Heysham Obs
A good day today. The departure of the ludricous number of waders off Ocean Edge, which were a feature of October/November made the work part of it much easier than usual. Ocean Edge also excelled in at least one of the 's' words today with NINE species of seagull in the 'scope at once at 1215hrs, as it was trained towards the outfalls/wooden jetty. Earlier, Song Thrush, Wren and Robin were singing-by-streetlight in ASDA carpark at 0700hrs, another array of songsters greeted the arrival at Heysham NR and a check of the Heysham moth trap just as it started to get light produced a worn 'primary-migrant-like' Silver Y. Better still in a local context was a female December Moth - by no means guaranteed to grace the year-list here. The catch was completed by 3 Mottled Umber and a few gnat-type things, but surprisingly (or not as it was a bit windy?) no Winter Moths
By the HNR office
Woodpigeon, Dunnock, Mistle Thrush and Goldfinch heard singing
Coastal stuff/IOM ferry followers
Shag - 3 together in SW corner harbour
Kittiwake - at least 27 around harbour, 4 on outfalls and a massive 55 behind the IOM ferry, despite not being very windy
Med Gull - 3 adults around outfalls/Red Nab, additional adult followed the IOM ferry in before returning 'out', 1CY again on Heysham one outfall
Glaucous Gull - juv still around but ended up perching on a section of the (inner) wooden jetty not visible from the north wall at 1215hrs (but contributing to the nine species at once!) - beware if this habit continues.
Little Gull - 2, possibly 3 1CY outfalls
Twite - 12- including unringed bird and one ringed at Machrihanish in autumn 2011
Meadow Pipit - 2 sandworks
Rock Pipit - one by harbour mouth
Ringed Plover - 17 Ocean Edge south beach
Wigeon - just 56
Moths
Silver Y, female December Moth, 3 Mottled Umber
