More of the same

Heysham obs
Bit windier today and more seagulls around but no new species

Little gull - min 16 outfalls
Med gull - 3 ads
Kittiwake - 19 (2 2cy)
Guillemot - 4
Scaup - 2cy male Middleton MB pond
Pochard - 5 with above
Twite - at least 45, prob many more as birds no identified in sea buckthorn

Fewer of the same

 Heysham obs

Little gull - 4 (2 ad)
Kittiwake - 18 harbour, one offshore, one outfalls
Eider - 72
Guillemot - 2
Twite - c55
Scaup - 2cy male Middleton
Wigeon - 74

Moth
Drowned dotted border Middleton

Lesser Black-backs pile in

Heysham Obs
Lesser Black-backs piled in today with up to 120 at any one time.
Sightings:
Little Gull 28
Kittiwake 23
Guillemot 4
Pintail 1 out
Med Gull 2 adults
Twite 35 plus

Middleton Nature Reserve
Scaup 2CY male
Pochard 5
Gadwall 9

Done from memory - notes left in office ! Will update tomorrow.
Thanks to Ian ands Malcolm.

Doing the rounds but little change

Heysham Obs


Middleton NR model boat pond
Scaup - 2CY male
Pochard - 4 males, I female
Tufted Duck - 11
Snipe - 1


Offshore low tide
Eider - 78
Red-throated Diver - 1


Harbour area
Shag - 1, prob 3CY briefly then flew out
Kittiwake - c15
Guillemot - 1 (& 1 inshore)
Twite - at least 60 (one green/white Machrihanish bird plus the old Heysham bird caught two days ago)


Outfalls
Little Gull - 2 x 2CY, 1 x Ad
Kittiwake - 2 Ad

Selection of Gulls in the harbour.

New moths, similar birds

Outfalls
3 x 1W Little Gulls

North Harbour Wall
adult Mediterranean Gull
72 Twite
14 Linnet

Heysham Nature Reserve
Common Quaker - first of the year
Dotted Border - 2

Med Gull at North wall

Ringed Gull at North Wall

Black Headed Gulls at different stages.

Harbour Wall Finch Catch at Last

Heysham
North Harbour Wall

After the recent strong winds and rain, this morning was an opportunity to try for a whoosh net catch.
One early fire caught 21 birds:
Linnet - 4
Goldfinch - 1
Twite - 16  including one retrap from oct-dec 2010 and two recent retraps.

Thereafter, the birds in the vicinity were mainly Linnets that were very unsettled and feeding in a spread-out manner mostly off the designated catching spot.

ajd

Waders at the heliport.

North-bound Whoopers the only surprise

Heysham Obs
A good number of gulls around this am before the 0925 rain watershed......but couldn't find anything of real interest

Thanks to Craig Bell for these pics taken yesterday

Twite - 55, including a green/white Machrihanish bird
Linnet - 14
Med Gull - 2 ads in harbour
Kittiwake - 19 in harbour, one outfalls
Little Gull - only three seen on/around outfalls (1 Ad)
Guillemot - 2 in harbour, one offshore
Whooper Swan - 26 north at about 0910hrs
Scaup - 2CY male Middleton mb pond
Pochard - 3 males and female Middleton mb pond

Good coverage, Shag new in and Twite increase

Heysham Obs
Shag - 3CY or older harbour, then flew out (thanks Margaret and Mark)

Kittiwake - 19 harbour, 1 outfalls
Little Gull - up to 8 outfalls
Guillemot - 3
Twite - 74 on seed
Linnet - 14 on seed
Red-throated Diver - 2

Nothing new

Heysham Obs
An unpleasant day at high tide kept the handful of inconsiderate dog walkers off the heliport and there was a nice roost of 3,600 Knot.  No obvious sea passage despite promising conditions but maybe didn't leave it long enough!


Med Gull - 2 adults
Kittiwake - 13 harbour, 3 outfalls
Little Gull - max of 31 outfalls (15 2CY)
Guillemot - 6 harbour
Twite - at least 46
Linnet - at least 16
Scaup - 2CY male Middleton model boat pond
Wigeon 127

Also on Middleton:
Skylark - 2
Meadow Pipit - 2
Jack Snipe - 1
Common Snipe - 2 (& 4 OE saltmarsh)
Teal - 54
Mallard - 8
Gadwall - 7
Pochard - 3
Coot - 9
Moorhen - 9
Mute Swan - 5 ad 7 juv
Tufted Duck - only 7

Thanks for a lot of this, Malcolm

Harbour Wall Visit Only

Heysham North Harbour Wall

Mixed finch flock this morning numbered 80 birds.  Very unsettled and feeding spread out amongst rubble beyond feeding area in spite of much fresh seed put down.  Flock being spooked by every passing gull.

Twite - c55, large proportion ringed
Linnet - c15
Goldfinch - c10

Great Crested Grebe - 2 offshore
Red Throated Diver - 1 offshore


ajd