Still sea stuff to see

A dry day with sunny spells. A light west wind

Please note - NO ACCESS TO HEYSHAM NORTH WALL at weekends at least (barriers now down).

Pete:

Bits on the sea 0815-0915: 

Kittiwake - swarm of c20 in then on

Common Scoter - 5,2 out

Red throated diver - 1,1 out

Gannet - 1 out

Sandwich Tern - 8 out

Black headed gull - flock of 45 2cy out (checked v carefully! - there is a possibility of a Bonaparte's, always worth checking)

This report by Dan Haywood from the Stone jetty 08:15 - 12:30

Kittiwake 490, mostly ‘in'

Swallow 30 N

Common Scoter 7 in then ‘out’

Bar-tailed Godwit 52 feeding skear 

Sanderling 31 (one in breeding plumage) out

Common Gull 12 out

Red-breasted Merganser 8 flew in

Whimbrel 6 in

Red-throated Diver 5 in 

Pintail 3 floating in

Great Northern Diver 1 out

Little Gull 1 ad out

Little Tern 1 in

Arctic Skua 1 in

This is just part of Dan's report, to see all of it follow this link to the LDBWS website https://lancasterbirdwatching.org.uk/forums/topic/morecambe-stone-jetty/

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:45 - 10:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose at least 3. A single bird flew south, then three turned up that were definitely two with a third in only loose association.

Pale-bellied Brent

Eider 35

Red-breasted Merganser 12. These were drifting in on the tide. You can see the speed of the incoming spring tide

Knot now reduced to 500 (a similar number were on the Heliport sloping wall at high water).

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

The Cormorant was very close to the bottom car park

Male Chaffinch 

Male Blackcap

Red Nab - Janet

Rock Pipit

Two Wheatears on Red Nab

Imperial Rd - Malcolm 16:00 - 16:30

The Raven's nest is becoming difficult to see with the developing foliage. But it is still visible from some angles and the female is still sitting. No sign of the male.

Buzzard 1

Water Rail at least 1, almost constantly making contact calls. A couple of squeals heard as well.

Swallow 2

Linnet 1

Chiffchaff 2 singing

Cetti's warbler 1 singing another seen briefly 

Sedge Warbler 1 singing 

Common Whitethroat 1 singing. 

This is on the hedgerow that borders the bypass.

So he has to sing louder to be heard

The outfall regulars still on show

Showers to begin with, but fine with sunny spells from early afternoon. A light SW wind.

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:00 - 09:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose, just 2

Brent geese and Oystercatcher 

Eider 27

Red-breasted Merganser 8

Knot 2 flocks of c1500 lifted by the incoming tide. One headed high to SW, the other low south (later c3000 were on the sloping wall of the heliport)

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Grasshopper warbler 1 singing

Common Whitethroat 

Female Orange Tip, plenty of males about too

South shore

Kevin Eaves checked the sea wall first this afternoon. An adult and a 2nd calendar year Kittiwake were resting on the sea wall, he managed to pass without disturbing them.

2nd calendar year Kittiwake

They were still there when I passed a little later (Malcolm)

2cy Kittiwake lower left, adult upper right. No.2 outfall in the background 

Adult Kittiwake. I too managed to pass them without disturbing, but only thanks
to a lady with a dog waiting until I had done so. The Kittiwakes inevitably flew 
off as they passed.

2cy Little Gull feeding at the seaward end of No.1 outfall

2cy Little Gull

Rock Pipit 2 (Red Nab and near the lighthouse)

Linnet 2 each, saltmarsh and waterfall area

Wheatear 6 along Ocean Edge and Red Nab

Lesser Whitethroat and at least 4 Chiffchaff singing in the Nature Park

Peacock in the Nature Park

Little Gull still around and Lesser Whitethroat arrive

A dry and mainly sunny day with a light SW wind.

Pete and Jean 0700-1000

2cy Little gull again feeding in Heysham harbour mouth then flew out of sight towards outfalls

Just singles of guillemot and 5 sandwich tern offshore

Outfalls check from Ocean edge: 

ad and 2cy kittiwake inner heysham 2

the same 2cy little gull now seaward end heysham one (also reported on the outfall this evening on birdguides)
Six pale bellied Brent still red nab mid tide

These shots by David Talbot:

Adult Kittiwake 

2nd calendar year Kittiwake 

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Female Blackcap on Kingsway fields - Janet

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Grasshopper Warbler singing - Emma Kelly 

Lesser Whitethroat singing near the "no swimming" pond - Kevin Eaves

These shots by Janet:

Sitting Mute Swan with an unwelcome visitor 

The Heron soon moved on

Swallow

House Martin 

Kestrel

Speckled Wood

North shore - Malcolm

Just south of the skear 07:45 - 08:15

Pale-bellied Brent geese 6

Pale-bellied Brent. Every rock is covered in gutweed now

Shelduck 2 north

Sandwich Ten 3 fishing 

At least 2500 Knot were moved into the SE skear corner

Knot, Oystercatcher and 15 Bar-Tailed Godwit

Godwit, Knot and Oystercatcher 

I was expecting the Knot to begin feeding along the waterline, but instead they flew back onto the skear. I think feeding was done for the morning. Still, two new flagged birds were located.

Heliport 10:30 - 11:15

c3000 Knot were resting on the sloping wall. At one point they all lifted and flew very high, I thought that they might be heading off, but instead they were joined by another smaller flock, resulting in 3500 - 4000 Knot. These are some of the Knot drifting high

I couldn't tell if they all landed back on the wall. Only a few hundred of them rested on the top.

Some quite striking now

There was a constant drift of discarded feathers along the sloping wall

Heysham skear 13:45 - 15:00

Just 5 Pale-bellied Brent geese now

Eider 16

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Knot c3000, these tides drain quickly and the Knot move with it. No more new flagged birds were seen.

It is difficult enough seeing flags on the skear, spray from bathing birds
doesn't help! This orange flagged bird eventually revealed itself to be code 58P.
It has been seen here previously this spring, ringed in Merseyside 2024.

Ringed Plover 6

Ringed Plover

Just out of the recording area. Angela Gillon took this shot of the new Rookery at Morecambe Bay Community Primary school, before the nests are hidden by the developing foliage.

At least three nests. Be interesting to see how many next year.

First Gropper and Sedge

A dry day till lunchtime then afternoon showers. A SE to SW

Pete:

2cy little gull briefly seaward end heysham one

2cy kittiwake inner end heysham two. 

Sea from north wall 0655-0755 early incoming: 

just two Common Scoter and 59 Sandwich Tern out - wind too southerly

Sea 0820-0850 back of harbour: 

Razorbill - 1 out

Razorbill/Guillemot - 2 out

Sandwich Tern - 5 out 

blogging 2cy little gull in view first 10 mins.

South shore

Malcolm 09:00 - 10:00

Linnet 15 flew north over Ocean Edge

Wheatear 4 males

Pale-bellied Brent goose 4 on Red Nab (there were 5 when Kevin checked later)

Pale-bellied Brent geese

Wigeon 1 male. Finding gutweed to eat is easy now, the long filaments just float up to the surface.

Little Egret 1

The only gulls on No.2 outfall were 10 Common and a couple of Lesser Black-backed.

This male Blackcap was feeding near the small anemometer in the Nature Park 

Kevin Eaves checked at high water.

5 Brent Geese still on Red Nab at high tide, plus: 
Kittiwake .. 1ad, 1 2nd cy on no.2 outfall. 
Blackcap .. unusually, 2 m and 1 f feeding on the bush by the wood chip pile 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Female Mute Swan and a Little Grebe

Immature Cormorant, and you just can't keep the grebe out of the frame!

Tufted Duck pair

Moorhen 

Male Goosander on "no swimming" pond

Mallard with chicks on the "no swimming" pond

Grasshopper Warbler - first record this year

Blackcap

Chiffchaff 

Willow Warbler 

A Sedge Warbler was also very vocal, but remained out of sight. Another first for this year

Heysham skear - Malcolm 13:30 - 14:30

It was getting darker over lunch, I knew what was going to happen! Sure enough the rain started as I stepped out of my door and didn't stop until I got home again. I wanted to check any Knot for flags, but these tides drain quickly and the window of opportunity was lost to the rain. Still at least I could see that there were some Knot, at least 2000. Hopefully they will still be around tomorrow when it should be brighter.

Eider 35

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Sandwich Tern 2 together