Saturday 5 September 2009

Trumped by the Mersey

Heysham Obs
Fairly decent wind for us today with quite a bit of 'S' in it compared to yesterday. So the Mersey mouth should be 'rubbish' compared to Morecambe Bay, but this wasn't the case with prolonged views of what appears to be Lancashire's (forget the 'north merseyside' bit) first Wilson's Petrel. As regards here, its amazing how a bird as cumulatively common as Leach's Petrel, where I have personally seen hundreds over the years at Heysham, creates so much excitement when the first of the year=usually autumn is seen! This happened today.

North harbour wall 0915-0945 & 1130ish to 1415ish
Leach's Petrel - one out at about 1146hrs (& possibly it or another, or indeed a completely different species/genus/taxon, wheeling in at very long range at c1220hrs)
Black Tern - juvenile out close inshore at 1214hrs (but not on outfalls=HT)
Gannet - 5 adult out, 2CY in (very close)
Med Gull - juvenile & adult blogging - still not sure whether this is the Czech -ringed bird (see also below)
Sandwich tern - 2 ad out, ringed bird close inshore at HT (see Lee Harrison site)

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls various times during the morning (4 observers)
Med Gull - large adult & different juvenile
Common Tern - 2 adult, 2 juv
Arctic Tern - one juv, still inshore at HT
Wheatear - 7 along recording area coastline

Elsewhere
Ad F Marsh Harrier SW over Braides Farm, Cockerham 1845hrs