Empty afternoon skies

Knot on the Near Naze next to the heliport. Thanks Rosie

Heysham Obs

Just time for about 20 mins birding in latish afternoon. This was the first truly calm weather for a bit and my exit from the office was accompanied by an eerie silence and empty skies. No trail of large noisy gulls heading for the coast/across to Walney. This is, of course, the knock-on from the closure of Lancaster Tip.

Heysham PS Stage 2 outfall

2 Adult and one 1st W Little Gull - good to see them hanging in in the calm weather.

Heysham Harbour

10 Shag in the waterfall area, 5 on the seawall by the sandplant. About 7 Kittiwake & 1st W Med Gull over by the NHW. Guillemot in the harbour mouth

Elsewhere

Highlighted by a 1st W Purple Sandpiper which was on the rocks at the end of the SJ at low tide but not, as far as could be seen, on the HT roost on 'Bubbles groyne' at lunchtime. Also surely a different Guillemot to Heysham offshore at lunchtime. The male Hen Harrier was seen again at Leighton Moss Lower Hide area. Pine Lake provided minor interest in the form of a Red-breasted Merganser and 13 or so Goosander. 4 Bewick's Swan on Jeremy Lane and a further 3 on Glasson saltmarsh

The first heat haze of the year!

The lunchtime IOM passenger ferry as seen today from Harris End fell. Thanks Simon

Heysham Obs
A New Year's resolution was to be more disciplined as regards the length of the self-employed lunch- 'break for birding'. The rigid adherence to 30 minutes included trying to watch the IOM ferry in but it crossed with a freight ferry and the entourage turned round....too far away to identify...because of the heat haze. This irony has happened before on cold sunny winter's days.

Heysham Stage 2 outfall
2 x adult Little Gull, 1 x 1st W Little Gull, 2 x Kittiwake

Harbour
16 Shag by the waterfall, adult Med Gull in the harbour mouth and 8 Kittiwake

Ringing recovery received today
Oystercatcher
FC51375 & col rings Adult Dawlish Warren, Devon 17/11/00
Read in field: Heysham heliport 21/1/07

Thanks to Richard du Feu for tracing this

Elsewhere
A Brent Goose of unknown origin and form was very briefly with the (feral) Greylags at Leighton but only observed very distantly from the Lower Hide. An obvious 'neck collar' allied to not being sure whether it was light or dark may not have ruled out escaped Black Brant - the commonest form in captivity as shown by the sight which greets me every morning on the pond at the bottom of the field! I didnt check today - assume one of them has not flown off. No doubt this will resolve itself very soon. Ring-billed Gull adult just out of the area at St Michael's on Wyre - presumably the usual extremely elusive Fylde 'field roamer'. Keep an eye open for this bird whilst checking the 'muck-spreading' this spring

WeBS day

Heysham Obs
Coverage was reasonably good today although the fare was a little disappointing as the sea was rough but the wind direction just a tiny fraction north of west......and not really strong enough. The tide was high enough, with the surge, to cover Red Nab and Ocean Edge saltmarsh. Thanks to Mark Prestwood and Ian Hartley for most of the records.

Little Gull
Just 5 seen (2 1st W and 3 adults), mainly around the outfalls
Kittiwake
24 in the harbour and another 10 on the outfalls (no ferries watched in today)
Shag
At least 15 in the harbour and one on the wooden jetty
Med Gull
Both the Czech adult and the 1st W were in the melee feeding on the "remains" after the angling fest on the north harbour wall
Jack Snipe (& 12 Snipe)
.......TWO forced off Ocean Edge saltmarsh by the tide (please ask at reception to traverse this property)
Guillemot
One in the harbour mouth in the morning [& one also seen on the Kent Estuary]
Twite
"4 or 5" on the mound

Ringing recovery (details received this morning)
Black-headed Gull
EL54566 & Darvic 2C66
Ringed as Nestling 12/6/05 Cokes Pit, Somerfield Keynes, Glos
Read 15/7/05-2/8/05 Ashton Keynes, Glos (5 reported sightings)
Read 7/5/06 Cerney Wick, Glos 5 km ENE
Read 2/8/06 & 4/8/06 Heysham PS Stage 2 outfall, Lancs 271km NNW 418 days

Research suggests this is an unprecedented recovery with respect to Lancashire. It may have had something to do with the again unprecedented midsummer influx of up to 300 1st S birds (usually barely double figures at this time) and it is unfortunate, if this was the case, the ring was not noticed earlier. As it is, the finding dates could have indicated a more recent arrival accompanying post-breeding season dispersal (which also includes some non-breeding immatures). Lancashire ringing recoveries usually involve two main origins - colonies within 50km or so (notably Bardon Reservoir, nr Skipton) or from countries bordering the Baltic Sea

Elsewhere
The Morecambe section of the WeBS saw a 2nd W Little Gull dip-feeding by the Battery groyne, Ad Med Gull (probably 36W but legs not seen) on the sea by the Broadway, Spotted Redshank on the "bend and boats groyne" just south of Broadway and 13 Scaup offshore by the golf course. A singler male Eider was on the Stone Jetty groyne and 18 Goldeneye by the lifeboat station was a little unexpected in these sewage-outfall-free times!

The Lune WeBS saw 9 Little Egrets Aldcliffe to Conder, a Razorbill on one of the wildfowlers pools at Aldcliffe, 2 Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank at Conder. If you are puzzled why Greenshank are being flagged, this is the first time for years and years there has been more than one wintering bird in the area and a majority of the last 15 years have been blanks.

A flock of 10 Twite seen at Hest Bank along with corpses of Razorbill, Gannet and Guillemot

More 'blogging' than passage?

Heysham Obs
There were several short visits by a number of observers during the day, some of whom were not spoken to and may have extra sightings. The overwhelming impression of the day was that birds were mainly feeding in situ, plus or minus a bit of boat-following and adjusting with the tide. This particularly applied to Kittiwakes and Little Gulls. This is the last but one day of "seawatching conditions" for the foreseeable future - it remains to be seen whether Heysham Obs is a bit of a one-trick-pony with respect to reliance on strong onshore winds for winter interest. I certainly did not expect such a run of "publishable records" as have materialised since this site was set up during the December gales, albeit mainly the same three-four species!

Little Gull: At least 14 Ad and 3 1st W between the wooden jetty and Ocean Edge saltmarsh mid-morning. At least 5 Ad and one 1st W around the north wall/harbour area. No evidence of passage in the various short seawatches. NB Birdnet have reported Little Gulls from here as Little Egrets the last two days!
Kittiwake: As above: 20 or so behind each of two ferries plus another c20 around the harbour/outfalls
Shag: The highest total was 17 all together by the waterfall as the tide dropped
Med Gull: Just the 1st W seen along the north wall

Passage:
Fulmar - one out middayish (usual 'double-light' form)
Red-throated Diver - at last! - one out distantly at c1000
Auk spp.: Razorbill or Guillemot out middayish, possibly the Razorbill seen earlier off north Morecambe

Twite: 2 on mound (one ringed in winter 2002/3)
Jack Snipe: one Ocean Edge saltmarsh (& 4 Snipe) - forced off by tide. Please ask at reception before you traverse the caravan site to watch the tide in. Thanks.
Wigeon: 73 Red Nab (always worth checking through) - should increase in the calmer weather coming u

Middleton Industrial Estate Wetlands: 8 - 10am
4 mute, 11 coot, 1 moorhen, 1 little grebe (central scrape), 3 goldeneye (0 males),11 tufted, 25 teal, 15 mallard, 9 snipe, 3 pochard (2 male). Pochard not common here now, these plus general increase in wild fowl suggests "sheltering from the storm".

Elsewhere
A ragbag of sightings worthy of note, but nothing to set the pulses racing, included: 13 Scaup off north Morecambe, 4 Bewick's Swan Jeremy Lane, male Hen Harrier Leighton Moss, Razorbill seen flying out of the Bay from north Morecambe prom, Razorbill on Leighton Moss public mere (according to sightings book), Spotted Redshank Stone Jetty groyne.

No additional waifs and strays

Heysham Obs
Unfortunately not able to check the sea until just after high tide but there didnt seem to be anything new around following yesterdays storm

Little Gull: 19 adult and a 1st W feeding in the breaking waves between the wooden jetty and just south of Ocean Edge. None seen from the north side of the harbour

Shag: 2 by the waterfall and 13 sat on the harbour wall by the sandplant. Two Cormorants feeding in the waterfall area just after high tide were catching a small fish every 8 seconds or so.

Kittiwake: 21 sat on the edge of the south quay and a further c9 around the outfalls

Med Gull: Just the 1st W

Twite: 4 on the mound.

Elsewhere
Good collection on the Lune/Conder estuary but nothing new: 8 Little Egret, 2 Greenshank, 3 Spotted Redshank, Whooper Swan....... plus 6 Bewicks Swans on Jeremy Lane. The Lune valley Whooper Swan flock (8 birds) was with a handful of Mute Swans about two fields to the south-west of Gressingham road bridge (at least 1000hrs)

Good job the high tide was not early afternoon!

Heysham Obs


Redshank and Turnstone on the heliport this morning before the storm. Thanks Cliff

Although the wind did not quite reach the strength of the few seconds in the 1300hrs squall yesterday, during the afternoon it was consistently the strongest wind I've experienced, possibly, on reflection, bar the 'west end pier' storm in 1977.

The only time it was possible to do any proper birding was during the mid-morning just before high tide. Even three hours after the tide, the increasing wind meant that end of the north wall was not safe, not the least the danger of the car being blown into the harbour. Therefore attempts to "pull back" Blue Fulmar, seen earlier off Cleveleys, were very short-lived!

.............I was searching for the right words to describe birding attempts in early-mid-afternoon but the usually cheery and optimistic Martin Cade summed it up in a terse entry on the Portland Bird Observatory website:

"A morning (early afternoon in Heysham's case) of raging wind and near-opaque mixture of seaspray and horizontal rain/drizzle produced no worthwhile sightings at all"

0945-1015
Little Gull: c55 between Red Nab and Half-moon Bay, possibly more sat on the rougher sections of sea. About 5 were attempting to fly out of the Bay - the rest were either sat on the sea, riding the seawall updraught (especially by the outfalls) or in the inner harbour.

Shag: 14 together by the waterfall and two on the harbour wall by the sandplant

Razorbill: 1st W in harbour mouth. Corpse (not fresh) Red Nab.

Kittiwake: c30 around harbour/outfalls & 14 out

Med: 1st W along the north wall

Elsewhere
A few scattered Little Gulls; Spotted Redshank on the Stone jetty groyne, at least one female Scaup seen whilst travelling at 30mph on the sea off Bare golf course.

More wind, more Little Gulls

Heysham Obs

Windswept Knot and Oystercatcher on the heliport. Thanks Cliff

A seawatching session for 30 minutes 1000-1030 in fresh/strong winds saw: 16 Little Gull (all ads) & 21 Kittiwake heading out of the Bay, a Shag count of 15 in the harbour, about 25 Kittiwake inshore plus another 30 or so behind a freight ferry and 8 Little Gull on Heysham 2 outfall.

Around 1245hrs, the office, usually sheltered from W winds, seemed to be receiving an unusually strong blast of wind & hailstones. This prompted a bit of 'lunchtime' seawatching and the wind on the north harbour wall, in conjunction with a squall, at 1300hrs was the strongest I can remember in 30 years of seawatching. Most of the birds were in 'sit it out' mode and the Little Gull total comprised 27 sitting on the sea, 5 trying to fly 'out', 16 in the harbour (several trying to fly out of it) plus the same (?) 8 on Heysham 2 outfall. The only 1st W birds were 5 on Heysham 2 outfall. The Kittiwake total inshore had increased to 50, some presumably a result of the earlier IOM passenger ferry. Whilst checking the harbour two small passerines were picked up hugging the water flying towards the south wall - these transpired to be Twite! They had been disturbed off the mound by a brave lunchtime walker who must have been immune to sand in the eyes. The 1st W Med Gull was enjoying the updraught along the north harbour wall.

A late afternoon check saw reduced numbers of Little Gull and Kittiwake with many of both species in the harbour.

Elsewhere
Ad Little Gull Conder Pool plus female Scaup. 5 Bewick's and two Whooper Swan on Jeremy Lane. Ad Med Gull (perhaps P96) on Lancaster City Football pitch. Just one adult Little Gull off the SJ during a brief lunchtime seawatch

Low tide check in the short calm interlude

Heysham Obs
Calm seas saw the restoration of the low-tide feeding area at the end of Stage One outfall - this has been rapidly dispersed by rough seas most of this winter.

Shag: More than I thought was still around as shown by a late afternoon check which revealed 15 in the waterfall area, 11 of which were resting on the supports of the platform nearest the waterfall (as such hard to see from the NHW side). With them was a single Cormorant.

Kittiwake
Massive reduction with just 8 seen on the outfalls/in harbour

Little Gull
Just three (2 1st W) seen in flight on the outfalls but there were many gulls resting out of sight between the two outfalls

Med Gull: a large adult was on the seaward end of Heysham 2 outfall - this is presumably the intermittent 'low tide' bird of previous winters, which has not been seen for some time, if at all, this winter. Czech-ringed Ad and 1st W along the North Harbour wall.

Elsewhere
SD66 - SE section
Covered the upland areas of the January 10km square survey for a couple of hours this morning (SD66). There was an incredible lack of birds using the pasture/improved grassland fields other than a few corvids (no Fieldfare, no gull species - all on the Lune valley flood plain, just two Starling, just 8 Redwing). Usual culprits on the moorland including a distant ringtail (prob 1st W male) Hen Harrier, Peregrine perched on a lookout mound and a couple of Raven & Stonechat

Other areas
24 Scaup off Morecambe Stone Jetty at lunchtime, 3 Bewick's & 2 Whooper Swans Jeremy Lane, 2 Bewick's Swan Glasson Marsh, Spotted Redshank Conder Green, pair of Scaup on Glasson marina, male Hen Harrier briefly at Leighton Moss, Stonechat alongside road NW corner of Leighton Moss.

Eccentric Mistle Thrush

Late evening update (see added ringing recoveries)

Heysham Obs
Same again apart from a Mistle Thrush which seemed to be enjoying sitting on the edge of a windswept harbour wall, in the middle of a group of Kittiwake, observing the feeding activities at the 'Shag' waterfall

Shag: apparently a definite reduction as a reasonably careful search saw no more than 12 birds, unless they have found a new obscure roost in the harbour.

Kittiwake: about 30; 18 in the harbour and c12 on the outfalls

Little Gull: 10 close inshore on the inner end of Heysham 2 outfall and an ad flying out along the north harbour wall late pm

Twite 4 on the mound including at least one & presumably four ringed birds (blue over yellow from winter 2002/3)

Two interesting ringing recoveries received today:

Lesser Redpoll
T805244 6M 28.04.06 Heysham Obs
Caught by another ringer 21.10.06 Castlemorton Common (Hereford & Worcester) 224 km.

Lapwing
DK05936 Pullus 15.05.00 Heysham PS non-operational land
Read in field 1.10.06 Sunderland Point 6kmS

Didnt notice any Meds but didnt stop along the favoured section of NHW

Elsewhere
Lune Valley
Almost dark but could just make out the 8 Whoopers plus another more distant swan spp and 3 even more distant swan/farmyard geese. All in the floodplain fields between Hornby and Melling

Pine Lake etc.
The whole Dockacres complex was given a quick visit and there were fewer birds than at any time since late August with Pochard down to single figures and only two Goosander remotely resembling anything of note. Best was a calling Meadow Pipit by Borwick Waters!

Cockersands area
1st W Little Gull over fields (briefly), 7 Bewick's Swans Jeremy Lane, Spotted Redshank & Greenshank Conder area

quieter weather, fewer birds

Late evening update

Heysham Obs
Reports from today include: (a maximum of) 10 Little Gulls on outfalls (5 1st W), 25-30 Kittiwakes around the general area, 15-16 Shag in the harbour and Ad & 1st W Med Gull on the NH wall. NO sign of the Guillemot in the inner harbour [see yesterdays posting for picture (added today) showing what you missed!]


Thanks very much to Sean Gray for these pictures taken yesterday (usual north harbour wall 1st W Med Gull)

In addition, there were four Twite on the mound, all colour-marked, comprising birds ringed at this location as follows: a winter 2002/3 individual which has lost its site ring, another winter 2002/3 individual, a winter 2004/5 individual and one ringed in autumn 2005. Thanks for the info, Gavin.

Middleton Industrial Est wetlands - 8-10am
3 mute, 9 coot, (only) 1 moorhen, 2 little grebe (fence & Tim Butler ponds), 3 goldeneye (pair + lone male), 8 tufted, 14 teal, 4 mallard, 6 snipe.

Elsewhere
The Lune valley Whooper Swan flock just north of Loyne Bridge, Gressingham (often viewable from high point layby on A683 nearer Melling) appeared to have reached 9 but birds obscured behind hedge.

There were 7 Bewick's Swan with 90+ Mutes along Jeremy Lane (S of Glasson)

Med Gull P96 on Lancaster City Football ground! See 7th January for ringing details.

Leighton Moss could be described as 'pretty dead' (see LDBWS website); the escaped Ferruginous Duck was still present, there was one Bittern sighting and the Pochard numbers were very low (are they back at Pine Lake?)