Avocets join the year list

A light North wind, NE to begin with then NW. the rain held off till mid afternoon, even then just a few showers.

Seawatch report from Pete Crooks:

A largely uneventful 3 hour 10 minute sea-watch (8.30 – 11.30 am) from the lighthouse at the mouth of Heysham Harbour produced:
7 Little Gull (5 adults, 2 1st summer). A distant group of 4 adult Little Gull on the sea south of the Wooden Pier at 10.50 am, were soon joined by another adult and 2 1st summer as they floated towards the Wooden Pier on the incoming tide. At 11.05 am 5 of the group flew up and headed off towards Red Nab, gained height and presumably headed off inland. Two adults remained on the sea floating past the Wooden Pier, but suddenly disappeared – presumably also heading off inland.

Also offshore:
1 Shag – presumably the regular bird stood near a Cormorant on a distant sand bar off the North Harbour Wall
2 Sandwich Tern – appeared as the tide began to turn at 9.30 am
2 Common Tern – flew into the Bay at 10.00 am
2 Teal – flew in at 10.15 am
1 Harbour Porpoise – off the harbour mouth

Vis mig was limited to 19 Swallow, 3 House Martin and 1 Sand Martin heading into the bay low over the sea.

2 1st summer Kittiwake – on the horizontal pipe near the outfall at the SW corner of the harbour.

Pete (M) checked a few areas:

Avocet 2 flew south past Ocean Edge mid morning possibly landing at Potts - there were no Avocets seen in the recording during 2022.

Swallow 44

Sand Martin 3 north

Turnstone 2 flocks of 13 and 18 flew high to the north

Teal 5 by the skear

I checked from the shoreline on the rising tide to the south of the skear mid morning (MD)

Teal 11 - originally 7 near the skear (looks like the 2 in had joined the 5).

Two flew off to the north, but another four joined the remaining five. Some minor squabbling ensued!

But the squabbling was soon resolved and the nine remained together, eventually drifting further into the bay when the skear was covered.

Eider 41

Red-breasted Merganser 9

Great Crested Grebe 12 - these two were displaying 

Sandwich Tern 2 fishing (seen by all observers)

Sandwich Tern, screeching as it goes

Swallow 10 (8 in one flock) north

Curlew 2 south

Whimbrel 1 north

Bar-Tailed Godwit 10 feeding. The bird closest to the waterline catches a lugworm here, albeit a small one. (My camera is still making a racket, so we are in silent mode, I keep expecting Charlie Chaplin to shuffle across the frame - maybe that's just my age!)

Little Ringed Plover 1 - flushed from the inner rocks by the rising tide. It flew up to gain height before flying off north

Harbour Porpoise 2 - adult and young together

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Grasshopper warbler 1 singing

Speckled Wood 1

Orange Tip 1 female

Female Orange Tip

Just out of the recording area - Conder Green

White Stork circling - ref Pete