Heysham Obs
A look at the sea from 0730 to 0815, mainly from Ocean Edge foreshore produced quite a bit of variety
Manx Shearwater - 2 across the mouth of the bay
Kittiwake - 4 in (1 1st S)
Arctic Tern - 4 in and 2 blogging around outfalls
Common Tern - one around outfalls
Sandwich Tern - 19 around outfalls/fishing offshore - including the non-breeding plumaged bird
Red-throated Diver - one heading straight for me from the mouth of the bay climbed up & circled before heading high inland overhead/over Ocean Edge. It may, of course, have subsequently returned to the inner Bay but it certainly seemed to be intent on heading north-east. I've never seen this before at Heysham, although it has been observed (exclusively breeding plumaged birds?) at JBP.
Swallow - 17 NE
Purple Sandpiper - one with 48 Turnstone on wooden jetty - getting late for this species in this area.
Black Guillemot - seen briefly by the wooden jetty
In contrast to yesterday (& a much calmer sea to record them), NO auk species offshore but observations were at a lower stage of the tide.
Elsewhere
Hoopoe reportedly near Lower Hide, Leighton 0825 but nothing doing since - no idea whether observer familiar with brief rear views of Jay or indeed whether the sighting was 'brief'. 3 Spoonbill EM area. The main news today within the "local birding area" is the sad death of the Ross's Gull at Lytham - a bird which retrospectively hung on and on because something was clearly wrong - some of the photos seemed to indicate a bird with low fat and muscle.
