Monday 8 April 2013

Marsh Harrier and Sand Martin open their accounts

Heysham Obs
Whilst checking the waders to the south of Ocean Edge, the main 'vis' line this morning was connected with - Heysham can be a difficult site in this respect. Birds were coming in-off from the direction of Rossall and making landfall between Potts corner and Ocean Edge

The vis included a very noticeable concentration of Meadow Pipits between 0930 and 0940 with a 'flock' of 82, suggesting they had all moved on from a gathering ground on the Fylde.  In total, 262  headed NE between 0925 and 0945, but the subsequent 40 minutes 'only' produced 91

Quite a few night migrants appeared during the course of the day

Grounded
Goldcrest - at least 15
Chiffchaff - at least 7
Wheatear - minimum of 5 (4 OE foreshore)
Thanks Janet
Coastal sightings
Meadow Pipit - see above - more to be added later
Marsh Harrier - cream-crowned, cream fore-winged individual in-off at 0945hrs on a north-easterly heading coming ashore at the southern end of Ocean Edge
Sand Martin - single with Meadow Pipit at 0940hrs
Twite - 61 on seed - two unringed & definitely no sign of Machrihanish bird
Bar-tailed Godwit - 2,700
Knot - 3,100
Dunlin - 2,200
Grey Plover - 125
.................all these were flushed by the Marsh Harrier and headed further south & landed off Potts Corner.  There were no waders within 400m either side of the DONG cable wire, despite no personnel moving up and down - the same pattern as observed yesterday

More sightings to be added from earlier in the morning

Mammals
2 of these on Heysham N R:
Thanks Janet