Sunday 13 May 2018

More seabirds

North Harbour Wall 0600-0830  Weather: NW F1 8C 5/8 cloud.  High Tide 10:36 8.91m

Steady trickle of seabirds early morning with very few after 07:30. Gannets were hard to count as they were milling about, going in then out then having a sit down. More or less the same number went out as in so the total below is probably about right. Most birds, apart from Sandwich Terns were distant and a telescope was essential.

Common Scoter - on arrival, a huge flock of about 600 were seen way out on the horizon heading out of the Bay with 6 other relatively closer ones also going out later on.
Gannet - 49
Arctic Skua - a dark morph flew out along one of the channels at 06:01
Manx Shearwater - 14 (i.e. 14 came in and 14 went out)
Sandwich Tern - 18 (18 came in, 14 went out)
Arctic Tern - 68 (5 flocks max 31)
Kittiwake - 3 in (with the Arctic Terns)
Great-crested Grebe - 2 in
Auk sp - 1 out
Red-throated Diver - 2 (i.e. 2 in , 1 out)
Whimbrel - 1 heard, not seen.
Swan sp - 3 north
Swallow - 4 in

Dragonfly
The first 4-spotted chaser of the year on Middleton - perhaps surprising before Broad-bodied?


JR, PC, AC, MD