Heysham Obs
Two things today produced the goods in a typical 'local patch highlight' fashion. One was some early morning vis mig, despite unpromising weather, and the second thing was the WeBS count.
Vis mig, dawnish to 1100hrs with a 45 min gap during heavy rain
Fieldfare - 1,720 SW
Chaffinch - 165
Woodpigeon - 27 flew east early morning - unexpected - ex-roost?
Redwing - only 34 seen with Fieldfare flocks, others could have been missed but not many
Greenfinch - 6
Pink-footed Goose - 15+26+32
alba Wagtail - 20
Mistle Thrush - 4 assuming there were none lurking silently with Fieldfare flocks
Starling - 17+54 on the requisite high SW migrant heading
Meadow Pipit - 1!
Goldfinch - 22
Siskin - 10
Grounded
Meadow Pipit - 6 on mound and 8 on south harbour wall
Goldcrest - one south harbour wall and c5 reserve
Chiffchaff - one reserve
Blackbird - very few - <10 p="">
Webs
Cormorant - 82 wooden jetty
Shag - one thought to be on wooden jetty with obscured view confirmed by later sighting off Ocean Edge (amazingly including a record shot) whence it headed towards the Lune Estuary
Med Gull - adults on Fisher's roof, north harbour wall and Red Nab
Redshank - a massive roost of 570 on the heliport seawall (and sure enough the sunny slopes groyne had been disturbed (just 34 Redshank)), 220 on beach south of Ocean Edge
Oystercatcher - 2,100 heliport, 420 remained around Red Nab (plus 1,100 SSG, 280 Battery, 520 WEG)
Turnstone - 56 wooden jetty, 30 with heliport Redshank
Ringed Plover - 16 heliport, 11 along shore south of ocean edge
Little Egret - one remained around Red Nab
Moths
Feathered Thorn, Pink-barred Sallow and Light Brown Apple Moth
