Thursday 3 September 2009

Coverage of sorts produces a few seabirds

Not a lot of optimism about tomorrow re- decent numbers of seabirds and anyone at JBP is probably completely wasting their time, as it is going to be a very marginal direction for even Heysham. Also no obvious influx of Leach's Petrel today - remember the current depression, formerly storm 'Danny', was originally tropical and therefore on perhaps too southerly a track over the Atlantic. Early to mid-morning probably worth a look for a few bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
Rather belated intermittent coverage from 1000-1300 from both the outfalls and north harbour wall side. A sizeable wheeling thing at about 1150hrs looked interesting but it was too far away... By far the commonest birds were wheeling juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gulls!

Coastal area
Skua spp - one out rather distantly at 1020hrs was probably a juv/dm Arctic
Bonxie - 2 seeming to follow the IOM ferry in about 1155hrs, then across the bay
Gannet - 7
Fulmar - 4
Manx Shearwater - 17, including a straggling flock of 14
Arctic Tern - one juv
Sandwich Tern - 2
Med Gull - ad & 2nd W off Ocean Edge, the latter perhaps a 'new' bird
Eider - 2 off Ocean Edge
Wheatear - one n.h. wall

Elsewhere
Wood Sandpiper Conder area. 4 Bonxies flew out as seen from JBP at about 1300hrs