Brent sensation

Heysham Obs
A distinctly un-lively seawatch this morning at least produced some quality.  Brent Goose status is odd.  Both light and dark-bellied a routine feature just out of visual range over the Bay (including a Black Brant the last two winters) but they are pretty scarce on this side, especially a flock.  Something to do with eel-grass?




Sea 0730-1010ish (thanks Mark, Jean and Pete)
Dark-bellied Brent Goose - flock flew along the tideline from south of Red Nab, then turned north past the wooden jetty and apparently split into 2+5 as entered the Bay
Arctic Skua - Dark morph distantly at c0755 sat on the water and floated in.  Presumably different was an in-bound dark morph at 0855hrs and a dark morph out at 0955 was presumably one of the two
Common Scoter - 5 on the water
Red-throated Diver - 2 in and 6 out
Mute Swan - 2 'in-off' from Barrow direction to Red Nab direction
Meadow Pipit - one north!


Mammal
Grey Seal offshore

Early shift seabirds, late shift seagulls

Heysham Obs
A few seabirds early morning but the pre-high tide late shift was like watching paint dry


Sea 0745-1015
Arctic Skua - dark morph in, intermediate morph out
Red-throated Diver - 16 seen, including flock of 4
Gannet - 13 out, 3 in, all adults and including flock of 8
Common Scoter - flock of 5 in, one on the sea close inshore
No Kittiwake or terns
Passerine vis mig at the same time non-existent in mod/fresh SW wind


Moths
Nine species, including Herald

Early morning routine

Heysham Obs
To windy from a nasty direction for the office mist nets until 0720, so a bit of sea/vis


Sea
Dead 0650-0720


Vis mig north wall then office 0650-0750 on and off
Meadow Pipit - 32 NE
Golden Plover - one high to east (rare here)
Siskin - at least 5 NE
Redpoll spp - 10 NE
alba Wagtail - 13 NE
Linnet - 7 NE


Moths
Another Herald was the highlight along with Parsnip Moth

The 15 minute 'coverage'

Heysham Obs
Lots to do after checking moth traps this morning, so little time for coverage.  One of those annoying mornings where things are obviously happening but not necessarily funnelled through a coastal obs.  I had three Willow Warbler near home which were not there yesterday plus a singing Redstart but nothing appeared to be concentrated at Heysham


Seawatch 0900-0915
Sandwich Tern -1 out
Red-throated Diver - one in
Carrion Crow - 9 north
Meadow Pipit - 5 north


Moths
Decent catch included two  Shoulder Stripe, a late March Moth and two Powdered Quaker

Herald and Arctic Skua new for the year

Heysham Obs


Sea 0730-0830ish (thanks Pete C)
Arctic Skua - flock of three dark morph headed 'in' at 0750, close inshore at Yellow Buoy range
Lots of imm large gulls around but nothing could be found with them


No other seabirds!


Vis mig comprised 4 Meadow Pipit over the space of about an hour.  Dead!


Nothing grounded Wheatear-wise early morning


Afternoon (thanks Janet)
Swallow - three north
Wheatear - one Ocean Edge

Birds seen on Ocean Edge

Moths & butterflies

Herald new for the year
The first Speckled Wood of the year was seen as well as the first Green-veined White of the year (pic)

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