Wednesday 28 May 2008

Black Guillemots in tandem again

Heysham Obs
The second, possibly 1st summer, Black Guillemot presumably reappeared today after extensive coverage in recent days saw only one (the usual male) bird.

North harbour wall 0500-0800 then 0830-0930
Black Guillemot - two
Swallow - 44 NE in one group & stragglers about 0850hrs - this sort of thing is more normal in autumn than spring i.e. roost departure. Just one other seen! = 45.
Gannet - 4 in early morning & 3 fishing c0815
Sandwich Tern - 8+6 in
Guillemot - one on water
Shag - one was probably on one of the structures off off Heysham One outfall early morning only, but distant in poor light
Arctic Tern - 1

Lunchtime seawatching
Gannet - 5 in
Arctic Tern - 5 in
Guillemot - one harbour mouth
Black Guillemot - pair still present

Ocean Edge foreshore am
15 Linnet on football pitch
Bedraggled female Whinchat Red Nab

Red Nab - near high tide late afternoon
Grey Plover -1st S & adult aummer
Sandwich Tern - 27
Manx Shearwater - one on the edge of the mist
Black-headed Gull - influx of 1st S birds - c24

Elsewhere
CHOUGH seen again at Warton Crag Quarry - a highly significant record, although observer(s) currently unknown. This bird was assumed to have gone a few weeks ago. Two Beautiful Snout trapped at Lord's Lot Wood prior to midnight last night! Adult summer Little Stint Sunderland with single Sanderling, 570 mixed Dunlin/Ringed Plover, 5 Turnstone, my first ever Sandwich Tern at this site (4 earlier) and an odd winter-plumaged Dunlin with a uniformly 'grey' breastband like a Temminck's on steroids! The Little Stint & Sanderling arrived with 200 other waders which were previously 'hiding' along the shoreline between the old boat and the main creek