Friday 18 July 2008

Afternoon Storm Petrel and returning Med

Heysham Obs
15 minutes seawatching and a reasonably productive 10 minutes on Red Nab/Stage 2 outfall, then a Storm Petrel lingering in the shipping channel between the outfalls on the red buoy mid-afternoon, then definitive sightings of the Czech-ringed adult Med Gull following a boat into the harbour before lingering at the harbour mouth late afternoon

North harbour wall
Adult Med Gull in p.s.p. flew north along the seawall but then carried on towards Morecambe after telling an interested angler it was the returning Czech-ringed bird!! Late afternoon saw a f.s.p. adult Med with about 7 old primaries still to moult following a boat and this transpired to be the Czech-ringed wintering adult. It was accompanied by the usual NHW 2nd summer [which in itself was one of the two 2nd S on Red Nab in the am].
Sandwich Tern - one out was the sum total of offshore activity in the morning
Gannet - one out late afternoon

Stage 2 outfall/Red Nab in morning
Med Gull - 2 x 2nd summer
Little Gull - one x 1st summer moulting to 2nd W
Kittiwake - one adult
Whimbrel - at least one
Black-headed Gull - 732

Storm Petrel offshore mid afternoon between the outfalls and the red buoy for at least five minutes

Moths
Too many for the time available as this east-facing window-entrance trap comes into its own during cloudy, but fairly warm conditions with intermittent drizzle and westerly winds. New dross for the year comprised Snout and July Highflyer, also new for the year and scarce at this site was Double Square Spot and the quality year ticks comprised Toadflax Pug and Dingy Footman. The last species only colonised Heysham/VC60 in the last three years with the first record here, followed by at least one at Leighton Moss in 2007.

Elsewhere

Ad Med Gull Morecambe Broadway (NOT 36W returning = unringed). Ad Yelllow-legged Gull at yesterdays location on the Lune Estuary late afternoon with 2 moulting adult Sanderling with the Dunlin (c250) on the Sunderland mudflats (& 3 Whimbrel)