Heysham Obs
Calm seas saw the restoration of the low-tide feeding area at the end of Stage One outfall - this has been rapidly dispersed by rough seas most of this winter.
Shag: More than I thought was still around as shown by a late afternoon check which revealed 15 in the waterfall area, 11 of which were resting on the supports of the platform nearest the waterfall (as such hard to see from the NHW side). With them was a single Cormorant.
Kittiwake
Massive reduction with just 8 seen on the outfalls/in harbour
Little Gull
Just three (2 1st W) seen in flight on the outfalls but there were many gulls resting out of sight between the two outfalls
Med Gull: a large adult was on the seaward end of Heysham 2 outfall - this is presumably the intermittent 'low tide' bird of previous winters, which has not been seen for some time, if at all, this winter. Czech-ringed Ad and 1st W along the North Harbour wall.
Elsewhere
SD66 - SE section
Covered the upland areas of the January 10km square survey for a couple of hours this morning (SD66). There was an incredible lack of birds using the pasture/improved grassland fields other than a few corvids (no Fieldfare, no gull species - all on the Lune valley flood plain, just two Starling, just 8 Redwing). Usual culprits on the moorland including a distant ringtail (prob 1st W male) Hen Harrier, Peregrine perched on a lookout mound and a couple of Raven & Stonechat
Other areas
24 Scaup off Morecambe Stone Jetty at lunchtime, 3 Bewick's & 2 Whooper Swans Jeremy Lane, 2 Bewick's Swan Glasson Marsh, Spotted Redshank Conder Green, pair of Scaup on Glasson marina, male Hen Harrier briefly at Leighton Moss, Stonechat alongside road NW corner of Leighton Moss.
