Plenty of movement, despite the rain

It rained all day, heavier and more continual in the afternoon and evening. A NE wind

South shore (Malcolm) 09:15 - 11:00

For once I timed my walk just right with regards to the weather! It was raining as I checked from the saltmarsh to Red Nab, then the longest gap in the rain all day, as I walked along the sea wall, some rain on the return leg, but not heavy.

Linnet 76 - 64 on Ocean Edge grass, plus 12 along the foreshore 

Linnet on the foreshore "rocks"

Wheatear 7 along the foreshore (just 4 on the return leg)

Meadow Pipit 3 grounded along the foreshore (none on the return leg)

Meadow Pipits

I didn't see any more Meadow Pipits until I was at the end of the sea wall at 10:00. A short but heavy shower began and 10 more came in off the sea (8+2)

Swallow 33  - they all came in off the sea in the 10 minutes after the rain started. 16 in the largest group. A few of the Swallows took advantage of presumably copious fly numbers around the wooden jetty. It is covered in guano and likely the odd corpse. This clip shows swallows feeding, Cormorants resting, and there is at least one juvenile Shag, just to the right of the old lighthouse door. Possibly another to the left. Although, you'll probably have to take my word for it, both were resting with their heads tucked in out of the rain.

This juvenile Pied or White Wagtail also came in/off when the rain started

Pink-Footed geese 250+ in 5 skeins but two waves, one around 09:30 and the other around 10:30. (At least three more skeins heard passing over my house around lunchtime).

The larger skeins were some distance out, but this one was closer

Rock Pipit 3 - 1 at Red Nab and 2 singles along the sea wall. This clip was just after the early rain stopped, the Pipit is looking under every piece of cover on the sloping sea wall, where potential meals may have been sheltering.

One of the juvenile Herring gulls ringed at the Power Stations N:19P.
Not all of them are hanging around though. N:18P has been seen at the Albert Dock
Liverpool 70km south and N:12P at Queens Park Lake 43km SE

When I got back to Red Nab there was a flock of at least 12 Long-Tailed Tits with a least one Chiffchaff in the scrub just behind Red Nab. Unfortunately a couple of barking dogs persuaded them to head back.

Long-Tailed Tit

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

Just a passing afternoon check of the two main ponds.

Main pond:

Cormorant 3

1 adult Mute Swan with 7 cygnets

Mallard 5

Gadwall 5

Tufted Duck 20

Coot 19

Moorhen 2

Little Grebe 2 in summer plumage 

Just managed to get both grebes in this shot. 

"No swimming pond"

Still 1m above its normal height, either the heavy rain lifted the level again or the regulator pump didn't lower the level as far as it used to.

Tufted Duck 4

Coot 1

Little grebe 1 not in summer plumage 

Better, well......drier, than expected

Overcast all day, a heavy morning shower, then just the odd light shower. A SW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

08:45 - 09:45

Saltmarsh to Red Nab and back towards high water.

Linnet 50+ on the saltmarsh 

Wheatear 3 along the foreshore 

A particularly pale Wheatear

Rock Pipit 2 - 1 each foreshore and Red Nab

Shelduck just 2 (more later)

Little Egret 6

Mediterranean gull 3 - 2 adult and a 1st calendar year

1st calendar year Mediterranean gull

Great Black-Backed (top) and lesser Black-Backed gull

14:00 - 15:30

Along the sea wall then foreshore

Shelduck numbers had grown to 20 when I set off, then 42 by the time I got back.

Shelduck

Carrion Crow 39 gathered on the shore

Pink-Footed goose 14 south

These two Little Egret were catching small fish/shrimps. The Black-Headed gull can also see them, but hasn't got the equipment to catch them.

The Egret on the left has caught something 

Shag 1 juvenile on the wooden jetty

Juvenile Shag (right)

Common Sandpiper 1 in the fisherman's wharf on the north side of the harbour.

Mediterranean gull 8 - there were 6 adults and a 2nd calendar year on the feeding beach, then another adult arrived from the north. So minimum 9 total for the day with this morning's 1st calendar year.

Adult Mediterranean gull arriving from the north

2nd calendar year Mediterranean gull 

There were some Sandmason tubes showing, but the worms were not showing themselves for the Meds to catch them. The Oystercatchers were catching the Sandmason worms though. So the Meds turned to thievery! 

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab

Wheatear 8 along the foreshore 

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

2 Cormorant on main pond

Cetti's warbler singing Central Marsh 

Chiffchaff  on the South side

Loads of Pink-Footed geese over my house, heading south 22:50 - Malcolm

Goose movement continues

A reasonably dry morning with light showers in the afternoon. A light SW wind

South shore (Malcolm) 08:30 - 10:15

A check of the shore out from the saltmarsh, then along the foreshore to Red Nab.

Pink-Footed Goose 48 in three skeins heading south, all before 08:45.

Canada Goose 3 with one of the Pinkfoot skeins

Three Canada with Pink-Footed geese

Shelduck 10

The only waders were

Curlew 30

Oystercatcher 15

Grey Plover 3 south

Redshank 23 on the saltmarsh 

Lapwings 7 on the saltmarsh 

Lapwing

Little Egret 5 on the saltmarsh and 1 on Red Nab

Little Egret and Lapwing

Carrion Crow at least 29 on the shore, probably more, they were very mobile

Some of the Carrion Crows along the saltmarsh fringe

Linnet numbers continue to grow as the saltmarsh plants start to produce seeds in quantity. At least 90 today on both sides of the saltmarsh and along the foreshore. They usually attract small raptors when there are this many.

This pile of flotsam looks quite sterile, but it is alive with Starlings and Linnet

The above shot is the opening frame of this clip. 

Linnets

Goldfinch 6 along the foreshore 

Grey Wagtail 2 south

Wheatear 3 along the foreshore 

Wheatear

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit

Mediterranean gull 2 - adult and a 1st calendar year, on Red Nab

Sandwich Tern 1 on Red Nab

Both Meds and a Sandwich Tern

Red Admiral trying to catch as much of the weak sun as it could.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Cetti's warbler 2 - one singing in both the southern and northern sections - Janet

I did a quick check of the two main ponds (Malcolm)

There were 31 Tufted Duck on the main pond, I was expecting a new high count with whatever there was on the "no swimming" pond. But there was nothing on the "no swimming" pond whatsoever! The water level was dropping, so the regulating pump must have kicked in. That wouldn't disturb the ducks though, they clearly prefer the main pond.

Tufted Ducks

This clip shows just some of the Tufted Ducks. The new fencing preventing disturbance has certainly made a difference.

Also on the Main pond

Mute adult with 7 cygnets

Mallard 15

Gadwall 6

Coot 15

Moorhen 2

Little grebe 1

Cormorant 1

Grey Heron 1

A lot of rain over the next few days, sightings might be thin on the ground.

Just a few waifs and strays

A light SE wind in the morning, freshened as it switched to SW in the afternoon. Rain all morning, but a fine and occasionally sunny afternoon.

South shore (Malcolm) 10:30 - 11:30

A wet walk from the saltmarsh to the end of the sea wall (and, of course, back again)

Linnet 70+ feeding on the saltmarsh and Ocean Edge grass

Wheatear 4 along the foreshore and 1 near the lighthouse 

This is yesterday's Wheatear near the lighthouse, I didn't manage 
any decent shots today

Rock Pipit 7 - 2 along the foreshore, 3 on Red Nab, 1 along the sea wall and 1 near the lighthouse.

Golden Plover 1 juvenile, initially on Ocean Edge grass but moved onto the shore when it saw me. Suggesting that even at this late hour I was the first person daft enough to be out here! These are a very common species just south of here in the river Lune estuary, but surprisingly rare here, some years there are no records at all (worth getting my camera wet for).

Golden Plover with Linnets on Ocean Edge grass

Golden Plover on the shore

Kingfisher 1 at the freshwater runoff culvert at Red Nab, unfortunately it flew off before I could unstash my camera.

Some of the Redshanks along the sea wall, the upper bird in familiar 
winter plumage, the lower one not

Summer or juvenile plumage Redshank

We have had some feedback for a couple of UK ringed Mediterranean gulls seen recently. Both ringed at Langstone Harbour Hampshire. One juvenile was its first sighting beyond Hampshire, but an adult bird has had a busy year!

Ringed in 2021, it wasn't seen again till it was resighted in Hampshire February 2024.
But this year it has been seen 8 times in 6 locations. France, Sussex, Devon,
 Swansea, Ceredigion and Heysham.

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 14:30 - 15:30

Very low neap tide today, it barely exposed the skear, but it was nice to have a walk in the sunshine after this morning.

Eider 3 males

Male Eider moulting out of eclipse

Great Crested grebe 2

Little Egret 13

Some of the Little Egrets

Guillemot 2

This one was on the south side, and I left without disturbing it

This one was on the north side, it is just setting off here, it swam out to the area where most of the diving birds feed.......after a brief scare from a Herring gull.

Gulls <100 mainly Herring

Surprisingly, no Shags seen

Oystercatcher 600

Curlew 15

Redshank 120

Turnstone 40

Ringed Plover 3

More good wind blown stuff

The fresh west - SW wind was not as strong as yesterday and eased further throughout the day. A few heavy showers.

Seawatch from the north harbour wall - Pete and Shaun 0635-1000

Grey Phalarope heading out at 08:20.

Leach's Petrel: 3 possibly 4 individuals (two close in c50m). 

Manx Shearwater 2 out.

Fulmar 1 out.

Gannet 4 ads out and 5 ads in. 

Arctic Tern ad and juv together

Common Tern 2 juvs out together

Sandwich Tern 3 ads out (2 plus 1). 

Ad light morph skua either Arctic or Long-tailed (very distant but looked 'lightweight' as it rapidly wheeled out) c0645.

Pink-footed Goose 14 out.

Common Scoter flock of three distantly, plus a male closer inshore heading out.

Guillemot 3 individuals on sea drifting out.

Shag 3 immature together drifting in. Also, two separate individuals were probably different. One was quite a way out flying well into the bay.

Dunlin 25, Ringed Plover 3 and Turnstone 7 heading out. 

South side -  Shaun

Outfall 1 11:30:

Little Gull 1cy on the beach 

Mediterranean gull 9 - 1cy, 2cy and 7 adults

I checked the south side 08:45 - 10:45 (Malcolm)

The following shots are likely to be of birds aready mentioned in the above report:

Adult Gannet heading out

One of at least two juvenile Shag in the harbour 

Guillemot 

The juvenile Little gull was feeding on No.1 outfall at 10:30

I say feeding, but I didn't actually see it find anything to pick up, just after this, the heavens opened.

Eider 4 males out

Shelduck 19 out in 4 groups and a single

Wheatear 1 near the lighthouse 

Rock Pipit 1 near the waterfall

Kevin checked in the afternoon 

The or a Wheatear was still near the lighthouse 

Adult Common Tern on No.2 outfall

I checked a little later (Malcolm)

I wanted to see if any of the Mediterranean gulls roosting on Red Nab were ringed. I saw a white ringed adult, but couldn't get close enough to read, numbers and mix same as Shaun this morning.

The Common Tern was still on No.2 outfall

Common Tern

Common Tern and Black-Headed gull

The sun was out in the Nature Park 

Large White 6

Small White 3

Red Admiral 1

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Common Blue 1

Speckled Wood 3

Common Darter 3

This male Common Darter was actually on Middleton Nature Reserve today.
Snapped by Janet with her phone camera.

Clay Garland: North Harbour Wall 17:45-19:20

1 distant Manx shearwater out

1 Gannet in close then out

c35 Pink-Footed geese out

Grey Phalarope tops a decent, but difficult day

A strong SW to west wind with very heavy showers. The showers eased by mid afternoon 

South side.

I managed two walks along the south sea wall, a good soaking this morning, but a surprisingly dry walk this afternoon (Malcolm)

11:15 - 12:00

Common Tern 1 briefly on No.2 outfall

Mediterranean gulls at least 6 on the feeding beach.

Shag 2 juveniles - one was in the harbour mouth before flying to the wooden jetty, the other flew straight to the jetty from the inner harbour.

Juvenile Shag

15:45 - 17:00

A juvenile Shag was sprucing itself up, as best it could, out from the harbour. It is very difficult keeping a camera on them when both the sea and yourself are being blown by the wind!

Gannet 1 sub adult flew out

Gannet flying past the lighthouse 

Another ringed juvenile Herring gull.
Part of NW England gull project, details awaited

Seawatch from the back of the harbour - around lunchtime - Pete

Juvenile Arctic skua out, 

Juvenile gannet out

Adult Gannet in

Juvenile Arctic tern out (and juvenile Commic tern I just glimpsed)

From Stone jetty 17:50 - 19:30  - this is an extract from Nick Godden's full report on the LDBWS webpage, see sidebar for the link.

Grey Phalarope 1 out 18:20

Manx shearwater 2 – 1 out at close range then another in distantly

Fulmar 1 out

Common scoter 1m

North harbour wall -Shaun 17:30-19:30:

Adult Kittiwake, male Common Scoter and a Merlin heading out. 

Razorbill on the sea close to wall swimming out

The SW winds and recent high spring tides have brought a number of dead seabirds high up the shore. Alison saw a sub adult Gannet at Half moon bay and there are several Guillemot on the strand line in a few areas. Dog walkers should keep their pets away from any corpses, and it goes without saying not to handle them.

Just out of the recording area - Chris

Two Leach's Storm Petrel seen from Knott end late afternoon heading our way.