Milestone

Heysham Obs
Nature reserve gates now open again during daylight hours!

The 100,000 blogsite visitors has been passed this weekend. Not too bad for a site which represents a "birding cul-de-sac (even more so in Sunderland Point area)", with a small team of conscientious observers/ringers trying to provide annually comparative data without this reducing the oft-cited priority that you must "enjoy" your birding. Sadly, the number of visiting birders actually interested in other than specific short-term targeting of Purple Sandpipers, the Black Guillemot, Twite & full-frame Med Gulls etc. has nose-dived. Targets met, the birders rapidly move on and therefore the number of additional sightings of interest from visiting birders is far less than it was say 15 years ago. Maybe this will change, but in the meantime we fortunately have a good team able to give virtually daily coverage. Thanks to all who have contributed and if there is someone out there who wants to do some systematic spring seawatching or help with ringing........

As already indicated, the blog is quite simply a substitute for the old A4 diary system we had in the office and, as such, made available to a lot more interested people! None of the regulars are instinctive photographers and we also (usually)avoid 'personal comments/storytelling' and the usual rants about the usual people disturbing birds. This keeps the postings as short per day as possible, allowing easy trawling of records. Thanks to Lancashire Wildlife Trust and British Energy/EDF for allowing us to operate from their office and land ownership respectively

North harbour area/intake
Med Gull - two adults in the harbour mouth/harbour area
Purple Sandpiper - one by wooden jetty
Twite - at least 14
Reed Bunting - 4 heliport
Knot - 100 roosting heliport - erratic recently

Elsewhere
Cetti's Warbler Leighton Moss causeway