Distant Ducks

Heysham Obs
The Wigeon flock is usually a discrete feature, with no others in sight looking south along the water's edge. Not so today, but unfortunately views were late afternoon at low tide from the north wall looking through the fresh air sections of the wooden jetty with a 50 x lens. Therefore whilst most of the 300 or so additional ducks seemed to be Wigeon, there may have been Pintail (NEVER seen at rest on the sea in the Heysham Obs area despite many passage birds!) & Mallard involved as per the usual mix to the south of here. Also visible at extreme range in the Walney direction were at least 25 of the 3000+ Eider counted in the 'mouth' of the Bay the other day! Otherwise a very poor day, given reasonable morning & late afternoon coverage.

Vis mig
c150 Pink-footed Goose north early morning

North wall
Linnet - single bird on the sandworks was the only small finch seen
Med. Gull - single Ad visible through the wooden jetty on the mudflats between the outfalls
Eider - male close inshore (see intro)

Outfalls area
127 Wigeon in the usual low tide area between the outfalls channels (see above for additional birds which were beyond the old sewage pipe off Ocean Edge)

Middleton IE
5 Goldeneye (1 male), 6 Tufted Duck, female Pochard, 35 Teal, 2 Mute Swan, 6 Coot, 14 Mallard, 1 Snipe. 2 Bullfinch.

No Purple Sandpiper [but no check made of the skeer around Heysham One outfall] or north harbour wall Med Gulls seen (including a check of the harbour)

Elsewhere
Adult European White-fronted Goose still on the side of Catshaw fell - visible from the road. Male Common Crossbill Thrushgill plantation in the larches near the entrance but the only other finch seen was a single Goldfinch. NO Nordic Jackdaw out of c200 checked in SD66 but very flighty due to shooting. Male Hen Harrier Clougha area (56K) & day-flying Barn Owl (disturbance, rather than hunting, from the behaviour) in the same area.