First hints of the beast

A bit colder this am but the Chough still in field feeding mode as opposed to grovelling around at the cliff base.

Velvet Scoter - not looked for in the Heysham feeding area but distantly (more so than yesterday by all accounts) off the Stone Jetty on the float-in at c1240
Chough - second field late am
Iceland Gull - waterfall at least 1100hrs
Redwing - 3 grounded Middleton
Pochard - two drakes still
Tufted Duck - pair
Nothing singing or calling in colder weather at Middleton

Distant Velvet tracking and Cetti's at last

Chough - first two fields north of café, but a bit mobile
Iceland Gull - 3rd W SW corner of harbour am at least
Goldeneye - drake again seen inshore from Knowlys Road
Velvet Scoter - in the recording area with the most southerly Eider gang off the north wall before the tidal flow, then in a 'fast lane' twice as far out as yesterday, overtaking some more inshore birds off the Stone Jetty, then surprisingly ended up not floating into the middle of the Bay, but heading towards Teal Bay, albeit equally distantly and it was seen from there near high tide.  Beware a drake Common Scoter just beyond the first gang of distant Eiders off the SJ, but not seen at Heysham
Eider - 680ish
Cetti's Warbler - contact calling in one of the usual locations near the Middleton 'fence pond'
Siskin - 5 off-passage by Knowlys road - feeder?  IOY
Reed Bunting - singing male Middleton
Water Rail - 1+
Goldcrest - one golf course edge
Coal Tit - golf course edge
Skylark - 1 N

Wildfowl as yesterday, including the two drake Pochard

No sign Green Woodpecker

Velvet record shot time and Green pecker joins the year list

The strategy had to be to go out of the area to the Stone Jetty.  Perusal of the low tide Eiders off Heysham saw nothing in the first 400 but the 200 furthest out were very tightly packed and if it was still about, it had to be in the middle of that lot.  So it proved as it appeared about 2/3 of the way along the Eider float-in, found by Eric as he watched the flock approach the jetty, so I was primed ready with phone-scoping 'gear'.  Thanks Eric.  Feel rather ashamed though.  If I had read the late Martin Garner's excellent paper properly, I should not have been surprised by bright pink legs on an adult male

Velvet Scoter - see above

Iceland Gull - 3rd W on platforms next to the waterfall at least 0930
Chough - around the cafe area (on factory roof next door at one stage) and first field mid-pm
Med Gull - adult Knowlys road
Green Woodpecker - mobile around the gold course and Middleton western marsh

Middleton NR
Gadwall - 19

Coot - 1
Mute Swan - 6
Moorhen - 9
Mallard - 6
Pochard - 2 drake
Tufted Duck - 3
Teal - 44

Local paper time

The Chough and Iceland Gull were not quite so easy to see today, especially the latter with a midday high spring tide covering the main food source.  The Chough ended up in the sheep fields late morning

They are both in the local Morecambe Visitor on line after emailing the newsworthiness on Sunday

A flock of 5 Blackbirds on Heysham NR may have been early migrants dropped by the morning fog

Med Gull : Knowlys road bird seen

** beast from the east on most forecasts coming up

Skylark passage and Velvet Scoter appearance

Velvet Scoter - the drake was picked up floating in with Eider off the Stone Jetty at 1015 - it certainly a pain to see and seemingly not always with the main Eider gangs when they have sometimes been comprehensively counted!   In this respect, there could easily be a spring tide factor, as with Eider numbers which are higher in the feeding area on low spring tides
Skylark - c40 over Middleton mid-am, not sure whether any over Heysham NR during coverage earlier on.  Other seen heading south over Middleton sands during webs
Iceland Gull - 3rd W harbour
Chough - first and second fields
Pochard - 2 drake Middleton
Mute - 3 pair plus 4 adult flying around
Coot - 1
Moorhen - 6
Mallard - 2
Gadwall - 19
Tufted - 3 (2m)
Teal - c30

Chough shunned by the media

Given the fact that it has been seen and/or known about by more people than possibly any other bird ever seen in North Lancashire i.e. the whole of Heysham for a start, attempts to get Lancaster and Morecambe Newspapers and BBC Northwest to do a feature have failed miserably.  Weird - no doubt for wildlife issues they are presumably used to dealing with e.g. RSPB or Wildlife Trust press officers and anyone who contacts them privately is filed under 'oddball- use as last resort'

Chough - mainly in the second field north of half moon bay cafe all day.  I wonder how many pics are in existence!
Iceland Gull - 3rd winter on the incoming tide then had returned to the waterfall at 1515hrs.  Advice to birders tomorrow - go and see this first on the incoming tide before the Chough

Thanks to Mark and Margaret Breaks

Black-tailed Godwit - think its a year tick for here! - one on Red Nab incoming tide
Med Gull - Czech adult north wall/Fishers, Ad Knowlys road.  Czech bird should be off soon so please let me know of any further sightings.  Thanks

No sign of Brents off Knowlys road on incoming tide or on the south side later in the tide cycle

Brents back and extra Iceland near miss

Pale-bellied Brent - returned to skeer off horse paddocks by 1400

Thanks Matt

Chough - first two fields all day

Thanks Matt

Iceland Gull - 3rd W SW corner harbour (and juv last seen heading for Heysham from Battery Groyne early pm)

Med Gull - ad fishers roof, ad off horse fields

Brent failure

Cant find them on their usual high spring tide routine!

Iceland Gull - 3rd W harbour area on and off all day

Thanks Matt for the mobile phone pic

Chough - seemingly ever-present (dangerous word or two!) in the first two fields north of half moon bay cafe 

Med Gull - ad Knowlys road

Jack Snipe - two OE saltmarsh edge

Snipe - 6 OE saltmarsh edge

Stonechat - female OE saltmarsh edge

Kittiwake - didn't actually see any as there was no seawatching carried out, but it was typical Kittiwake flock weather in the morning tide and John Webb intercepted about 120 off JBP which would have come past here

Snipe revealing tide

Jack Snipe - one OE saltmarsh edge
Snipe - 6 OE saltmarsh edge
Chough - first two fields am and pm
Iceland Gull - 3W around SW corner harbour - it also appears as a still and as a video in RBA's weekly summary
Stonechat - female OE saltmarsh edge in corner
No sign Brents - not unusual during higher tides

IOM Ferry - clipped the corner of the north harbour wall as the strong southerly and gaps in the wooden jetty drifted the boat over, despite rounding the end of the wooden jetty as close as possible

Still in winter mode

A contrast between two sites today - here and the Snab.  Here was an 'as you were' with everything seen seemingly in habitual winter mode, whilst the Snab produced a whole heap of things starting to move: e.g. three Ringed Plover, 4 Golden Plover, a Dunlin and a gang of 5 pristine Lesser Black-backed Gull inland, joining the winter fare.  Just a reminder that all pics are from the day in question unless stated otherwise - we don't dig things out of the library to decorate daily postings where no pics are available - this is a 'diary blog'

Chough - first two fields all day by the look of it!  Thanks Janet:

Iceland Gull - e.g. around the SW corner of the harbour at least some of the time over the tide today

Pale-bellied Brent Goose - the two awol at HT (under Heysham Head??) but back on the skeer off the horse paddocks from about 1320 on as the tide was well down

Stonechat - female OE foreshore along saltmarsh

Nothing other than Eider on the sea despite a fair few 'sweeps'