Passage stutters to a halt

 There was hardly any breeze early on, what there was came from north, with possibly a bit of east in it. Still warm and sunny.

There weare some flurries of movement to mid morning (most done by 08:15), but absolutely nothing moving through in the afternoon.

Arctlc Tern just 11 in through the far Kent channel
Sandwich Tern c60
Arctic Skua 1
Common Scoter 2 came from far channel and settled in near one, then disappeared
Kittiwake 1 adult looked lost over skeer then headed out
Whimbrel 3 in
Bar-Tailed Godwit 3 in

These Herring gull certainly seem to have a strict hierarchy (MD)

No reports as yet from inland sites.

A change to flight lines

The wind again started due north, but today only veered slightly to the east as the morning progressed. Cloud cover early on but sunny later.

Today's sea bird coverage managed 07:00 to 11:00 (several observers)
Arctic Tern   865, most before 09:00 with long gaps after and many birds flying inland over a broad front. Some were flying inland over Ocean Edge and one flock over Sunderland Point as seen from Red Nab area. Others fed mid channel then shot into the sky and disappeared!

Arctic Skua: 4 in plus at least two others early am off Morecambe,  One light morph came in over Red Nab. The other three dark morph.

Sandwich Tern: at least 192,

Some take a break, the one on the right has a white ring, unfortunately too distant to read.

Black Tern 1,
Little Gull 1 - 3rd Calendar Year,
Common Scoter 60
no Gannet or Red-throated divers today

One of the Dunlin near the wooden jetty - thanks Kevin

Nature Reserves
Grasshopper warblers have finally made it to Middleton two singing simultaneously plus almost certainly a third bird singing.
This makes the full set of  9 typically resident warbler here, Listed her in this year's arrival order.
Cetti's Warbler (over wintered)
Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Willow Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Common Whitethroat (both Whitethroats arrived same day)
Lesser Whitethroat
Reed Warbler
Grasshopper Warbler

Large Red Damselfly - now present on Heysham and Middleton.

Thanks Janet

This picture from Janet reminded me of just how many Brimstone I have seen this year. I have probably seen as many this year than the total in all my years walking. Presumably that is partly due to a increasing local population plus the favourable winter and spring (at least it has been favourable for overwintering butterflies!) MD

.....and come........and come!

The wind started off almost due north, but quickly drifted to NE. Bright and sunny again.

I'm not sure if I have all the reports yet, so I may be adding more to this post tomorrow (MD).
  Additional:
2cy Med gull with 175 Common Gull red nab/oe foreshore,
80 Dunlin and four Whimbrel red nab,
57 meadow pipit,
39 Swallow,
15 white Wagtail North,
very distant Osprey fishing? outer Leven Estuary
one red throated diver

Sandwich Tern - these were coming in steadily in ones and twos from 06:30, doing a spot of fishing when the opportunity presented itself, then continuing north. But by 08:45 they started hanging around making counting difficult. Even so an absolute minimum of 121 by 09:30 and c150 by lunchtime.

This one caught quite a decent sized fish. It looks like a small pouting or possibly a whiting. Either way not a surface feeding fish. The water depth where it was caught must have been at least 2m. These fish mainly occupy the bottom third of the water level. Did this tern dive 1.5m? (MD)

Arctic Tern - these were slow off the mark only 39 by 09:20, 120 by 09:30 and by late morning they were coming in so quickly as to be almost impossible to count. Total received so far 1,447.  Quite a few observed heading up and overland over the harbour and inner Bay observations suggested they had all done this south of the Keer Estuary 

Some of the Sandwich terns took a rest and watched the Arctics go by.

Gannet 2 - one adult - I suspect there are more records to come
Arctic Skua 2
Long-Tailed duck 1
Whimbrel 4
Meadow Pipit 16
Swallow 1
Sand Martin 1
White wagtail 5 taking a break near lighthose

Rock pipits Pair near lighthouse plus another one on Red Nab

These Dunlin also on Red Nab - thanks Janet

Reed warbler. One each singing on Heysham and Middleton reserves - first records of year
Tufted Duck 6 (4 male) on "no swimming" pond

And finally, this pair of Green-veined white were enjoying the afternoon sunshine on Middleton 

And still they come

A similar day weatherwise with warm sunshine and a cool NE stiff breeze.

Again, a valiant recording effort, with good results. But the totals could have been much higher.

Total unduplicated records to 09:40
Arctic Tern 670
Gannet 19
Sandwich Tern 32
Razorbill/Guillemot 17
Eider 125
Great-Crested Grebe - tight flock of 9 distant adult,  plus usual 6 close in
Red-Breasted Merganser  14
Turnstone 237 on wooden jetty
Knot c500 old heliport wall
Whimbrel 6

Plus a trickle north of:
Meadow pipits 27
Alba wagtail 15
Swallow 17

But the Arctics were still coming through as verified by Kevin's check from south shore 10:00 - 10:30. These records are in addition to the above.
Arctic Tern c200 including one flock of 100
Common Redstart 1 male, seen and heard singing
Wheatear 4

This Tawny Pinion is also one of Kevins from his trap in SD46A

Middleton Natur Reserve lunchtime
A third Mute is now on nest
Tufted pair
Mallard 2 male
Warblers - Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Lesser and Common Whitethroat, Cetti's and Sedge warbler.
Lardge Red Damselfly- first record this year


Another record from breeding area of one of the colour scheme Grey Wagtail

ARB67464 Juv 16/09/2019 Heysham NR, Lancs (M/O, R/R) Seen Ad (F) 20/04/2020 Killington Lake N. Shore, Cumbria, 54 32N, 2.62W Approx 37Km NNE (Andy Robson)

Habitat in IPMR input as 'Small Stream' 

Good (under current restrictions) passage coverage

Another sunny day with NE breeze

A combination of well timed exercise walks and Pete taking advantage of a necessary visit to the area to do a spot of scanning, meant there were checks of the sea from 06:30 to 15:30, albeit with significant gaps.
Little gull 2 adult heading for Lune estuary
Gannet 3 adult in
Red-Throated Diver 3 separate birds in
Sandwich terns at least 5 around area seen on outflows, harbour mouth, Half Moon Bay and Heysham skeer.

Thanks for picture Kevin

Whimbrel 16
Arctic Tern - between 425  and 475 flying through the bay, the number depends on how many lingered in the inner bay - the data suggests that there were none, other than a bit of feeding, so likely minimum of c475

Dunlin c100 Red Nab
Little Egret 6 Red Nab, later 5 by outflows
Knot c2,700 old heliport wall
Wheatear 2
Swallow 30+
House Martin 3

Seabird passage underway

A brisk easterly breeze, but still warm and sunny.

Red Nab - high water
Wheatear 6
Swallow 3

Middleton Nature Reserve - afternoon - ref Kevin

Blackcap

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaf

Lesser Whitethroat

Common Whitethroat 

Swallow

plus the usual Cetti's Warblers. 

The Shelduck seems to have taken up permanent residence.

Arctic Tern 65 in (from pager)

Low water's edge out from Half Moon Bay - MD

Sandwich Tern 3 out 16:30

Whimbrel -  17:00 high flock quickly over.  Flight line Half Moon Bay towards Grange.

Absolute minimum 43 birds

Plus 8 birds feeding along skeer edge.

Slighly clearer picture today

Swallow 10

Red-Breasted Merganser 8

Great Cressted grebe 7

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Today's title will only mean anything to those of you who were brought up with two, black and white, tv channels. Apologies if you have had problems viewing images on this blog recently. Hopefully the problem is now resolved - we'll see.

The returning Whitethroat have been particularly ellusive so far this year. It took Kevin 10 minutes trying to get a decent shot of this Lesser Whitethroat near dog walk. As he says, the bird won!

This Grey Heron is taking advantage of the significant wetland enhancement undertaken at Heysham Nature Reserve this winter. This picture by Janet is from the gondola hide.

Low water edge out from Half Moon Bay
Sandwich tern 2 in
Whimbrel 2 plus 1 in, later 5 were on the skeer edge.

There are 4 Whimbrel in middle foreground here, but not easy to see. Species confirmed with calls as well as visual. Open image in "a new tab" to get a slightly better view.

Picture of a Little Egret - just because I like it (MD)

And finally, the Great Black-Backed gull came to pick up what was left of yesterday's supper (see yesterday's post). Fortunately two tides with the shrimps and crabs left the flounder light enough to be carried away tonight.

Some come, some go

 The early NE breeze strengthened and shifted more to east as the day progressed. Still warm in the sun.

Middleton Nature Reserve - morning
Mute 2 pair
No geese this morning.
Coot 3 adult plus 2 chicks
Moorhen 6
Tufted duck 1 pair
Gadwall 2 male
Mallard 1 pair
Little Grebe 2 seen

Warblers - all the following seen and or heard: Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sedge (2), Cetti's (3), Lesser Whitethroat (1), Common Whitethroat (3). Still no sign of Grasshopper warbler here, surely can't be long.

Heysham Nature Reserve - morning
Butterflies abounded on this reserve, which is largely protected from the wind. Including: Orange Tip, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and Speckled Wood.

Exercise walks at the reserves, are about taking pleasure from the nature around you (MD) -  Wren and Jay pictures by Janet.

Low water shore line out from Half Moon Bay
Red-Breasted Merganser 9
Great-crested grebe 2
Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

This Great Blak-Backed gull had found this flounder (probably discarded as "too large to swallow" by a cormorant). It wasn't for sharing it!

 

Knot.
There wasn't much of the skeer showing, but quite a decent area of it was covered by c4,000 Knot. They were not feeding, they just stood as they do at roost. Then as the tide moved them on, they formed one dense flock. After a spot of murmurating, they gained height until the flock became just a smudge, then disappeared. It would seem that they were moving on.

This gives an idea of how dense the flock was before it gained height.

Whitethroat arrival draw

 Today's breeze came from the NE, still warm and sunny though.

No terns seen/reported today.

Grasshopper warbler - another, or possibly the same as yesterday's bird, in bush to east of woods near Half Moon Bay cafe 09:00. No sign when it was checked later. None singing on Middleton or Heysham reserves.

Sedge Warbler 1 singing Heysham reserve

Middleton Nature Reserve - morning ref Kevin
Lesser Whitethroat 1 singing
Common Whitethroat 1 singing
Both above are the first reported this year
Canada goose 2
Shelduck 1

Red Nab area - early evening

Knot 4,500

Little Egret 3 in off the sea

House Martins 2 north

The spring weather has been good for butterflies. At the moment, even a short walk locates one or more of the following:

Peacock

Comma

Brimstone

Small Tortoiseshell 

Speckled Wood

Orange Tip

Male and female Orange Tips by Janet - Thanks

Grasshopper Warbler arrives

An almost breathless misty start to the day. Later a westerly breeze picked up. Sunny.

Grasshopper warbler - 08:00 one singing from bush near Half Moon Bay cafe. First of the year, but probably missed some. No reports from Middleton.

Sandwich tern - 07:30 at least 5 (2, 2, and 1) feeding out from Half Moon Bay. Difficult to tell exactly how many as they kept disappearing into the mist.

There is nothing dainty about the feeding method of a Sandwich tern.......

But it is effective - got one (MD)

Curlew - 16:40. Flock of 60 birds high from SE headed into bay

Some of the 60 curlew

Rock Pipit - both the Heysham Head and Harbour pairs are territorial, and one of the Harbour birds seen taking nest material to nest hole in harbour wall.

Greylag geese - for the past week Janet has been reporting a pair around the general area, but always just outside the recording area. Today, they came in for...

.....a paddle in Half Moon Bay