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

Black-throated Diver tops a decent seawatch

The rain held off till lunchtime then regular showers. A light SSE wind

Pete:

Heysham north wall Seawatch 0620-0750: 

2cy Little gull feeding on inbound outfalls gunge

c45 Common Scoter

95 Sandwich Tern out and c15 blogging inshore

Common Tern out (first record this year)

2 Red-throated diver out

flock 4 Kittiwake in 

at least three porpoise and a grey seal

0834-0935: 
Black-throated diver - one in full summer plumage out just beyond yellow buoys 0848
3 Red-throated diver out (2 in summer plumage, 1 in non breeding plumage)
21 Sandwich tern out
flock three Arctic Tern in 
and the first Gannet in over 12 hours seawatching (since 30/3)!

Adult and 2cy Kittiwake inner end Heysham 2 outfall (but little gull has not returned yet)

at least two pale-bellied Brent red nab

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

After another cold night it  was pretty quiet this morning, just 12 birds caught in just over 3 hours consisting of a few migrating warblers and some resident birds:

Chiffchaff 2

Willow Warbler 2

Blackcap 2 (both females)

Goldfinch 1

Wren 1 new, 1 retrap

Blue Tit 1 retrap from September 2023

Robin 1 retrap from August 2025

Treecreeper 1 retrap from last month

The only overhead vis consisted of 2 Linnets, a Redpoll and 2 Pied/White Wagtails.

The Cetti's Warbler near the fire pond moved to the non-op land behind the office and back again. Despite being very close at one point (based on how loud it sounded) I couldn't manage to see it! 

Heysham skear - Malcolm

Just a brief check in an ill timed shower

No sign of any Brent geese

Eider 5

Red-breasted Merganser a female and two males

No Godwits or Sanderling seen

Knot still at least 3000

Little Gull lingers and Whitethroats back

A dry day till light evening showers. A light variable breeze freshened by evening and ended up from WNW

Pete:

Heysham: outfalls: 

2cy Little Gull feeding at seaward end of outfalls even at high tide

2 ad and 2cy Kittiwake 

19 Pale bellied Brent red nab.  

Seawatch 0650-0750 

Sandwich Tern - 47 in and 18 inshore around the yellow buoys

Arctic Tern - flock of 5 in climbing

Kittiwake - 1,2 in

Red throated Diver - 1,1,2 out

just one Common Scoter!

Nature Park - Kevin Eaves

I paused for a while by the small anemometer, where the small trees and bushes seem to attract small birds. I wasn't disappointed and managed to hear:

Blackcap

Willow warbler

Chiffchaff 

Plus Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Blackbird and Wood Pigeon

Chiffchaff 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Female Tufted Duck

Male Tufted Duck

Chiffchaff 

Willow Warbler 

Female Blackcap 

One of two Common Whitethroat 

Speckled Wood - first one this year

Male Orange Tip

Heysham skear - Malcolm 11:45 - 12:30 and 16:30 - 17:30

Pale-bellied brent goose 43 this morning, perhaps more interesting was that there were none feeding on the skear this evening.

Black and white birds - Brent geese and Oystercatcher 

Eider 25

Three male and a female Eider

Sandwich Tern 8 this morning 

Sandwich Tern

Little Egret 2

Knot c2500 chased north by a Peregrine this morning, c3000 this evening. Some flags seen identifying today's Knot as the same ones that have been around for this set of neap tides. We're starting to move back to spring tides now, it will be interesting to see what happens.

Some are quite strikingly red now

No Godwits or Sanderling seen

Whimbrel 1 heard this evening 

It had been nice all day, but rain was approaching and soon caught me up!

Dan Haywood checked the Incoming neap tide from Stone jetty 1500-1745

180 Kittiwakes in 8 flocks

one flock of 18 common scoter

Bats are active around Janet's house

Better seabirds

A dry largely sunny day the fresh SW wind easing slightly.

Pete - Sea Heysham 0720-0910:

c94 Common Scoter out

44 Sandwich Tern out

1,1,10 Arctic Tern out - the 10 a straggling dip feeding flock being ‘overtaken’ by Sandwich Terns

1,1,1,1 Red throated diver out

2 Wigeon out

1 Razorbill/guillemot out

1 dark morph Arctic Skua in at long range 0731

Shaun - Heysham Harbour 11:00-12:30. 

Little Gull 2cy feeding at the end of Outfall 1

Kittiwake 2 adults & 2cy Outfall 2. Plus 2 adults following in the ferry.

Arctic Tern 7 out

Sandwich Tern c15.

Janet checked Red Nab and saltmarsh 

Wheatear on Red Nab

Curlew on the saltmarsh 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Male Swallow high over the main pond

Chiffchaff 

Female Mute Swan and male Gadwall

North shore

18 Pale-bellied Brent goose off Heysham play area plus 3 Sandwich terns on beach - David Kaye

Heysham skear - Malcolm 11:00 - 12:20 and 15:45 - 17:00

Pale-bellied Brent Goose 46 - David's flock of 18 were joined by another flock of 28 this morning 

This evening there were 35 grazing gutweed on the skear.

Eider just one female out this morning 

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Sandwich Tern 8 fishing this morning 31 resting and fishing this evening.

These are two of this morning's 

Some of this evening's 

This one has a metal ring, but no colour rings seen

These have heard another pair passing over and are calling to them. 

Bar-Tailed Godwit 35 this morning 24 this evening 

Some of the Godwits are starting to moult to summer plumage 

Knot 2500 - 3000, they were well spread out today and no disturbances. Some flags seen but most seen previously in this set of neap tides.

Sanderling just 1 seen this morning 

Sanderling with Knot and Oystercatcher