Even better sea passage

A very light NE morning breeze, freshened slightly as it moved to SW from late morning. It threatened to rain all day, but somehow managed to hold off till the evening.

Seawatch report - Pete

Sea from 0638 Heysham from back of harbour.  A bit messy with bits of bad light and poor visibility plus a bit of backtracking challenging accurate tern totals:  

allowing for back trackers going in again 

539 Arctic tern in including straggling flock of 391 and 60 which headed high inland over my head - All arctic tern before 0840.

30-50 Sandwich tern

1 Black tern

2 dark morph Arctic Skua (one in high, the other low and very distant)

Razorbill (on),

1 red throated diver

c73 Common scoter.  

Only wader migration 7 whimbrel in and only 6 swallow seen.  

Distant flock of 6 geese probably pink feet.  

Another 45 mins on sea from 0945 north wall: 

34 Arctic tern in

6 red throated diver on

12 sandwich tern out

I had a walk along the south sea wall (Malcolm). Unfortunately just managed to time it to miss the Arctic Terns!

Sandwich Terns

The only records that I can add to Pete's are:

Shelduck 4 of 6

One of four Whimbrel that remained on the south side

48 Bar-Tailed Godwit flew to the north side with Knot and Dunlin
Later 18 Bar-Tailed Godwit flew back to the south side

Rock Pipit 2 - one over the lighthouse nesting site and another above the waterfall.

Waterfall Rock Pipit

Linnet 11 - 6 between lighthouse and waterfall plus 5 on saltmarsh 

Wheatear 3

Middleton Nature Reserve

Ringing report by Alan:

A rather better session at Middleton this morning with three nets set, although the majority of the catch was from the centre net on the west side.  28 Lesser Redpolls were caught in two flocks of 12 & 15 plus a singleton.

No overhead movement was detected except for two distant Corvids flying NW high and fast -  No Hirundines were seen at all.

Trapped were:

Cetti's Warbler  1 retrap

Sedge Warbler  2  + 3 retraps

Reed Warbler  1

Lesser Whitethroat   1 retrap

Common Whitethroat  1

Willow Warbler  1

Long-tailed Tit  1 retrap

Great Tit   1 retrap

Lesser Redpoll   28

Solidarity male Gadwall on the main pond - Janet

Heysham skear low water 14:40 (Malcolm)

Not a lot different to yesterday really.

Eider 75

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested grebe 1

Sandwich Tern 4

Sandwich Tern resting on conger rock

Oystercatcher 1,000

Whimbrel 6 - possibly some of this morning's birds. This one makes short work of a small crab.

Bar-Tailed Godwit 8

Knot 600 - no rings or flags seen, and most if not all legs checked. These are just a few.

Dunlin 35

Redshank 9

Turnstone 80

Just out of the recording area

Short-Eared Owl 1 seen flying towards the recording area across Middleton Sands - Ian Hartley