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 yer)

2 Red-throated diver out

flock 4 Kittiwake in 

at least three porpoise and a grey seal

0834-0935: 
Black-throated diver - one out just beyond yellow buoys 0848
3 Red-throated diver out (2sp,one nbp), 
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 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 

More Sanderlings

A dry morning after early rain. More showers around lunchtime. A fresh SW wind.

Pete: 0700-0800

Seawatching dire - just 4 Common scoter in an hour 

2 ad and 2cy kittiwake plus 2cy Mediterranean gull Heysham outfalls.  

Heysham skear - Malcolm 09:30 - 11:15  and 15:00 - 16:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose, just 8 seen this morning, 18 this afternoon.

Pale-bellied Brent geese

No Eider seen

Red-breasted Merganser 8 this morning 

Female Red-breasted Merganser

Sandwich Tern 2 this afternoon.

Sandwich Tern

Knot 3000 this morning and similar numbers this afternoon but more fragmented.

At 11:05 something lifted all the waders and joined by the Brent. Such a dramatic 
disturbance is normally the result of a large raptor passing over, but none seen.
Possibly a skua. I remained the only biped on the skear. Time for lunch!

These are some of this afternoon's Knot feeding along the waterline 

The Knot top centre is swallowing a small bivalve, looks like a cockle

The terrain and strong wind meant that it wasn't easy checking the Knot
for flags, some were seen, but no new ones for this "winter".

The Knot are staying later than they have in recent years and many are beginning
to moult into summer plumage. Showing why their full name is Red Knot

Bar-Tailed Godwit 12 seen in the morning 26 in the afternoon 

Bar-Tailed Godwit and Knot

Sanderling 23 this morning. 19 on the skear plus a line of 4 battling south 

Three of the four southbound Sanderling in this shot

Sanderling, still in winter plumage 

Janet:

Male Chaffinch in the Nature Park

Grey Squirrel. That can have a lot of red in their summer coat

Jackdaw taking nesting material to neighbouring house 

Some unusual movement

Dry with sunny spells. A westerly wind shifting to south by evening.

Heysham sea - Pete 0640-0810: 

bizarre record of 4 adult Mediterranean gulls out together (thought they would be on territory by now)

red throated diver - flock 5 in and four singletons

Common Scoter - c14

Guillemot - 2,2 out

Razorbill/guillemot - 1 out

Kittiwake - flock 9 in, 2 out

3ad plus 2cy outfalls

Just the 3 adult Kittiwake on No.2 outfall when Kevin Eaves checked later

Janet checked Red Nab

One Shelduck

One Wheatear

Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet

Chiffchaff 

Small Tortoiseshell 

Peacock 

Grey-spotted Sedgesitter
(great name, shame it isn't a bird!)

Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:15 - 09:45 and 14:00 - 15:00

Pale-bellied Brent goose 21 this morning 

Some of the Brent geese

Eider 50+

Red-breasted Merganser 7

Two male and a female Merganser, Eider behind 

Knot - there were 3,000 this morning until lifted by a Peregrine. 4000 this afternoon in three main groups, very flighty. Three new flagged birds were seen this morning 

Sanderling 8 this morning, 34 this afternoon, all in winter plumage (What for this area are significant numbers of Sanderling appear to be spending the back end of the winter (too early for spring passage) in the Morecambe/Heysham area eg March webs, two separate date flyby flock(s) on SJ seawatching and today 34 on Heysham skeer joining the Knot.  Be interesting to see if repeated next winter period - Pete)

Some of this morning's Sanderling with Knot

Some of this afternoon's Sanderling

One of several Dunlin with the Knot

One of two Bar-Tailed Godwit with Knot and Oystercatcher 

Turnstones turned round!