Saturday 24 May 2008

Gilly finds a mate!


Presumably the newly arrived Black Guillemot at Heysham today (see text). Thanks to Simon Hawtin.

Heysham Obs
Quite right to be cautious with the headline, Jean, as the spots on the wing do suggest a different bird to last year, again a 1st summer - an age at which they do not appear to breed

North harbour/wooden jetty area 0625ish to 1130ish
2 Black Guillemots at or below the wooden jetty.
1 Fulmar
5 Gannet
8 Common Scoter
3, or more likely 5 Arctic Skua (2 light and 1 dark morph seen flying out at 0630-ish then 1 dark and 1 light morph in distantly at 1025)
1st S Mediterranean Gull
10 Kittiwake
(only) 5 Sandwich Tern
17 Arctic Tern
3 Guillemot
c50 Swift NE
c50 Swallow NE
12 Sand Martin NE - late for a multiple of this species

Other seabirds in the bay
2 dark morph Arctic Skua in at JBP in the afternoon. See 'Elsewhere'

Insects
A welcome come-back by Wall Brown butterfly with 5 on Middleton IE this morning. See also below.


Elsewhere
Two Temminck's Stint relocating to the Aldcliffe wildflowlers pool - please do not enter the field but view either from the metal gate along the cycle track or the sea defence embankment. See Aldcliffe blog (via Links). Unaged Pectoral Sandpiper distantly from EM Pool, often in heat haze. 3 Spoonbill EM Pool. Ad Med Gull EM/Allen Pool. Pristine Bordered Straw moth trapped overnight at Millhouses, Wray! Light morph Arctic Skua over Silverdale Moss late afternoon trying to fly NE overland but struggling.