Better seabirds

A dry largely sunny day the fresh SW wind easing slightly.

Pete - Sea Heysham 0720-0910:

c94 Common Scoter out

44 Sandwich Tern out

1,1,10 Arctic Tern out - the 10 a straggling dip feeding flock being ‘overtaken’ by Sandwich Terns

1,1,1,1 Red throated diver out

2 Wigeon out

1 Razorbill/guillemot out

1 dark morph Arctic Skua in at long range 0731

Shaun - Heysham Harbour 11:00-12:30. 

Little Gull 2cy feeding at the end of Outfall 1

Kittiwake 2 adults & 2cy Outfall 2. Plus 2 adults following in the ferry.

Arctic Tern 7 out

Sandwich Tern c15.

Janet checked Red Nab and saltmarsh 

Wheatear on Red Nab

Curlew on the saltmarsh 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Male Swallow high over the main pond

Chiffchaff 

Female Mute Swan and male Gadwall

North shore

18 Pale-bellied Brent goose off Heysham play area plus 3 Sandwich terns on beach - David Kaye

Heysham skear - Malcolm 11:00 - 12:20 and 15:45 - 17:00

Pale-bellied Brent Goose 46 - David's flock of 18 were joined by another flock of 28 this morning 

This evening there were 35 grazing gutweed on the skear.

Eider just one female out this morning 

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Sandwich Tern 8 fishing this morning 31 resting and fishing this evening.

These are two of this morning's 

Some of this evening's 

This one has a metal ring, but no colour rings seen

These have heard another pair passing over and are calling to them. 

Bar-Tailed Godwit 35 this morning 24 this evening 

Some of the Godwits are starting to moult to summer plumage 

Knot 2500 - 3000, they were well spread out today and no disturbances. Some flags seen but most seen previously in this set of neap tides.

Sanderling just 1 seen this morning 

Sanderling with Knot and Oystercatcher 

More Sanderlings

A dry morning after early rain. More showers around lunchtime. A fresh SW wind.

Pete: 0700-0800

Seawatching dire - just 4 Common scoter in an hour 

2 ad and 2cy kittiwake plus 2cy Mediterranean gull Heysham outfalls.  

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:30 - 11:15  and 15:00 - 16:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose, just 8 seen this morning, 18 this afternoon.

Pale-bellied Brent geese

No Eider seen

Red-breasted Merganser 8 this morning 

Female Red-breasted Merganser

Sandwich Tern 2 this afternoon.

Sandwich Tern

Knot 3000 this morning and similar numbers this afternoon but more fragmented.

At 11:05 something lifted all the waders and joined by the Brent. Such a dramatic 
disturbance is normally the result of a large raptor passing over, but none seen.
Possibly a skua. I remained the only biped on the skear. Time for lunch!

These are some of this afternoon's Knot feeding along the waterline 

The Knot top centre is swallowing a small bivalve, looks like a cockle

The terrain and strong wind meant that it wasn't easy checking the Knot
for flags, some were seen, but no new ones for this "winter".

The Knot are staying later than they have in recent years and many are beginning
to moult into summer plumage. Showing why their full name is Red Knot

Bar-Tailed Godwit 12 seen in the morning 26 in the afternoon 

Bar-Tailed Godwit and Knot

Sanderling 23 this morning. 19 on the skear plus a line of 4 battling south 

Three of the four southbound Sanderling in this shot

Sanderling, still in winter plumage 

Janet:

Male Chaffinch in the Nature Park

Grey Squirrel. That can have a lot of red in their summer coat

Jackdaw taking nesting material to neighbouring house 

Some unusual movement

Dry with sunny spells. A westerly wind shifting to south by evening.

Heysham sea - Pete 0640-0810: 

bizarre record of 4 adult Mediterranean gulls out together (thought they would be on territory by now)

red throated diver - flock 5 in and four singletons

Common Scoter - c14

Guillemot - 2,2 out

Razorbill/guillemot - 1 out

Kittiwake - flock 9 in, 2 out

3ad plus 2cy outfalls

Just the 3 adult Kittiwake on No.2 outfall when Kevin Eaves checked later

Janet checked Red Nab

One Shelduck

One Wheatear

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Chiffchaff 

Small Tortoiseshell 

Peacock 

Grey-spotted Sedgesitter
(great name, shame it isn't a bird!)

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:15 - 09:45 and 14:00 - 15:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose 21 this morning 

Some of the Brent geese

Eider 50+

Red-breasted Merganser 7

Two male and a female Merganser, Eider behind 

Knot - there were 3,000 this morning until lifted by a Peregrine. 4000 this afternoon in three main groups, very flighty. Three new flagged birds were seen this morning 

Sanderling 8 this morning, 34 this afternoon, all in winter plumage (What for this area are significant numbers of Sanderling appear to be spending the back end of the winter (too early for spring passage) in the Morecambe/Heysham area eg March webs, two separate date flyby flock(s) on SJ seawatching and today 34 on Heysham skeer joining the Knot.  Be interesting to see if repeated next winter period - Pete)

Some of this morning's Sanderling with Knot

Some of this afternoon's Sanderling

One of several Dunlin with the Knot

One of two Bar-Tailed Godwit with Knot and Oystercatcher 

Turnstones turned round!

Manx seen but evening Skuas missed

A largely overcast day with some showers. A fresh SW wind became fresher as it drifted to WNW

Pete:

male Common Redstart in buddleia near ferry terminal 

nothing on the sea in poor early am visibility 

Four adult and one 2cy kittiwake on outfalls 

four inbound swallow and a house Martin  

Returned in afternoon but wind nothing like as forecast: 

one Manx Shearwater in, 

c42 Pale-bellied Brent geese red nab.    

South sea wall - Kevin Eaves 14:00

Still 2 adult and a 2nd cy Kittiwake on No.2 outfall

Wheatear 2 near the lighthouse 

Wheatears

Heliport - Malcolm

I was heading to the south shore at 15:00, 90 minutes before high water. But a large flock of Knot circling the Heliport changed plans. At just 7m today's high water barely reached the wall, at this stage in the tide it had just reached the rocks, so a bit of a surprise to have 3000 Knot roosting on the wall. These are some of them coming in, albeit warily.

But they didn't just rest on the wall c150 elected to stand on top. 

Carrion Crows and on one occasion a Swallow passing over lifted all the Knot, when they landed again it was a bit like playing a fruit machine. Some times none of the birds on the top were flagged, usually one and on one occasion, three. But they tended to be the same flagged birds, presumably ones that prefer to be able to see in all directions.

Even sat on top it can be crowded, this orange flagged bird was ringed
at Merseyside in 2024

Swallow spooking the Knot (the other bird is a Starling)

Male Swallow

42 Pale-bellied Brent, presumably the ones seen by Pete on Red Nab, flying north

Two Arctic Skuas seen flying into the bay this evening from Rossall.