Heysham Obs
Rossall Point seawatching persistence seems to suggest we are missing a trick or two as the coverage has firmly revolved around checks of the outfalls/Red Nab area, a bit of routine monitoring ringing and moths. Maybe we ought to start giving the sea (and overhead coastal vis) an hour or so each morning
Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Med Gull - 5 2CY (all roosting together!), 3 juv, 2 ad or 3CY but at least half of the gulls too far away down the tideline towards Potts Corner
Little Gull - usual moulting ad
No terns
Bar-tailed Godwit - 260
Grey Plover - 172
Dunlin - 320
Sanderling - 1 adult
Redshank - c250 but some possibly missed on Red Nab
Curlew - 180
Oystercatcher - 3250 (75% on Red Nab)
Dog exercising statistics
A dog exerciser and a small child & a black lab-type were observed for 20 minutes on the tideline south of Ocean Edge just after high tide. The action was to use a ball sling and throw it into the sea for the dog to fetch. The child remained under 'close control' and was not an influence. Therefore all the movement was at right angles to the tideline. Waders were displaced either side as follows
250m - Dunlin
300m - Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Black-headed Gull
400+m - possibly coincidence, but no Curlew within 400m
The remainder of the waders were not using that stretch of beach
I didnt see the walk out to the tideline but a previous check suggested that this was right in the centre of the feeding/roosting assemblage, hence equal numbers of the four main species either side of the activity
Office area
Trickle of migrant Willow Warbler (9 ringed), 3 Chiffchaff ringed (possibly migrants but a bit early) and, encapsulating the poor success during the recent breeding season, just the one Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat ringed. No evidence of overhead passage with up to 30 House Martin and 25 Swallow probably just milling about.
Moths
Pristine Heart and Dart and True Lover's Knot were unexpected. Another latish Dingy Shears
