Wednesday 9 May 2012

Arctic Skua antics

Heysham Obs
An early morning start in calm conditions revealed the following during a short visit:

Arctic Skua - light morph chasing large gulls and anything else which moved for about 5 minutes before chased off by Black-headed Gulls - then circled high to the north (0605hrs)
Common Scoter - 4 in
Arctic Tern - 31+7 in
Whimbrel - flock of 17 in
Tree Pipit - 1NE
Lesser Redpoll - 2 NE
Goldfinch - 7NE
Linnet - 3 NE
Rock Pipit - very late migrant north wall
Swallow - 18 NE 0800-0900
House martin - 2 NE 0800-0900
Garden Warbler - one singing briefly by the office
Grasshopper Warbler - singing male in tank farm still singing 0900 (unpaired?)
Three Willow Warbler, a female Blackcap and 3 Whitethroat ringed first thing in very limited ringing effort

Moths
Hebrew Character and the first Cochylis atricapitana of the year