A developing oil crisis?

A dry day with light variable breezes. Some sunny spells 

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:45 - 11:00

Eider pair plus 1 female

Red-breasted Merganser 3 - 1 female plus 2 males

Little Egret 4

Sandwich Tern c30 - 8 resting around the skear, the rest on a sandbar till moved on by the incoming tide

Sandwich Tern on a sandbar

Whimbrel 1

Curlew 1

Dunlin 14 - a group of 10 plus 2 each with 2 lots of Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover 18 - a flock of 12 flew south plus another 6 amongst the inshore rocks

3 Ringed Plover plus a Dunlin (honest!)

South shore

Saltmarsh to Red Nab - Malcolm 14:30 - 15:00

Linnet 2 on the saltmarsh 

Wheatear 3 on Ocean Edge grass and foreshore 

There were plenty of flies around to catch

Rock Pipit 1 flew to Red Nab

Curlew 6 just beyond Red Nab

Peregrine Falcon 1 came in/off then into the Power Station grounds.

Kevin Eaves checked along the sea wall, no sign of the Shag or Osprey today

First Cinnabar moth on the sea wall

Warblers heard in the Nature Park 

Lesser Whitethroat 

Blackcap

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

There was a badly oil stained duck on the spit on the main pond. 

This severely oiled duck turned out to be a Mallard,  apparently there were other 
oiled ducks earlier in the week. There is no obvious source for such a quantity of oil.
The Reserve Manager has been informed.

Silver Y