Complete contrast to this day last year!

See archive for this day last year.  The thing is the wind was not too far off being promising - just too much north in it and perhaps the weather was a little too horrendous 'down south'.  Looks like all change tonight with an overnight corridor from at least northern France.  Early start!  A bit of a shame for the RSPB group but at least it didn't rain.  Pics (all taken today) from Janet other than Osprey (Malcolm).  Thanks for these.

Arctic Tern - 7 at low tide, 27 very distant later
Sandwich Tern - 30-35 at low tide
Common Tern - singleton at low tide
Shag - usual 2CY

Common Sandpiper - one by outfalls

Osprey - one causing havoc over Heysham skeer in the evening, then ESE

Guillemot - winter plumage/2CY harbour mouth area
Gadwall - one with chicks Middleton

Others
Redpoll - one north over Heysham Head
Great-crested Grebe - still 6 hanging in offshore
8 species of warbler for the RSPB group Middleton; surprisingly Whitethroat still absent there

Grey Seal - 2 offshore

 

Hooded Crow unattended

One of those days where most things went wrong!  Oversleeping until Ian's (gratefully received) text about the Hooded Crow heading generally up the Bay.  Fortunately it was seen exiting the recording area along the Kent Channel line from the Stone Jetty by Nick so we'll have it!

The main highlight was the first belated (ringed) singing male Grasshopper Warbler at Middleton NR, following yesterdays presumed (mist-netted) female.  Thanks for the pics from Middleton today Janet

Sea
Hooded Crow - seen exiting our area about 0837hrs, so where it was between the Rossall sighting at 0727 and then is anyone's guess but the Carrion Crows often sit on sandbanks and skeers until forced off by the tide at the last minute
Arctic Tern - distant flock of 30-35
Sandwich Tern - 2
Shag - 2CY on wooden jetty
Gannet - one very distant

Others
Wheatear - 2
Chough - thought to have been heard very distantly x 3 by an experienced observer inland from the wooden jetty area but no sightings reported

Grey Seal - one offshore

Bits

Early morning coverage

Sea/coast
Arctic tern - 8 in
Sandwich tern - 17
Common scoter - 5
Shag - 2cy jetty
Redpoll - 2 n
Guillemot - one harbour mouth
Turnstone - 195

Middleton nr
Redstart - female ringed
Grasshopper warbler - probable female ringed
Barn owl - hunting quite late

Garden Warbler - singing male along Moneyclose Lane near gold course gates (IOY)

No sign Chough in evening

Grey seal - 1

Blocked to the south

A trickle of new migrants in the mist nets before the rain arrived, notably four new Lesser Whitethroat and a Blackcap which had been ringed elsewhere (S094xxx)

The sea was unremarkable other than Malcolm managing to get a pic of a Porpoise (IOY)!

No Chough first thing over Heysham NR and no sign at the usual time in the evening (Malcolm left at 1850)

Sea
Guillemot - one (none in harbour)
Pink-footed Goose - 115 N
Swallow - 5
Sandwich Tern - 6
Common Scoter - 4
Shag - 2cy on wooden jetty

Others
Wheatear - again small male holding territory by the slipway on OE and chasing off a couple of larger birds (one male, one female)
Whimbrel - 1-2 Red Nab/OE
Reed Warbler - one ringed Middleton (IOY I think)
Swift - one over Heysham village area pm (IOY)

Set your clock by the Chough...almost

Today was theoretically the best skua day but the complete lack of any squalls or even light showers still produced more than might be expected in a wind which was 10 degrees or so west of ideal.  Sadly the 'year tick' (Bonxie) went through after we had left and was watched into the bay from JB Point!

Sea 0700ish to 0930ish
Arctic Skua - 5 in, including flock of four surprisingly including three light morph so early in the passage
Manx Shearwater - 5 in
Guillemot - one in, one in harbour

Red-throated Diver - 3 in one out
Razorbill - 3 in one out
Pink-footed Goose - 9 in
Common Scoter - 8 in 2 out
Kittiwake - 3 u-turning
Gannet - just the one out!
Whimbrel - 1 in
Arctic Tern - flock of 9 feeding then in
Sandwich Tern - 4 out

Others
Chough - came in at 1815 high from east, drank water rapidly, ate a grub and a worm, then the observer left

Meadow Pipit grounded

Rock Pipit - present in am at least by wooden jetty

Seabird trickle and early evening Chough connection

Not a bad seawatch this morning for a routine day list but nothing new for the year and yet again no hirundines and the only squall to spice things up was right at the end.  Singing Reed Warbler new for year on Middleton but the only Grasshopper Warbler 'records' this year were both probably tape lures, the second as per two visiting birders in the right area!!

Just found out that a Blue Tit ringed at Heysham NR on 20/9/17 was killed by a cat called 'Ginger' at Dorrington Road, Greaves, Lancaster on 21/4/18

Sea 0715-0915 NHW
Gannet - 12 different ones in/out (inc flock of 6)
Common Scoter - 22
Red-throated Diver - 4
Guillemot - 1
Razorbill - 1
Manx Shearwater - 5 (1+4)
Sandwich Tern - 4 out 2 on buoy
Arctic Skua - dm in 0900 after shower (plus a very distant prob small skua about 10 mins earlier)

Others
Turnstone - 99 roosting on wooden jetty
Shelduck - pair making breeding season sort of noises on the Near Naze!

Afternoon stuff (thanks Malcolm - pretty decent haul for nice sunny afternoon!)
Wheatear - 2
Chough - came in at exactly the same time as last Friday - 1827hrs and drank some water before feeding in second field

Guillemot - summer plumaged bird by waterfall and winter plumage/2CY harbour entrance

Shag - a/the bird by waterfall

Rock Pipit - doing a few parachute flights this afternoon

Butterflies
Quite a few Orange Tip this afternoon (thanks Janet)

Common Tern

Seawatching rubbish apart from
Shoveler - pair in-off then north
Common Tern - one south

Others
Wheatear - 4
Whimbrel - 2
Another hirundine free day

The skua season kicks off

Sea 0700ish to 0830ish
Arctic Skua - 1 dark morph in 0714, 2 dark morph in 0745
Manx Shearwater - probably the same one u-turning
RT Diver - 2 in then on
Little Gull - ad slowly in
Common Scoter - flocks of 5 +10 + 20
Whimbrel - one in & 3 on oe saltmarsh
Gannet - 3 in distantly, two out close
RB Merganser - one in

Whitethroat singing Heysham barrows

Rock Pipit still near harbour entrance

Avocet!

A welcome addition to the already impressive year list when Pete Crooks had an Avocet fly south at 0810 over the wooden jetty

Some decent ringing recoveries just received

Oystercatcher

4117552       Nestling  12/06/16          Fijatshlid, Iceland  67 7 N 19 8W
Sighted                         17/04/18         Heysham Near Naze

Blackbird

LA28964       2CYM       16/03/15          Heysham NR
Dead                                28/03/18          Royknes (Vest-Agder) Norway 58 19N 7 52E 821km NE 

Lesser Redpoll

Z836197         2CYF          06/05/2015      Heysham NR
Recaptured                   25/3,30/3&8/4/18  Hope under Dinmore Leominster (Herts) 208 km

Goldfinch

AAC0223        5M          10/01/18          Dunton (Buckingham)
Recaptured                      07/04/18          Heysham NR   275 km NNW

Sea on and off & coastal strip

Gannet - two horizon Ads north by the windfarm
Avocet - one south along the coast at 0810
Shag - 2CY wooden jetty area
Little Gull - 3 ads together in
Common Scoter - flock of 5 out
Pink-footed Goose - 52 and 22 N
Sandwich Tern - 6
Rock Pipit - one still by south harbour
Wheatear - 8 south wall and OE - after the rain
Whimbrel - 1

Vis
Lesser Redpoll - one grounded then north
Meadow Pipit - 2

Grounded
Willow Warbler - four caught in an hours ringing with a single net 0700-0800

Too clear

 It was too clear overnight for night migrants to stick around and too clear during the day for diurnal migrants to fly low so today's list is short:

Heysham Nature Reserve
Ringing
Lesser Whitethroat - 3 were caught and ringed

Vis 0730-0930:
Redpoll sp - 22
Linnet - 20
Goldfinch - 3
Meadow Pipit - 3
Swallow - 1
House Martin - 2
Pink-footed Goose - 8

Sea
Kittiwake - 31 (also seen past Stone Jetty) in
Common Scoter - 1 out then on
Sandwich Tern - 27 in
Great-crested Grebe - 2 on

Middleton NR
Sedge Warbler - 3 singing
Lesser Whitethroat - 2 singing
Cetti's Warbler - 4 singing (1 near No Swimming Pond, 2 either side of central marsh, 1 west end of western marsh reedbed)