THURSDAY 22nd April: Good scoter count for here

Here is a camera-shot of the recent Chamomile Shark from the office trap plus a male Belted Beauty taken today at nearby Middleton saltmarsh where there are record numbers this year.  Please be very careful if you have large feet and poor close eyesight as it is easy to tread on them (which is why I stay away!). 

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 0650-0930
Gannet - 28 out, 11 in
Razorbill - 2 in, 5 out
Auk spp - 3 in
Whimbrel - 7 in
Common Scoter - 131 out, 178 in - very little duplication
Red-throated Diver - 2 out, 1 in
Sandwich tern - 8 blogging
Guillemot - 1 out, 3 in
Arctic Tern - 14+8 in
Little Gull - one 2CY & 1 adult in (with the flock of 14 Arctic Tern)
Wheatear - 5 grounded
Jackdaw - one SE, then seen very high over reserve before heading SW
Swallow - 7
alba Wagtail - 2
Linnet - 2
Meadow Pipit - 23
Lesser Redpoll - 4 in
Turnstone - 173
Goldfinch - 8

Nature reserve office area
Ring Ouzel - female emerged from the dense willow clump next to the office calling (landed & roosted there during the night?), then flew on to the tank farm fence, thence to the far end of the tank farm (0730hrs)
Redstart - female on fences near the office for about 10 minutes
Tree Pipit - 2 NE together at 0740hrs
Jackdaw - see above
Swallow - 47 NE
Sand Martin - 4 NE
Linnet - 6 NE
Meadow Pipit - just 4 NE
Lesser Redpoll - 10 NE (4 ringed, first flock of 6 before nets set!)
Lesser Whitethroat - one singing intermittently
Willow Warbler - probably less than 5 migrants & all during the belated net setting bar one trapped
Dunnock - unringed bird trapped - unusual
Chaffinch - unringed female trapped - getting late, but unringed females a feature of April ringing here over the years
Tufted Duck - pair on Obs Tower pond = added to the BTO Business challenge - coming thick and fast now.

Ocean Edge
Just the one Wheatear in early morning visit
Common Whitethroat - one singing at the southern end of BE properties by the nature park