Saturday 10 April 2010

145 metres from the King Canute tribute act

NO Wheatears seen in comprehensive coastal coverage!

Heysham Obs
A small flurry of migrants this morning, especially Lesser Redpoll - mostly early on - and a motionless sub-adult male standing in the water off Ocean Edge for at least 20 minutes whilst the sea lapped around his ankles.  Using the survey maps from earlier this year, the 274 Redshank flock he bisected kept pretty well exactly 145m away either side.  I dont think he was the start of a new version of Crosby beach.  North wall & reserve vis, as usual, involved different birds heading NE

Ocean Edge 0820-0840
Redshank - 274
Black-tailed Godwit - 5
Bar-tailed Godwit - 13

North harbour wall 0710-0850 (vis NE)
Linnet - 5
Meadow Pipit - 18
Goldfinch - 11
Sandwich tern - 17
Lesser Redpoll - 18
alba Wagtail - 4
Common Scoter - 16 in, 25 out
Gannet - 2 adults in
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Purple Sandpiper - one on jetty with Turnstone

Heysham Nature Reserve (vis very intermittent 0705 to about 0830)
Willow Warbler - at least 4 migrants early on & one ringed later
Meadow Pipit - just 11 NE (1 ringed)
Lesser Redpoll - at least 30 NE (13 ringed)
Chiffchaff - 2 ringed
Blackcap - 2 males ringed
Goldfinch - 15 NE
Linnet - 17 NE
Swallow - 2 NE

'Seen-from'
Marsh Harrier female north towards Heysham Moss over the bypass at 1030hrs

Butterflies
Peacock (4), Small Tortoiseshell (4), Comma, Speckled Wood, Brimstone (2)

Middleton IE/Red Nab area
Singing birds included:  11 Chiffchaff, 4 Willow Warbler & Blackcap