Tuesday 3 March 2009

Saved by a Stonechat

Heysham Obs
Near the heliport
Male Stonechat, obviously on passage at this site

North wall
Twite - 11
Purple Sandpiper - 1+ on wooden jetty - too wet to open gate (wimp?)

South of harbour (morning and late afternoon visits)
Wigeon - 70
Lots of common seagulls and waders

Broadgate garage area (Middleton road)
Little Egret - one flew over towards the Lune (roost?) late afternoon (no idea where from, but definitely in recording area). Sneaky behaviour this winter with many deserting the saltmarsh creeks for obscure inland ditches

Elsewhere
Waxwing still Leighton Drive am. Spotted Redshank in creek on west side of Sunderland tidal road late afternoon. "A lot of PF geese" in the most awkward field possible along the Heysham bypass clearway about 3 view-blocking hedges south of MFI/Wickes and 4 blocking hedges north of the first available farm access track