Been a bit hit and miss for seawatching so far, but Sunday morning coming looks interesting for a bit of skua passage - keep an eye on Saturday if the weather system comes through a bit early. Otherwise a couple of fairly useless looking north-westerly days coming up, followed by some calmish ringing/vis/a few seabirds (or getting on with early morning upland survey work!) weather on Thursday/Friday. Saturday might be a passerine fall/useless strengthening southerlies/possible seawatching weather depending on timing
Heysham Obs to 0900hrs
A line of rain out to the west stayed there forming a barrier across the bay and seemingly knocking most things on the head prior to 0900hrs. No Wheatears in coastal check of Ocean Edge & north wall area. Rain came in at 0910
North harbour wall
Sandwich Tern - 24 blogging
Gannet - 6
Swallow - 29 NE
Whimbrel - 1 S, 1 N
Greylag (as yesterday), one on sandworks
Red-breasted merganser - 6
Eider - 86
Great-crested grebe - 3
Linnet - 7 on the germinating nyger remains!
Webs early pm
Purple Sandpiper - definitely just the one left at the moment
Turnstone - 176
the rest stunningly undramatic apart from a female Mallard on Red Nab!
Post-rain Wheatear check
Ocean Edge - 7 after the rain, none before
North wall - one after the rain, none before
Marsh harrier
Some obtuse stuff on a local website which seems to indicate a female passed by over the sea mid-afternoon, but it may have been further to the north. Presumably missed it travelling between sites on the Stone Jetty-Heysham WeBS
Reserve office area
Just single Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff & Blackcap ringed (& Greenfinch) prior to the rain and two Willow Warbler, single Blackcap, Greenfinch and Chaffinch after the rain
