Heysham Obs
No early morning coverage seemed justified when a half hour seawatch 1000-1030 produced nothing to trouble the notebook. Pete Crooks then put in 1.5 patient hours and had three sightings:
Common Scoter - 33
Black Tern - one in (the only tern!!)
Pomarine Skua - light morph on the sea, then got up and flew out, climbing all the time
Then a phone call from elsewhere suggested we had missed some early morning landbirds.......................
Then later on the blog title became even more appropriate - summer plumaged AMERICAN BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT at nearby Cockersands - found by Stuart!
Moths
Male Muslin moth was a nice less than annual visitor
The observatory was set up in 1980. It involves ringing,'vis mig' counts (including seabirds) and general monitoring in the Heysham Nature reserve/power stations/harbour area. The statutory moth trap is in place and also a daily log for butterflies, dragonflies etc. We share an office, kindly provided by EDF Energy, with the County Wildlife Trust. This is located next to the Nature Reserve car park. Do call in. Please leave sightings in the letterbox, ESPECIALLY 'fly-by' seabirds.