Tuesday 20 May 2008

Seabirds still on the move

Heysham Obs
A 'later than should have been' seawatch missed the early stages of the incoming tide.

Heysham North harbour wall/Ocean Edge foreshore 1030-1140
Arctic Skua - light morph in then on sea about 1035ish. Two, one a dark morph and one 'paler' bird, seen heading into the bay at long range (as seen from Ocean Edge)about 1135ish and these were picked up at JBP before heading overland at about 1200ish and described as a 'light morph with what appeared to be a dark head and a dark morph'. Presumably these were the two distant unmorphable birds chasing Sandwich tern of Knott End just prior to 1130hrs.

Arctic Tern - 9 in (flock)1040ish from NHW, then no others until JBP [having "taken over" the coverage in the form of Tom Wheeler] started receiving three flocks of 13+65+45 at c1420ish, all of which gathered together & sat on the sea off JBP (to 1435 at least)

Med. Gull - 1st S on the sea off Ocean Edge

Black Guillemot - on the sea below & sat on the wooden jetty

Sandwich Tern - 6 Red Nab

Swallow - 16 NE

Mammals
Definitely THREE and probably four Harbour Porpoise off the NHW 1035 onwards

Insects
Rustic Shoulder-Knot in the hut trap. A sample of damselflies comprised: 12 Large Red, 5 Azure, 2 Common Blue and a Blue-tailed. Common Blue butterfly in low double-figures.

Elsewhere
3 Spoonbill and Osprey at Leighton Moss - latter headed north.