The end.......of the calm dry spell........is nigh!

Another dry overcast day, probably the last for a while. The early SE breeze was light, but still fresher than of late and it continued to increase slightly throughout the day.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Pete:

Much calmer then forecast for a short ringing session with Nick.  

The cloud level was higher than previous mornings this week so we were not expecting a huge number of night migrants. In the end better than expected with the following new birds:

Chiffchaff 6

Goldcrest 9

Blackcap 2

Cetti’s warbler 1

Blue tit 3

Singles of Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Coal Tit, song thrush, blackbird 

Vis mig included a southbound flock of 52 pinkfeet and at least 87 woodpigeon.  Only a handful of thrushes with no overhead passage and at least five lesser redpoll, four chaffinch and a grey wagtail over

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

I started at the same time in the tide as yesterday, but already the waterline was as high as it reached yesterday. Today's tide was 8.5m just 0.5m higher than yesterday, but it ended up 200m higher up the shore. It just shows what a gradual gradient the shore has here.

Shelduck 170 most were already moving off further south

Some of the Shelduck moving on

Oystercatcher 100

Curlew 30

Redshank 120 (near the saltmarsh)

Most of the other waders were further south to begin with, but eventually the following rested/fed close to the foreshore.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 35

Grey Plover 75

Knot 300

Dunlin 550

Ringed Plover 13

Once again most of the birds remained in the water so little chance of checking for rings.

Ringed Plover and Dunlin

Grey Wagtail 3 in off the sea (obviously a bit of late movement today)

Siskin 1 south closer to shore

Linnet 78 on the saltmarsh 

Wigeon 75 on Red Nab

A small group of Knot resting on Red Nab

Rock Pipit on Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve 

No sign of the Pochard today and there are now six cygnets back on the main pond - Kevin Eaves

I had a quick look at the two main ponds (Malcolm)

Main pond:

Tufted Duck 31

Gadwall 9

Mallard 25

Coot 13

Moorhen 4

Little grebe 1

"no swimming" pond

Teal 8

Goldeneye 1 female

Female Goldeneye 

Unfortunately she wasn't there long. A group of horse riders along the track between the ponds spooked the Teal, which in turn lifted the Goldeneye 

Teal - the different angle of light on their speculum changes the 
colour from blue to, well......teal 

Imperial Road (Malcolm)

I call in regularly when passing, but there has been little to report since the early summer male and juvenile Stonechats seemed to have moved on. But today there was a male and female type Stonechat on the bush favoured by the breeding bird earlier this year.

Stonechats

Woodpigeon 25 milling around 

The large warbler movement continues apace

Another dry overcast day, almost calm till late morning then a light NE breeze

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

It has been an amazing week for ringing at both Heysham and Middleton sites.  This morning alone 72 birds were caught at Heysham and 70 at Middleton.

Middleton catch included:
Lesser Redpoll  6
Siskin  3
Chiffchaff  5
Goldcrest  6
Coal Tit  3
Redwing 3
Song Thrush  2
Blackcap  10 
Reed Bunting 2
Cetti's Warbler  1
Wrens (2), Robin, Chaffinch, Great Tit
A flock of 30 birds in one net completed a busy morning, comprising mainly Blue Tits (8)  and Long tailed Tits  (16) plus some of the species above.

The female Pochard was back on the main pond - Kevin Eaves

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Pete:

Really good warbler and Goldcrest passage at Heysham NR today contrasting with the virtual complete absence of any new finches.  

Ringing totals: New birds:

Chiffchaff 25

Goldcrest 20

Blackcap 6

Robin 3

Goldfinch 2

Greenfinch 2

Singles of Coal Tit, Dunnock, blue Tit, long tailed tit 

…….plus about 10 retraps of birds already ringed, mostly in recent days

Male Pheasant, also seen yesterday 

Eared Owl sp flushed before dawn as Jean set the nets

South shore (Malcolm) 08:30 - 10:45

Shelduck 150

I went to check the waterline at high water, even at 8m high water was still 300m from the eastern shore.

Oystercatcher 120

Curlew 40

There were a lot of waders milling around. These are the maximum numbers along the waterline at any one time:

Bar-Tailed Godwit 260

Grey Plover 45

Knot 1,600

Dunlin 100

Sanderling 1 (single bird seen on two occasions, possibly different birds)

Unfortunately, the flat sea meant that even the small waders stood in the water. This clip shows some of the waders and Shelduck upending to feed on the small snails. You wouldn't think it would be worth the effort.

These ripples were enough to provide tantalising glimpses of a coded yellow flag on a
Bar-Tailed Godwit. Good enough to identify it as belonging to a Norwegian scheme,
but probably not enough to identify the individual bird - Thanks to Richard for his help

Even the Sanderling was up to its tummy in water

The only group actually on the mud were these Grey Plover and Dunlin keeping ahead of the rising tide.

Even when the tide began ebbing the Knot and Godwits waded out with it. So I left them in peace.

Carrion Crow 74 on the mud!

Mute Swan 1 juvenile, likely one of the outcasts from Middleton Nature Reserve, was flying around.

Juvenile Mute Swan

Around the saltmarsh 

Linnet c100

Greenfinch 4

Reed Bunting 3

Stonechat 2 female type

This one only has one leg. Same bird in the shot below

The balancing act providing a nice shot showing wing and rump detail

Starling and a Stonechat, this one definitely has two legs

Another good ringing day

The calm overcast conditions continue. A very light variable breeze

Heysham Nature Reserve

Ringing report by Jean:

The Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests keep piling through, though Blackcaps are now catching up.

Today's ringing tally of new birds:

Chiffchaff 18

Goldcrest 15

Blackcap 11

Redpoll 3

Coal Tit 3

Goldfinch 3

Robin 1

Blackbird 1

Song Thrush 1

Greenfinch 1

Blue Tit 1

Dunnock 1

Stonechat 1 male and Green Woodpecker by the Office first thing

Fewer redwing than yesterday with intermittent observation seeing 64 SW, many lifting off out of bushes early am.  

Just one Fieldfare

Middleton Nature Reserve 

No sign of the female Pochard this afternoon. There are still plenty of Tufted Ducks and Gadwall. These shots by Kevin Singleton.

Gadwall

Tufted Duck

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 12:45 - 14:00

Not as varied as yesterday the only real thing of note was a large influx of Redshank

Eider 38 were the only wildfowl seen today

The tide doesn't go out far here on these neap tides. This shot of 
Eider is from the promenade as I was setting off

Great Crested Grebe 3

Little Egret 7

Redshank c550 - they were feeding like this along a 200m stretch of the north side

Redshank were also colonising ground on the western edge as soon 
as it became available 

Oystercatcher 500

Curlew 25

Knot 150 - probably the same group as yesterday, no flagged birds seen today

Turnstone 70

Ringed Plover 3

This Carrion Crow is a fastidious feeder, it carefully washed this mussel before prising it open.

South shore - Kevin Eaves

Black-Tailed Godwit near the outfalls 

Just out of the recording area Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Male Common Darter - Janet

Garden warbler the pick of the day and plenty of wildfowl movement.

Another dry overcast day, the very light NE breeze freshened slightly in the afternoon before easing again.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Alan:

Nets set at Middleton this morning starting pre-dawn.  28 captures in total was perhaps a little disappointing.

Redwing 4

Wren 1

Goldcrest 4 (2 retraps)

Reed Bunting  8

Cetti's Warbler 2 (1 retrap)

Chiffchaff 4

Long tailed Tit (2 retraps)

Blue tit 2 (1 retrap)

Lesser Redpoll 1

 

At around 08.30 many hundreds of Pink footed Geese flew north out of their Fylde roosts. There was a stream of skeins in lovely V formations for a period of 20 minutes or so.

Thrushes were roaming around above the reserve for much of the morning but the only ones caught were very early.

Heysham Nature Reserve

Report by Pete:

34 new birds caught by Jean in 2 hours, 1000-1200. 

Including 1 Garden Warbler, 10 chiffchaff and 15 Goldcrest.

Not one but two Treecreeper - the first ever multiple capture I think! 

At least 185 Redwing dropped in before carrying on SW 

Heysham skear (Malcolm) 10:10 - 11:30

A check as the inner skear was becoming exposed

Pink-Footed goose 146 south in two skeins. This clip by Janet is actually of an earlier skein passing over Meldon Road.

Eider 67

Pintail ducks 4 - they arrived from the north, settled briefly, then continued south

Pintail 

They don't really do much other than pirouette in this clip, but it also shows the waders feeding 

Teal 4 - arrived from the south and settled on the sea to the north of the skear.

Teal 

Wigeon 1 - rested on the skear before flying north

Male Wigeon

Red-Breasted Merganser 2

Great Crested Grebe 5

Little Egret 5

Oystercatcher 400

This partially leucistic Oystercatcher, or one very like it, was here last winter too.

Curlew 40

Redshank 250

Knot 150 - I eventually located an orange flagged bird, unfortunately its code was completely obscured by dirt/algae

Turnstone 60

Middleton Nature Reserve (Malcolm)

I just popped into the bottom car park to see if the female Pochard was still there. She was, this clip shows her feeding with Tufted Duck

Plenty of stuff on the move

Dry and overcast after overnight rain. A very light east breeze.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

On arrival at Heysham in the dark the seeps or Redwing and chuckles of Fieldfare could be heard. Just before sunrise Pete saw 24 Redwing on the grassy area near the office and more were in the bushes and trees on the reserve. At daybreak there was very fine light precipitation which perhaps accounted for the "fall" of Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs that ensued.

I put up the usual three nets and over the course of the morning caught 87 birds (mostly ringed by Pete). Retrap numbers in brackets:

20 Chiffchaff

18 Goldcrest (1)

15 Goldfinches (4)

7 Coal Tit

5 each of Great Tit (3) and Greenfinch 

4 Blue Tit

3 each of Blackcap, Chaffinch and Robin (1)

2 each of Dunnock (1) and Long-tailed Tit (2)

A Peregrine caused havoc among the Carrion Crows. They were fighting over who got the right to sit on one of the pylons. As far as I could tell the Carrion Crows made a racket but left the pylon so the Peregrine won. 

The low cloud obscured any vis but I heard one flock of Pink-footed Geese, a couple of Siskin and a few Chaffinches. As the sky cleared at midday a Redpoll flew over.

South shore

I checked from Red Nab to the saltmarsh 09:30 - 10:00 (Malcolm)

Wren 3

Wren on Red Nab

There were two Robins today 

Rock Pipit 1

Rock pipit

Meadow Pipit 2

Meadow Pipit 

Wheatear 1

Wheatear

Reed Bunting 4 around the saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting

Linnet 100+ on the saltmarsh 

Goldfinch 12 and Greenfinch 3 around the saltmarsh 

Greenfinch and Goldfinch 

Shelduck 59

Pink-Footed goose 19 having a rest on the mud.

Pink-Footed geese

Kevin Eaves had a walk along the sea wall this afternoon 

Stonechat 1 male

Water Rail disappeared into the scrub near the lighthouse. A slightly unusual sighting, but there is a reed surrounded pond just inside the Power Station grounds.

I checked the waterline this evening 16:30 - 17:30 (Malcolm)

A lot of waders eventually turned up, but the light was fading quickly.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 70

Grey Plover 8

Knot c1500

Dunlin c300

This is a blizzard of Knot and Dunlin coming in, the Godwits, to the left, had already arrived 

They ended up leaving to the south

Shelduck 200+

Middleton Nature Reserve 

This from Janet:

Pochard still on pond, I'm gutted I can't get a shot! (still out of action camera wise)

5 Cygnets still there, the reason we have 5 again is because one crash landed at the garage on Middleton Road when they got chased off and the dog warden put it back on the pond.

I checked 10:15 - 10:45 (Malcolm)

There was a sixth cygnet on the "no swimming" pond, perhaps it too will be allowed back. The female seems to be distancing herself from the others.

View of the main pond from the bottom car park 

Little grebe

There were 41 Tufted Duck on the main pond plus 8 on the "no swimming" pond. This is looking down on the main pond from the top car park

Pink Footed goose 80 south

Cetti's warbler 1 singing at the "no swimming" pond

Thrushes 300+ mainly Redwing headed east in several waves. Some landed briefly to feed

Four Redwing

Song Thrush