Great Northern Diver and Fulmar and Gannet at last!

Heysham Obs
NB Early morning seawatching looks a decent option tomorrow


Unfortunately held up by traffic this am, much earlier in the morning than usual and the seawatch was limited to 0745-0830.  Highlighted by close views of a 2CY/winter adult Great Northern Diver which flew south, then about 15 minutes later what was presumably the same bird/species was seen at extreme range towards the windfarm and appeared to land.  Decent numbers of Red-throated Diver, including a flock of 5.  Oddly no first Gannet of the year and amazingly no Kittiwake flocks in the 45 min seawatch, especially as a couple of casual glances by a non-seawatching birder later in the morning produced four Gannet and there were loads off Blackpool


Sea 0745-0830
Great Northern Diver - one 'out' at c0750, then perhaps the same very distantly at c0815.  Probably a 2CY as no sign of summer plumage coming through
Red-throated Diver - absolute minimum of 11, probably 14 and possibly 20, mainly 'in', including flock of 5
Fulmar - one in and across was rather unexpected at 0820
Little Gull - 2 x 2CY 'in'
Lots of LBBG and Common Gull moving but no obvious pattern
Gannet - four later in the morning offshore

Harbour
Guillemot still by waterfall
Turnstone - 50 wooden jetty

Red Nab 0835
Little Egret - one
Good lot of imm large gulls around wooden jetty/outfalls but nothing of interest


Moths
Good catch, perhaps surprisingly including first Powdered Quaker of year

Bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
Yesterday there were no birds, today was a bit of a priorities struggle for a single observer as stuff was obviously around in the bit of a window from early morning till about 10 when some nasty wet drizzly stuff filled the air.  A belated hour of ringing saw just one net operated with threatening rain and this catch included a Reed Bunting


Vis Mig north wall 0755-0825
Meadow Pipit - 18 NE
alba Wagtail - 8 NE
Redpoll spp - 7 NE, including flock of 5
Swallow - 2 NE
Wheatear - 2 heliport
Nothing obvious offshore


Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 6


Heysham NR office area
Goldcrest - one
Willow Warbler -  at least 2

Sunday 6th April

Heysham Obs
A classic rubbish day early in the migration season at a time you have no winter lingerers to keep the website going


Some one saw a Little Egret at Red Nab and there was a Common Quaker in the moth trap

White things

North Harbour Wall 0800-0915
Vis
0825hrs - 33 Whooper Swans headed into the Bay, then turned north
2 Meadow Pipits
2 alba wagtails
2 Goldfinch

Grounded
1 Meadow Pipit

Feeder
9 Linnet

Inshore
1 pr Eider
Red-breasted Merganser

Outer channel
Usual Eider flock.

Red Nab
2 Little Egrets fighting over fishing rights in one of the channels.

Middleton Nature Reserve
21 Tufted Duck

Migration delayed by the murk

Heysham Obs

The rain shower mid-morning did the trick and dropped three Lesser Whitethroat (one HNR, two Middleton) - the earliest ever records here but following one at Aldcliffe yesterday.  A trickle of phylloscs was most apparent on Middleton although 5 Chiffchaffs were ringed HNR along with the first Willow Warbler of the ringing year.  Thanks to Malcolm for extensive coverage.

Heysham NR (vis mig session 1200-1300 as it cleared)

Meadow Pipit - 56 NE - started moving as soon as started to clear

alba Wagtail - 12 NE

Redpoll spp - one ringed early (Lesser) and one NE early pm

Carrion Crow & Jackdaw - mixed flock north early on but don't know exact numbers (8+ Jackdaw) - very unusual in spring

Lesser Whitethroat - singing male appeared 1330hrs

Goldcrest - 2 ringed

Chiffchaff - 5 ringed

Middleton NR

2 lesser whitethroat

1 willow warbler

14 chiffchaff heard + several CC/WW seen only

1 singing skylark

Tufted Duck - 19 (5 obvious pairs) 

5 gadwall (4 males)

2 mallard

6 teal

2 shelduck

Mute Swan: 2 on boating pond, 1 sitting on Tim Butler pond, 1 sitting on Fence pond + mate

6 coot

5 moorhen

1 little grebe

2 lapwing

2 snipe

2 pheasant

2 reed bunting

24 linnet

 

Ocean Edge

1 little egret

2 snipe

4 greylag low to SE

5 wheatear

12 meadow pipit grounded - 1 parachuting

North harbour wall in mist first thing

Linnet - 8

Robin - migrant at the end which flew across the harbour

Otherwise totally dead with useless offshore visibility

There early but coverage one-dimensional

Heysham Obs
Bare minimum this morning as sole observer (with work to get on with) and the wrong decision.  The 'lure' of Mealy Redpoll, never mind a high percentage of Lessers already ringed in distant parts, led to a single net & tape.  This meant I couldn't do the rounds and the hour's coverage comprised some vis and whatever night migrants were round the office.  Result - zero redpoll, despite patchy clear sky encouraging other vis.  There were a few drops of very 'muddy' rain!

Vis mig office area 0715-0815
Meadow Pipit - 73
alba Wagtail - 22
Siskin - 3
Swallow - 1
Pink-footed Goose - flock of c97 north over golf course
Carrion Crow - 3 north - chased by locals
Linnet - 16 north
Chiffchaff - at least 3 'silent' migrants
Goldcrest - two noisy migrants
Blackcap - very lightweight female ringed
Great Tit - unringed one trapped
Blue Tit - unringed one trapped, surprisingly an adult

No further coverage from me, but Janet texted (thanks):
Wheatear - 6 Ocean Edge

Moths
Mass break-out of Common Quaker by Heysham standards with 7!

Wheatear(6) and Linnet (2)at Ocean Edge

The classic departure night

Heysham Obs
Set off yesterday evening with the intention of setting a moth trap in a limestone woodland near Dalton, then go on to Leighton Moss for dusk in the hope of seeing migrant Bittern departure in similar conditions to last year's fest at this time.  Unfortunately got delayed setting the trap as it was difficult to site in a leafless wood without being visible from a road, it reached 8.15pm and I wrongly thought, after another 10 minute journey, I would be too late and missed what is one of the great birding spectacles in this area (6 seen to leave)

The early overnight weather was relevant here as it prompted the Scaup to move on at last.  Birding was otherwise low-key today with perhaps the last (two) rather flighty Twite of the spring, leaving Guillemot in the harbour as the only remaining 'winter target'

Mainly North harbour wall 0830-0930
Meadow Pipit - 162 NE
alba Wagtail - 13 NE
Linnet - 16 NE (& 7 on seed|)
Siskin - heard once NE
Twite - two arrived in the vicinity of the seed from the south, at least one unringed
Eider - couldn't see properly due to foreign dust in the air, but at least 300
Great-crested Grebe - two displaying pairs in channel!
No night migrants on the mound/sandworks
Outfalls not checked at low tide

Gate 38 area
House Sparrow - male chirping away in the willow there - this is the second time this has been seen - what's going on!
Guillemot - 2 in harbour but no Kittiwake

Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 2

Moths
Included Double-striped Pug, Early Thorn and a late Chestnut in more ways than one (it was in a spider's web but not there yesterday!)

Chiffchaff, Gadwall and Reed Bunting at Middleton today, and a very bad tempered Swan!!

Osprey and Blackcap lead the way

Heysham Obs
Osprey
Alerted by Dan Haywood on the other side of the Lune where it was a very distant 'shape' in and out of the cloud over Lades Marsh.  Then a 'bigger-than -Buzzard-raptor' flashing pale underparts and showing a gull-like 'arm' caused mayhem amongst (and giving size-comparison with) the Middleton roof-nesting gulls and even spooked what looked like the 5 Gadwall (as seen from miles away by Heysham NR office).  This disappeared behind a building/golf course trees and the final part of the trilogy was an angler on a bike who said 'someone with binoculars' had seen an Osprey over Middleton at about 1130.  I think we can go for it! 
Jackdaw - one north over HNR office
Scaup - 2CY male still Middleton (for its 92nd consecutive day on this pond)
Blackcap - male ringed (IOY)
Goldcrest - at least 4 migrants Heysham NR
Rock Pipit - one Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Wheatear - how many were there please, Janet?
Meadow Pipit - no more than 5 per hour!

Todays selection at Middleton and Ocean Edge (thanks Janet)

Wheatear at Ocean Edge

Kestrels at Heysham

Scaup at the Boating pond Middleton

Great Crested Newt at Middleton

The lord mayor's side-show with a bit of saharan dust

Heysham Obs
It wasn't entirely useless today, but a bit of a contrast to yesterday. 

Offshore
Eider - 379

Heysham NR
Low single-figures of Chiffchaff (mainly males) and Goldcrest (mainly females) were ringed, two Lesser Redpoll were ringed and at least 8 Siskin flew over.  A Greenfinch ringed elsewhere was caught.

North wall morning vis mig
Details to follow

Meadow Pipit fest and Magpie migration

Heysham Obs
Sample counts were the order of the day today in what was a phenomenal movement:


Vis mig 'casually' to 0830, systematically from NHW 0830-1030, sample from HNR office 1030-1045, Tank farm and area 1145-1220
Meadow Pipit - c200, 1812 (906 per hour 0830-1030) , 58, 119 respectively, also 250 grounded Ocean Edge at 0845hrs.
All the rest of the counts 0830-1030 north harbour wall
alba Wagtail -  22
Linnet - 52
Siskin - min 18
Goldfinch - 8
Grey Wagtail - 1
Magpie - 1+1 in off the sea from SW then carrying on inland high!
Sand Martin - 7
Swallow - 1
Chaffinch - 1
Skylark - 1
Wheatear - all 9 recorded flew 'in-off' from the SW and carried on quickly moving through


Grounded north wall
Goldcrest - 2
Twite - at least 3, possibly more
Linnet - running total of 12
Grey Wagtail (not the vis bird) - definitely unringed


Heysham Head
Wheatear - 5
Chiffchaff - 2


Heysham NR grounded
Goldcrest - 20+
Chiffchaff - at least 6 migrants
Robin - at least 3 migrants


Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 7


Middleton NR
Scaup seen by visiting birders, thanks for this
Green Woodpecker - prob same bird on golf course, then Middleton later
Swallow - 5 late afternoon
Barn Owl - still

Ringing
This included 17 Goldcrest and 9 Chiffchaff - all the latter appeared to be males