The vagaries of seawatching

Heysham Obs
Good first hour or so, very little else........

Seawatching on and off from the north harbour wall 0640-1000, 1200-1600
Dark-bellied Brent Goose - completely unexpected was a flock of 3 flying out close inshore at 0720hrs
Pomarine Skua - light morph adults in at 0655 and 0743
Arctic Skua - 2 dark morph in together at 0705, single dark morph in at 0926 and 2 further late afternoon dark morphs seen from Jenny Brown's Point after Heysham observations had ceased - one flew up the Kent estuary, the other inland over Carnforth marsh
Manx Shearwater - 6
Gannet - 15
Fulmar - 4
Kittiwake - 1
Arctic tern - 4
Sandwich Tern - 1
Whimbrel - 5
Swift - 2
Dunlin - first obvious movement of summer plumaged birds - c160 in 5 flocks, mainly north

Inshore
Black Guillemot - ad summer around the harbour mouth being harrassed by imm Herring Gulls 0730-0740. Last seen flying into the harbour but not seen afterwards, suggesting it had sneaked out again and disappeared. A quick look at the Walney site suggests where it might have got too!
Shag - 4 juvs today
Arctic Tern - 16 on the outfalls at low tide

Mammals
Grey Seal off NH wall

Elsewhere
Two Spoonbill appeared at Leighton Moss before settling on the Eric Morecambe pool from early afternoon