Wednesday 20 April 2016

Arctic Skua migration in action

Heysham Obs
Variety rather than numbers so far. Best action was a dark blob on the sea taking flight and materialising into a dm Arctic Skua which then spiralled high into the air, came closer (heading NE) and was last seen as a dot over Heysham Head.   It should be over the North Sea by now

Coastal observations 0730-0815
Little Gull - adult summer in
Arctic Skua - see above
Sandwich Tern - just 2 in
Common Scoter - distant flock of 5 u-turning
Tree Pipit - 1 poss 2 'together' N
alba Wagtail - 16 N (at least 7 of these were White)
Linnet - 19 N
Swallow - 16 N
Meadow pipit -  6N
No redpoll passage noted

Others
Wheatear - 5 Ocean Edge plus 2 north wall
Lesser Redpoll - 11 ringed Heysham nr and amazingly none ringed elsewhere !!
Lesser Whitethroat - two singing males near office (but no common Whitethroat there)
Willow warbler and blackcap - low single figure trickle by office

Middleton Nature Reserve
2 male Cetti's singing
3 grasshopper warbler reeling
3 lesser whitethroat
1 common whitethroat
Plus willow warbler, chifchaff and sedge warblers
2 sparrowhawk (north)
3 swallow