other things to do!     So if it is not visible on our usual quick circuit: drive by check of the horse paddock, check of the fields next to Half Moon Bay, scoping the southern headland fields from the Near Naze if visibility permits, it wont be further looked for.   However, if there is negative news for more than three days, at least one of us will make an effort and try and find it again.  Birders need to check:

a) horse paddock - favours the fence line along footpath down from Knowlys but has been all over here, albeit not staying long at any of the other parts of this area
b) half moon bay fields just north of cafe (worth sitting and watching with a cuppa!)
c) all along the undercliff between half moon bay cafe and the headland but make sure you are not cut off on incoming spring tides
d) sheep field - can be a bit awkward to check but can be scanned along with the rest of the headland at long range, as can a big chunk of the area, from the Near Naze (south end of ex heliport area)

Med Gull - adults on the sea at Heysham village bay and the usual Czech bird along the north wall
Stonechat - usual female on tall vegetation along the top of the beach about 100m north of the 1/2 moon bay cafe
Chough - feeding well on sheep field along with an increase in Oystercatcher early pm
Ringed Plover - 18 out of the area on SS groyne flew to the horse paddock over HT
Turnstone - 70 on heliport seawall and 5 on wooden jetty
Knot - 150ish heliport seawall
Eider - scan not possible due to tidal state

New Year’s Day surprises

Brent goose - the three are back with the two pale-bellied together and the third bird a bit further away as seen in tricky light looking south from OE.  So the third bird still hasn’t been seen well enough to belly-specify
Red-throated Diver - one in the harbour
Chough - visiting all its usual haunts except perhaps the sheep field
Stonechat - female near OE cafe
Med gull - Czech ad north wall
Kittiwake - 1cy following iom ferry turned back quite early but ad followed the ferry into the harbour mouth
Sea too rough to carefully check eider

31st December

Happy new year everyone
Belated addition - Kingfisher Red Nab
31st December
Velvet Scoter  - drake seen flying towards Heysham from Stone Jetty then relocated with Eider flock off Heysham Head
Chough - seen around horse paddock at least 1115
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - two found as the tide dropped off Heysham Head on the skeers
Med Gull - adults on Fishers/north wall and on red nab
Linnet - 15 north wall
Red throated diver - one offshore
Kittiwake - 31+2 out

Low key

Kingfisher red nab
Med gull ad harbour mouth

No reported sign of the chough and the Brent geese were not on the disturbed skeer area off the children’s play area

Chough returns to its old habits

A quick one-two or two-one with the Brents and Chough along Knowlys road this lunchtime, but it really felt "white wing" with a strong westerly and showers and snow on the hills.  Weather reminded of Ullapool in winter in the early 80s when there were proper communists and proper factory ships and Odessians trying to buy my Lada Riva with some obscure currency.  40 'white winged' gulls was not unusual.  Not so here: every nook and cranny, offshore sandbank and skeer, Eider 'attenders' and rooftop was checked with just the Czech Med to show for it

Brent Goose - two pale-bellied visible from Knowlys road on the skeer off the childrens play area
Chough - on the sheepfield at 1145 and then along the fence by the footpath in the SW corner of the horse paddocks at least 1200-1215 but not at 1415.
Med Gull - Czech adult along the north wall
Stonechat - female along cliff edge half moon bay
Eider - about 830 but sea rough
Great-crested Grebe - 2 offshore

Brents relocated

Chough - no sign today despite extensive searching therefore the only two sightings in the last four days were on Christmas morning and late yesterday afternoon when it was below the tall cliffs being mobbed by two Carrion Crow.  If anyone did see it today, please make contact.  Thanks

Brent Goose - the two Pale-bellied on the shore off the children's play area visible from eg Knowlys road

Med Gull - Czech adult north wall and another adult at seaward end Heysham 2 outfall

Elusive Chough

Seen 3pm below the high cliffs (thanks John) but not earlier by people scouring the place

Med Gull - ad following IOM ferry
Eider - 810 offshore - scattered with four main concentrations
Great-crested Grebe - 2 offshore and one harbour mouth
Stonechat - female below low cliffs
Snipe - one flushed from Heysham barrows!
Jackdaw - at least 8 horse paddocks

Anyone year listing on NYD!!  The one time it might be worth hugging a hide or better still car potatoing eg afternoon seawatch?  Heysham (thanks XC):

Whooper in harbour!

Bit of a novelty, especially this time of year - usually a spring and autumn passage migrant.  No obvious sign of the Chough today in the southern section at least.  One of the adult male Eider which was almost certainly off here earlier was seen floating in the choppy water past the Stone Jetty and was flashing an orangy bill as it bobbed up and down whilst floating in but there was no evidence of any 'sails'.  Watch this space when it goes calm.

Whooper Swan - adult in the harbour mouth

 Stonechat - female still half moon bay

Meadow Pipit - one half moon bay

Thanks to Janet for the second and third, no prizes for guessing who took the first