Sunday 18 February 2018

Skylark passage and Velvet Scoter appearance

Velvet Scoter - the drake was picked up floating in with Eider off the Stone Jetty at 1015 - it certainly a pain to see and seemingly not always with the main Eider gangs when they have sometimes been comprehensively counted!   In this respect, there could easily be a spring tide factor, as with Eider numbers which are higher in the feeding area on low spring tides
Skylark - c40 over Middleton mid-am, not sure whether any over Heysham NR during coverage earlier on.  Other seen heading south over Middleton sands during webs
Iceland Gull - 3rd W harbour
Chough - first and second fields
Pochard - 2 drake Middleton
Mute - 3 pair plus 4 adult flying around
Coot - 1
Moorhen - 6
Mallard - 2
Gadwall - 19
Tufted - 3 (2m)
Teal - c30