Friday, 2nd March 2018

Offshore

14 Common Scoters west, 1 Goldeneye east, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Red-throated Divers west, 1 Great Crested Grebe east, 1 Guillemot east and 3 Kittiwakes west.

Others

62 Wigeons, 4 Gadwalls, 12 Goldeneyes, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Little Egret, 23 Ringed Plovers, 11 Black-tailed Godwits, 120 Turnstones, 75 Sanderlings, 14 Snipe, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 22 Fieldfares and 1 Stonechat.

 

Kestrel

Thursday, 1st March 2018

Offshore

18 Common Scoters east, 6 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Red-throated Divers west, 2 Great Crested Grebes east and 3 Auk sp. east.

Visible Migration

35 Lapwings west and 23 Golden Plovers west.

Others

73 Wigeons, 4 Gadwalls, 100 Teal, 3 Goldeneyes, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers, 36 Golden Plovers, 28 Grey Plovers, 27 Ringed Plovers, 33 Black-tailed Godwits, 130 Turnstones, 60 Sanderlings, 75 Dunlins, 1 Woodcock, 45 Fieldfares and 1 Stonechat.

 

 Lapwing

Wednesday, 28th February 2018

Offshore 

2 Teal east, 26 Common Scoters west, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 4 Red-throated Divers east, 2 Great Crested Grebes east, 2 Guillemots east and 5 Auk sp. east.

 

 Red-breasted Mergansers

Others

1 Goldeneye, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 29 Ringed Plovers, 175 Turnstones, 65 Sanderlings and 1 Stonechat.

Tuesday, 27th February 2018

Offshore 

21 Common Scoters west, 1 Goldeneye east, 11 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Red-throated Divers east, 4 Great Crested Grebes east and 4 Auk sp. east.

Others

76 Wigeons, 2 Gadwalls, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Little Egret, 1 Water Rail, 28 Ringed Plovers, 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 160 Turnstones, 64 Sanderlings, 90 Dunlins, 1 Jack Snipe, 27 Snipe, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Stonechat and 5 Rock Pipits.

 

 Stonechat

Monday, 26th February 2018

Offshore:

2 Shelducks east, 17 Common Scoters east, 7 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Red-throated Divers east & 1 west, 1 Great Crested Grebe east, 1 Guillemot east and 3 Auk sp. east.

Visible Migration

6 Siskins east.

Others 

88 Wigeons, 2 Gadwalls, 65 Teal, 1 Goldeneye, 1 Little Egret, 22 Ringed Plovers, 225 Black-tailed Godwits, 140 Turnstones, 51 Sanderlings, 350 Dunlins, 1 Merlin, 1 Cettis Warbler and 2 Stonechats.

 

 Peregrine

Monday, 19th February 2018

On 7th February 2018 IG observed a male Tufted Duck with a nasal saddle (see picture below) on one of the pools. 

 Tufted Duck with nasal saddle.

A quick check on European colour-ring Birding lead us to believe that this bird might have come from Portugal. We contacted David Rodrigues at PT - Ducks and the bird had indeed come from Portugal! 

It was marked at São Jacinto Dunes Nature Reserve, Portugal (see Google Earth image below), which is about 1528 km from the Obs! 

Click to enlarge

The Tufted was ringed as a juvenile male (Euring code 3) on 9th March 2016, and was resighted locally until 16th November 2016. David Rodrigues re-sighted it from 24th January 2017 until 8th March 2017 at Vela Lagoon, Portugal. It was re-sighted at Ormsgill Reservoir, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria on 26th May 2017, and was re-sighted and photographed at the same site in Cumbria on 8th January 2018, where it remained at the same site for four days. When it turned up at the Obs on 7th February 2018 it remained for that day only and hasn't been subsequently re-sighted at any of the pools within the Obs recording area. It will be interesting to see where and when it turns up next!

This is the bird after it was ringed (image courtesy of PT - Ducks)

Sunday, 18th February 2018

Offshore

2 Shelducks east, 4 Wigeons east, 6 Common Scoters, 11 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Red-throated Divers west and 1 Great Crested Grebe east.

Visible Migration

138 Pink-footed Geese north, 11 Wood Pigeons east, 5 Skylarks east, 1 Mistle Thrush east, 1 Grey Wagtail east, 2 Siskins east and 1 Snow Bunting east.

Others:

100 Wigeons, 4 Gadwalls, 2 Goldeneyes, 2 Little Egrets, 280 Lapwings, 118 Black-tailed Godwits, 160 Turnstones, 180 Dunlins, 4 Stock Doves, 1 Merlin, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Stonechats and 17 Twite.

 

 Pochard