A day of two halves

Heysham Obs
'Wet and wetter', the early update headline.........referred to the morning opening & closing of the NHW gate. The afternoon visit, coinciding with the passing of the cold front was altogether much better with a juv Iceland Gull accompanying a small 'passage' of Herring Gulls which appeared to have been tidally displaced from the Ulverston direction. It was lost into the sun heading down the main boat channel at 1505hrs and did not follow the incoming freight ferry back into port. Unfortunately it was too far out/I was not quick enough to get a record shot as the priority was to rule out a small Glaucous! See Bill Aspins site which has just been added to the Links. Caspian, Glaucous and Iceland found on the same day in Lancs - not bad in these rubbish-tip-free times! Well done with the Caspian, Bill. I have decided not to submit the Middleton bird from early 2007 as I was still in the pre-dinosaur period as regards cameras & this species needs to be documented as such so far NW.

North Harbour Wall 1045hrs
Twite - 4
Purple Sandpiper - one on rocks on the south side of the harbour mouth

North Harbour wall from 1500-1525hrs
Juv Iceland Gull out at 1505hrs (about 500m offshore at the closest point)
Purple Sandpiper - one on the end of the NHW, then ten minutes later, two with small group of Turnstones flying & landing on wooden jetty. I suspect, but couldnt prove, three birds
Med Gull - 2 Ads and the usual 2nd W joined the freight ferry as it turned into port
Kittiwake - 5 behind the freight ferry soon returned out of the bay

Elsewhere
Single Purple Sandpiper at the seaward end of the Stone Jetty at Morecambe. Water Pipit at a wet Leighton Moss. Zilch on Pine Lake (16 Goosander)