Productive end of year but waders seriously displaced by dog exercisers

Heysham Obs
A 1CY drake Scaup was unexpected on Middleton model boat pond at least late afternoon with a tiny increase in Tufted Duck.  Possibly from Glasson marina?

A couple with a woolly alsation and a couple of black of white things (one with a black head and mainly white body) displaced 11,000 waders from the foreshore between Ocean Edge and Potts corner today with the dogs very wide-ranging.  Fortunately the tide was dropping rapidly and the birds were able to find suitable feeding off Middleton saltmarsh.  Are the notices up at Shorefields yet?

The male Black Redstart made an appearance on the rocks at Red Nab as I was watching the Isle of Man ferry in - target being the Bonxie which had been seen off Rossall on at least two of recent days.  No sign. Thanks for emailing, Roger, to say the Black Redstart was also at Red Nab at 1030.

Coastal stuff
Little Gull - 7 adult, two 1CY Heysham 2 outfall
Red-throated Diver - one flew 'out'
Guillemot - 7 in harbour, possibly more
Kittiwake - 22 behind IOM ferry, mainly 1CY - many peeled off and flew out before reaching harbour.  One adult by the harbour waterfall
Black Redstart - male on Red Nab rocks 1030, then again when next checked at 1215, then went back into Power Station near small reedbed
Red-breasted Merganser - 3 in harbour, two off Red Nab
Ringed Plover - 10 on the saturated grassland along OE foreshore
Med Gull - two adults north harbour wall by anglers
Twite - late afternoon visit to feeding station saw 15 (plus 3 Goldfinch) - no Linnets
Jack Snipe - 2
Snipe - 21
Little Egret - 2
Wigeon - 91

Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 1CY drake (from Glasson?)
Tufted Duck - small increase to 12
Linnet - 70 on the rubble mound area - a really good winter flock (NHW birds?)
Teal - 100+
Pochard - female Tim Butler pond
Gadwall - 2 tim butler pond

More windswept coastal checks

Heysham Obs
Maxima from several checks along the south harbour and outfalls area was:

Little Gull - 5 adults and 5 1CY
Kittiwake - 4 adults
Guillemot - 8

Coastal coverage south of the harbour

Heysham Obs
A summer plumage Guillemot in the harbour was double-checked! The male Black Redstart was seen briefly from the top of the bank by Red Nab, on the fence by the small reedbed at 0945, but only a brief check was subsequently made  through the fence - looking through double fences and my eyes don't get on.

Harbour/outfalls
Guillemot - 9 when first arrived, some of these had made their way out later - one in summer plumage
Little Gull - 5 - 3 2CY and 2 adult, one of the latter feeding by the waterfall in the harbour briefly.  Only one 2CY feeding on the outfalls, the rest were drifting around and 3 of them appeared to head out to sea
Kittiwake - at least 6 around, mainly in harbour
Twite - c40

Red Nab area
Black Redstart - adult male as above

Offshore
Two distant red-throated diver

Male Black Redstart reappears

Heysham Obs
The male Black Redstart (or the one at the Red Nab end?) was showed in the power station land on two occasions this morning by looking through the fence alongside the seawall at Red Nab (in the region of the purple container/Road 10).  Thanks to Gavin and Ian for some of these sightings.

Inshore
Mainly leftovers
Kittiwake - 10ish in the harbour, 3-4 outfalls
Little Gull - c10 with 2+ adults
Guillemot - at least 5
Shelduck - 11 out

North harbour wall
Twite - 13-15 (10 ringed but not necessarily Heysham)
Linnet - 23
Goldfinch - c25
Med gull - 2 ad and 3cy

The usual suspects

Green shank request
Anyone any green shank sightings from 2013 at Heysham which we may have failed to pick up/you might not have thought worth reporting. At the moment we have a blank in the species accounts. Most likely to turn up during the Bonapartes gull period in early autumn. Please text or email pete (see sidebar).  Thanks - also anything else we don't know about as doing species accounts now

Heysham Obs
Best today were three juvenile Shag, one in the harbour mouth which then drifted around the corner into the bay and two together struggling to fly out of the bay.  One Kitt flock and a scattering of Little Gull in the hour long morning seawatch from the Gate 38 area & others later almost certainly gradually flying out but difficult to be absolutely certain. In late afternoon as the tide started to cover the outfalls, there were 45 on the outfalls and area and a further 41 counted flying out from the north side in 20 minutes.  So at least 86 and this is almost certainly a gross underestimate as all perceived movement has been 'out'.  Loads of large gulls around but I suspect we have had our white winger quota for this year.

Seabirds
Little Gull - at least 86 by late afternoon but see above
Kittiwake  one flock of 13 out, 3 inshore & c15 out later, 5 outfalls late pm
Shag - see above
Guillemot - at least 12 in the harbour/harbour mouth/offshore
Razorbill - presumably the same 1CY off the harbour mouth (it has been checked carefully!)
Wigeon - 32 out

Others
Med Gull - Czech bird north harbour wall

Feeding Area - c40 mixed Finches seen briefly on feeding visit

Probable French bling

Heysham Obs
Working at Millom then Wigton today and the schedule wasn't half tight - the A595 reminds me of the old days timing yourself driving across Ireland from say Dublin to the west side. One promising bit of dual carriageway otherwise miles and miles of  narrow bendy road. Thanks to Malcolm and Ian for records.

Inshore sightings
Kittiwake - colour ringed individual provisionally French
Little gull - 2 1cy
Guillemot - at least 5
Med gull - 3 ad
Rock pipit - 1
Brief visit to feeding area saw only a small flock of mixed finches

Middleton
Teal - record count of 137, one grabbed by Peregrine but escaped
Snipe - 7

Heysham NR
Woodcock - 1

Ocean Edge
Injured Pink-footed Goose still present

Quick early morning walks

Heysham obs
Very little time this morning and Malcolm and I covered different se ruins of coast early on. Had to go and do some survey work at millom to take advantage of weather at exposed site! Was hoping for a sympathy vote mince pie but all I got were stroppy dogs

Heysham one outfall
Little gull - 2 1cy seaward end low tide
Guillemot - 6 in harbour
Rb merg - 4 in harbour

North Harbour Wall 10.15-10.45am
Increased number of Finches but very flighty
Minimum of 60 seen very briefly on ground.
Difficult to see very well due to background sun and how spread out they were.
Still mainly Goldfinch and Linnet but with some Twite and at least one Chaffinch.
Also 2 Adult Med Gulls.

Below par for the conditions but seawatching a bit awkward

Heysham Obs
A day when it would have been useful to have the north harbour wall back for car-seawatching

Sea at various times
Little Gull - at least 8 adult and two 1CY
Kittiwake - Just the one 1CY!
Razorbill - perhaps the same 1CY off the harbour mouth
Guillemot - minimum 15, 4 in the inner harbour
Med Gull - at least one adult
Wigeon - 3 'out' on seawatch
Red-throated Diver - one out
Great crested Grebe - c5 out, 3 inshore

The wrong kind of very wet

Heysham Obs
Awful today with a rubbishy southerly gale and driving rain.  The highlights were a three figure Teal count from Middleton and the dizzy heights of 14 Mallard on there.  Yesterdays inshore Kittiwakes had completely vanished.  Some pics from Sandra and John yesterday off Ocean Edge:




Middleton/Ocean Edge (thanks Malcolm)
Teal - 116
Mallard - 14
Gadwall - 5
Tufted Duck - just 7 left
Snipe - 9
Little Egret - 3
leucistic Bar-tailed Godwit Ocean Edge

South harbour area
Med Gull - 2 adults
Guillemot - 4 (3 in, one just offshore)
Just a few Goldfinches seen in very brief visit to feeder

Winter seabird selection

Heysham Obs
Unfortunately the best site for sheltered seawatching at the moment, now most of the north wall is closed to cars, is from the harbour entrance, including by Gate 38.  However you sacrifice field of view and about 250m of distance for shelter and that caused a bit of a problem with the morning's highlight

Little Auk - what was presumed to be this species was seen twice with a 40 minute gap between sightings presumably related to being brought into the bay by the tide and flying and landing again with the process repeated.  Therefore it was seen flying 'out' twice but presumably floated in unseen on the rough sea.  The second view was relatively good with a Guillemot for direct comparison and comprised a small 'whirring' thing with fast 'flickering' of light and dark which "didn't seem to have an obvious bill" and was perhaps too small for even a Puffin.  Hopefully it can be completely nailed by someone in the next few days
Razorbill - First winter in the harbour mouth, then appeared to fly out
Guillemot - at least 25, including a gang of 11 close inshore and 3 in the harbour
Little Gull - flock of 5 adults and a single 1CY
Kittiwake - 47 offshore, two in the harbour and one on the outfalls, biggest flock 17
Red-throated Diver - 6 sightings on the incoming tide, minimum of 3 seen
Great-crested Grebe - 11 sightings on the incoming tide, at least 3 individuals
Med Gull - single adult

No finches seen

N Harbour Wall  09.30 - 11.30
The feeding site was half flooded this morning and partly washed out. A few finches flew up from the area on arrival. Some work on the site with pick and shovel has hopefully created some channels to divert the water. Fresh seed put down (in very strong wind) brought back a larger mixed flock of c50 Goldfinch/Linnet.  I was not able to identify any Twite owing to the conditions causing watering eyes and buffeting bins!
ajd