Ah well - back to duck counting

The wind was back SSE first thing, then worked round to SW. showers in the morning, becoming more prolonged in the afternoon.

South Shore

A first light check to see if Black Redstarts could be relocated, didn't even manage to find a Rock Pipit. The only small birds seen were just 3 Linnet. A brief glimpse of a small brown raptor, almost certainly a Merlin, was probably a contributory factor.

This is actually one of yesterday's Linnet,
when the weather was a bit more suited to photography.

Lapwing 175 took flight briefly, and there were still some scattered around the beach.

Woodpigeon 26 east 08:30

A second check in the afternoon did manage to locate 2 Rock Pipit, but little else.

Hopefully the Black Redstarts are still around somewhere.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

This was also very quiet, the tit feeding flock not found, it is very mobile.

Mute 3 adult 3 + 1 cygnet

Coot 11 (7 on "no swimming" pond)

Moorhen 10

Gadwall 14

Teal 4

No Shoveller or Little grebe seen/heard. Also the second visit without hearing a Water Rail.

Sunshine, Starts, Swans and surprises - what a day!

 The wind had eased and shifted towards NW. After early rain it was mainly sunny.

Heysham Skeer - from low water 08:30 (MD)

Eider 40 seen, but many more heard from the outer channel

Great Crested Grebe 8

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Knot c500

Dunlin 12

The Dunlin just seemed to stop off for a rest

Whooper Swan 7 from NW crossed overland just north of Knowlys Rd 09:25.

This front and probably third Whooper is a juvenile
 (3rd and 5th birds in the line of 7)

2 more Whooper, later on same line seen by PW

Pinkfoot 31 + 33 south, very high, didn't look like local movement.

From Pete (M) - Grey Wagtail in Dorset - Just had one of our colour ringed Grey Wagtails from this last autumn’s Ringing at Middleton NR, North Lancs seen here! Ringed on 30/8/20 and first seen in Dorset about a month ago. 

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hardys-cottage/features/hardys-birthplace-visitor-centre

South shore.

Surprise 1:

As the tide started to flood, this Guillemot was in the shallow channel next to No.1 outflow. Later it waddled out of the water to rest on the beach

Report and pictures from Janet

Towards high water a visiting birder reported 2 female/immature Black Redstarts on Red Nab, which had then been flushed along the wall by walkers. Myself (MD) and Pete Woodruff were in the area, we split up, and after an hour, relocated them just 30m from the original sighting, on the rocks east of Red Nab. They were very mobile and kept disappearing then reappearing, sometimes two together other times a single bird. By this time we had been joined by Kevin Eaves, and between us managed some record shots.

These two by Kevin

Surprise 2:

Kevin had "both" birds together at Red Nab and looked over to me and Pete who were photographing another 100m away - there were three Black Redstarts! That's why, sometimes we were only seeing a solitary bird.

This first  picture, plus Kevin's above, show how "plain" they can look when stationary 

But this one, although rubbish quality, just shows how "startling" they are when they take flight.

Surprise 3 - at one point just before high water, there were 6 Rock Pipit on and around Red Nab.

Kevin took this shot of one.

This video allows you to hear, one calling in response to other calls. - at one point it appears to be counting all the birds flying around - the background noise is the sea behind me.

And the final surprise:

This video shows just how quickly nature reclaims, what is rightly theirs, when left alone.

This fox casually strolled along the high tide line, out from Ocean Edge, checking for carrion. Ocean Edge has been locked down for two weeks, so only minimal disturbance. It knew I was there, but paid me no heed. Much to my delight! You can tell how close it was, you can hear its footsteps through a wet patch.

I imagine that by tomorrow, it will be back to taking pleasure from a walk in the rain.

A "snipe" treble

It wasn't a nice day! Strong SSE winds in the morning with driving rain. The wind strengthened and shifted westwards, ending up almost due west by evening. Less rain in the afternoon and the sun almost made guest appearance late afternoon.

South shore mid morning

Little presented itself through the rain.

Rock Pipit 2

Wigeon c150

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid afternoon

I managed an, almost, dry walk.

No swimming pond

Mute 1 

Coot 4

Moorhen 4

Little Grebe 2 ( still in association)

Gadwall 27

Shoveller 1 male

This panorama doesn't show any detail, but does provide a sense of wildfowl density on this pond.

Although, tomorrow there may be only a few. They are very mobile.

Other stuff on reserve:

Jack Snipe 1

Common Snipe 3

Woodcock 1 (honorary snipe - for the sake of today's title)

Grey Wagtail 1 - not ringed.

There was a large mixed tit feeding flock. No sign of any warblers, but a Treecreeper was with them.

Treecreeper - not common here

By 15:15, the sun was making a valiant effort to shine

But this single small cloud thwarted it!

Better than expected, but not by much!

Still quite a strong SSW wind, a few light showers but mainly dry.

Today was one of those days, when you feel you could walk around all day and see nothing. Then I realised, that is nonsense! There is lots to see, perhaps not rare or unusual, but I don't go for a daily walk to find the unusual, I go because I enjoy all nature (MD)

Ben my Chree followers at midday

Kittiwake - 2 adult

Med Gull - ad seemed to appear from within harbour (Fishers roof?)

Just my stuff from the south shore so far, mid morning towards high water.

Rock Pipit 3

Linnet 22

Ringed Plover 18

Dunlin 2

These are some of the plover plus the 2 Dunlin

I was wondering why the small waders were so mobile today. Then a female type Merlin provided the answer when it whooshed past me. It was actually below me along the foreshore, so I only saw its back, and much to quick to get a picture.

Jack Snipe 1 - strangely no Common Snipe, perhaps the Merlin had already flushed them.

Wigeon c150

They were well spread, but driven close in by the wind. A good proportion of them are on this video. Unfortunately, the wind drowned out most of their calls.

Spot the Mallard

Eventually, it was time to head toward the estuary. 

One of the lead birds here, kindly left a deposit towards a future visit.

Just bits so far

Strong west to SW wind a few bright spells in the morning, but largely overcast with a few showers in the afternoon.

Some interesting detail from one of yesterday's Knot

84N	Ringed	Skogranes, SW ICELAND 64 46N 22 36W	24/05/2017	1st summer
791996	Seen	Skogranes, SW ICELAND 64 46N 22 36W	17 & 20/5/18
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	02/02/2019
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	03/02/2019
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	11/01/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	26/01/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	07/02/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	08/02/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	09/02/2020
	Seen	Heysham old Heliport	11/02/2020
	Seen	Ainsdale, Merseyside	13/02/2020
	Seen	Snettisham, Norfolk	27/07/2020
	Photo	Heysham old Heliport	15/11/2020

South shore - mid morning

Rock pipits 2 on Red Nab 1 near the waterfall 

Linnet 25

Several Common Snipe plus at least 1 Jack Snipe

Wigeon 100+

These Red-breasted Merganser were waiting for the tide on Red Nab

I hadn't realised just how large their feet are

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a quick check of the "no swimming" pond

Gadwall 34

Mallard 2

Little Grebe 2

Coot 4

Plus the solitary, aggressive, male adult Mute swan

Eleven ringed Knot read!

The wind shifted back to SW and strengthened significantly. Some very heavy showers, some of hail.

Kittiwake 1 adult offshore

Mediterranean gull - 2 adult followed the ferry into the harbour. Later 1 was on No.2 outflow, but only for the duration of a particularly heavy squall.

Med seeing out a squall on the outflow

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Gadwall 32

Mallard 2

Shoveller 1

Little Grebe 2

Richard Du Feu and Howard Stockdale managed to read 11 ringed Knot roosting in the heliport area.

Howard managed top quality images of 10 of them. The selection below shows the various ringing schemes, plus some preliminary history from Richard. Many thanks to Howard for these images:

N3GYNN - this bird is also fitted with a transmitter 

KX - last seen on the Wash in August.

CHL - Ringed 18/10/2020 at Terrington St Clement, 

SR19202 as a moulting adult.

Unfortunately the image resolution of the blog isn't sufficient to do these images justice. You really should "open" them to see the superb details.

Another quiet day

The wind was back to SE more due south later. Mainly overcast and showers, but occasional sun.

Only my stuff so far (MD)

South shore

Wigeon c100

Linnet 24

Common Snipe 13

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Gadwall 9

Teal 3

Little grebe 2

Shoveller 1 male

This male Shoveller is either coming out of eclipse very quickly,
 or it's a different bird.

By popular demand (actually 3 polite requests)

Here are the directions to locate the Heysham Labyrinth:

The labyrinth is a maze like engraving on the Heysham Head sandstone. It's about the same size as a dinner plate. It's almost identical in size and style to one in Tintagel Cornwall, which is either Bronze or Iron age. For more information check on line.

It's on a horizontal ledge in the middle of Heysham Head cliffs. This picture shows the general location.

This is relatively easy access and is not cut off by tides.

Note the rock fall to the right of the arrow.

This is the area looking in the direction of the arrow

Note the distinctive graffiti on the cliff wall

This is looking down onto the ledge. The "T" at the bottom of the picture is easily found (it's the start of TDRI). But at about 8 o' clock inside the yellow circle there is a more difficult TH or TM. This cuts into the labyrinth. The yellow circle actually describes what's left of the labyrinth.

Impossible to see anything from this angle.

Janet checked it out today and in a period of brief sunshine, and a low angle took this, really very good, shot

In the absence of a low sun, try a low angle shot taken with a flash.

Speculation about this engraving ranges from bronze age to 20th century. In my opinion, the amount of deterioration over the last 25 years,  I can't believe it to be more than a few hundred years old. But I have been known to be wrong. Either way, it is part of Heysham's heritage that won't  be around for ever.

A bit more variety

Winds still largely SW. Plenty of sunny spells but also some heavy showers

South shore

Wigeon c170

Mallard 2

Common Snipe 6

Jack Snipe 4

Linnet 25

Rock Pipit 2 - This shot of a Rock Pipit shows how "real" colours can be affected by strong sunlight.

The sun is directly behind and is shining through the left leg, making it look orange. The right leg is largely in the shade and the true colour.

Dunnock rarely get a mention, but this is a nice shot in full sun.

Even such an apparently "plain" bird can be confusing in different lighting conditions. I have confused them with all sorts over the years! (MD)

Kittiwake 2 adult offshore, presumably followed the StenaLine in

Howard managed to read some Knot rings in the heliport area - details awaited

Middleton Nature Reserve- mid morning

Gadwall 8

Little grebe 2

Miserable as it is, as the days shorten, one plus is that the increasing sparse foliage does allow a better view of small stuff flitting through the trees.

A mixed tit feeding flock went through as well as the tits there were:

Blackcap 1 male

Chiffchaff 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 arrived and left with the flock, not sure if it was actually in association or just coincidence.

I quite like these, slightly unusual shots - both these, plus several others were ringed.

Blue Tit

Long Tailed Tit

Kevin took this shot to highlight the size and shape difference between a Herring gull and a Great Black-Backed gull.

They remind me of a couple of bouncers outside a dodgy club!

An everyday story of ordinary stuff.....

The wind was back in the prevailing SW. mainly dry, but the showers were heavy.

Just my stuff so far, possibly more to come (MD)

No sign of the Brent today, checked at either side of high water and low water.

Red Nab area - high water

Rock Pipit 2

Knot c500

Redshank c120

Some of the Redshank

Plenty of Wigeon, but scattered around

Children's play area out from Knowlys Rd - both sides of high water.

Dunlin 10

Turnstone c20

Ringed Plover 40+

There are 29 Ringed Plover on this frame

Black-headed gull

This bird was ringed near Hamburg 22/03/13. It has over wintered at Heysham for the last two years, unfortunately there have been no sightings elsewhere.

Heysham Skeer - low water

Knot c1500

Occasionally spooked by a Peregrine falcon 

Great Crested Grebe 3

Eider 3

Things don't get much more "ordinary" than this - it is the gut weed in the corner of the skeer, that the Canadian ringed Brent were feeding on yesterday

It's lusher than what's on offer by the end of the winter, 

but it hardly looks worth crossing the bay for,

 let alone the North Atlantic!

Brent are back

Mainly overcast with light showers. The wind was more to the south and much colder.

South shore - mid morning 

Rock Pipits 2

Ringed Plover 2

Shelduck c50

Wigeon 206 (sat on the beach and in shallow channels as the tide ebbed, made for easy counting)

Some of the Wigeon resting on beach.

Report from Dan:

Heysham Head

Goldcrest 1

Song Thrush 1

Smithy Wood / Smithy Scrub

Goldcrest 5

Blackcap 1 (male, ringed)

Heysham NR

Goldcrest 4

Chiffchaff 1

Moneyclose Lane / Dog Track

Blackcap 1 (male, ringed)

Goldcrest 8

Bullfinch 8

One of the Bullfinch

Ocean Edge

Linnet 17

Heysham skeer - low water 14:30

Pale-bellied Brent goose - 5 in the SE corner of the skeer. The children's play area, out from Knowlys road, might be worth checking at high water in the morning.

Two of these are ringed. The one second from the left is a returning bird VDRB, ringed as an adult on Axel Heiberg island, Canada 2/08/14. This is its third successive winter visit to Heysham. The bird 2nd from the right also has Red, Blue rings and is definitely "V". This is almost certainly the long term companion of VDRB, unfortunately it never left the water. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to confirm.

In the previous two winters they were accompanied by 2 and 4 juveniles respectively. All the birds looked to be adult today, but perhaps I was too far away for plumage details.

Red-breasted Merganser 2

Great Crested grebe 1

Eider 3