Sunday 8 May 2011

Any landbirds slipping through?

Heysham Obs
Another morning where you had the feeling that something was being/had been missed.  A female Whinchat on the north wall mound was the only definite landbird migrant encountered as ringing was knocked on the head by early morning rain and Ocean Edge foreshore lacked any Wheatears until later in the day

Outfalls & area
Arctic tern - c85, much reduced numbers by the late afternoon (21)
Black Tern - 3 throughout
Common Tern - c5
Whimbrel - 7
Wheatear - 2
Dunlin - 10
Middleton NR model boat pond
Common Sandpiper - 1
Tufted Duck - 2 pairs
YESTERDAY: 4 Common Sandpipers and what appears to have been a sub-adult male Red-breasted Merganser

NB The suggested answer to the title post from nearby Walney was 'yes' [male Golden Oriole]