Little Gull still around and Lesser Whitethroat arrive

A dry and mainly sunny day with a light SW wind.

Pete and Jean 0700-1000

2cy Little gull again feeding in Heysham harbour mouth then flew out of sight towards outfalls

Just singles of guillemot and 5 sandwich tern offshore

Outfalls check from Ocean edge: 

ad and 2cy kittiwake inner heysham 2

the same 2cy little gull now seaward end heysham one (also reported on the outfall this evening on birdguides)
Six pale bellied Brent still red nab mid tide

These shots by David Talbot:

Adult Kittiwake 

2nd calendar year Kittiwake 

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Female Blackcap on Kingsway fields - Janet

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Grasshopper Warbler singing - Emma Kelly 

Lesser Whitethroat singing near the "no swimming" pond - Kevin Eaves

These shots by Janet:

Sitting Mute Swan with an unwelcome visitor 

The Heron soon moved on

Swallow

House Martin 

Kestrel

Speckled Wood

North shore - Malcolm

Just south of the skear 07:45 - 08:15

Pale-bellied Brent geese 6

Pale-bellied Brent. Every rock is covered in gutweed now

Shelduck 2 north

Sandwich Ten 3 fishing 

At least 2500 Knot were moved into the SE skear corner

Knot, Oystercatcher and 15 Bar-Tailed Godwit

Godwit, Knot and Oystercatcher 

I was expecting the Knot to begin feeding along the waterline, but instead they flew back onto the skear. I think feeding was done for the morning. Still, two new flagged birds were located.

Heliport 10:30 - 11:15

c3000 Knot were resting on the sloping wall. At one point they all lifted and flew very high, I thought that they might be heading off, but instead they were joined by another smaller flock, resulting in 3500 - 4000 Knot. These are some of the Knot drifting high

I couldn't tell if they all landed back on the wall. Only a few hundred of them rested on the top.

Some quite striking now

There was a constant drift of discarded feathers along the sloping wall

Heysham skear 13:45 - 15:00

Just 5 Pale-bellied Brent geese now

Eider 16

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Knot c3000, these tides drain quickly and the Knot move with it. No more new flagged birds were seen.

It is difficult enough seeing flags on the skear, spray from bathing birds
doesn't help! This orange flagged bird eventually revealed itself to be code 58P.
It has been seen here previously this spring, ringed in Merseyside 2024.

Ringed Plover 6

Ringed Plover

Just out of the recording area. Angela Gillon took this shot of the new Rookery at Morecambe Bay Community Primary school, before the nests are hidden by the developing foliage.

At least three nests. Be interesting to see how many next year.