A dry mainly sunny day with a light but cool NE wind
Seawatch
Pete Crooks:
Heysham South Harbour Wall (6.30 – 8.45 am)
Osprey – 1 stood on the large post at the end of Heysham Stage 2 outfall from 6.30 to c.8.00 am. Blue darvic ring on right leg, but too distant to read the code.
Shag – regular 2nd CY roosting on the wooden pier
Sandwich Tern – 128 flying purposefully into the Bay (not ‘blogging’), in groups of up to 15
Arctic Tern – 13 flew into the Bay in a single group at 7.30 am
Red-throated Diver – 9 mostly distant flying south to north across the mouth of the Bay towards Barrow
Kittiwake – a group of 4 adults flew into the Bay
Sanderling – a group of 10 flew out of the Bay
Also offshore: 9 Common Scoter, 6 Gannet, 1 Guillemot, 1 female Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Whimbrel
Osprey – 1 stood on the large post at the end of Heysham Stage 2 outfall from 6.30 to c.8.00 am. Blue darvic ring on right leg, but too distant to read the code.
Shag – regular 2nd CY roosting on the wooden pier
Sandwich Tern – 128 flying purposefully into the Bay (not ‘blogging’), in groups of up to 15
Arctic Tern – 13 flew into the Bay in a single group at 7.30 am
Red-throated Diver – 9 mostly distant flying south to north across the mouth of the Bay towards Barrow
Kittiwake – a group of 4 adults flew into the Bay
Sanderling – a group of 10 flew out of the Bay
Also offshore: 9 Common Scoter, 6 Gannet, 1 Guillemot, 1 female Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Whimbrel
Pete's full list of today's sightings can be seen on LDBWS website
Jean and Pete(M):
To the above we can add (0620-0820) from the back of the harbour:
distant Osprey in 0718
three singleton high flying kittiwake in
c40 Common Scoter
additional 17 Arctic tern which came in on a flightline across the Bay from Walney direction as did some of the earlier Sandwich Terns
three more guillemot,
Drake Goosander
15 Swallow,
3 Sand Martin together,
2 whimbrel
1-2 Red-breasted Merganser
Not a single ST blogging or flying out so no duplication
A distant flock of 6 terns. One definitely Common, the rest likely were.
Heysham skear - Malcolm 08:45 - 10:30
Eider 1 male
Little Egret 3
Sandwich Tern 42 minimum
Arctic Tern 6
Common Tern 1
These terns, mainly Sandwich, came in and settled on the mud out from the play area
 |
| When I got closer there were four smaller terns with them, that turned out to be Arctic. Later they were joined by 2 more Arctic. The Sandwich Tern top right has a small Whitebait. |
 |
| 4 of the 30 Sandwich Terns that ended up on the mud had metal rings |
This Sandwich Tern decided to freshen up, the water here is brackish due to the freshwater runoffs from the skear corner and the play area. rocks
 |
| These two had time to practice their "balancing act" - quite a noisy affair! |
 |
| The Arctic Terns had their heads tucked in for most of the time - three here |
 |
| Only occasionally showing their diagnostic features |
 |
| A Common Tern also settled on the mud |
At 10:00 an Osprey passed over, north to south. It caused mayhem as everything lifted
Oystercatcher lots!
Curlew 2
Whimbrel 3
 |
| Whimbrel |
Bar-Tailed Godwit 34, initially they fed on the skear amongst the lush gutweed
 |
| Bar-Tailed Godwit probing the gutweed |
 |
| Later they flew to the waterline on the south side |
Turnstone 3
 |
| Summer Plumage Turnstone |
Ringed Plover 6 with 3 Dunlin
The large gull numbers are increasing c250 today, mainly Herring gulls
 |
| Some of the gulls |
Swallow, just 1 seen coming in/off
Middleton Nature Reserve - Janet
These from the southern section of the reserve
 |
| Grasshopper Warbler |
 |
| Broad-bodied Chaser |
 |
| Peacock |
 |
| First Marsh Orchid this year |
Main pond
 |
| Mallard ducklings catching flies |
 |
| Swallow having a quick bath |
