Heysham Obs
'Facilitation' can mean missing most things in rapid transit and this was the case for me this morning (including the Wood Warbler giving two bursts of song as it passed through). However, the fare for the early morning sea-watchers was reasonably good, for the later ones it was an empty sea, as also happened at JBP. Not sure where the additional 500 Arctic T passing Rossall ended up unless they were pre-0600hrs or went up the Lune 'flightline'?
Heysham North Harbour Wall (0605 - 0850 hrs) (thanks Pete C for count - the Tree Pipit were over the gate area):
Arctic Skua - 1 dark morph flew into the Bay at 0620 hrs
Black Tern - 10 - comprising a flock of 9 flew into the Bay at 0630 hrs, then 1 followed a flock of Arctic Terns into the Bay at 0705 hrs
Arctic Tern - 337 flew into the Bay, including double-figure flocks of 90, 74, 16, 41, 17, 54 and 35
Common Scoter - 13 - groups of 3 in, 2 out, 2 in and 6 out
Sandwich Tern & Red-throated Diver - None!
Also offshore: 1 Gannet, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Eider, 4 Red-breasted Merganser and 2 Whimbrel
Overhead passerines included 20 Swallow, 5 House Martin, 6 Tree Pipit, 2 Sand Martin, c20 Meadow Pipit and 1 Grey Wagtail, while grounded migrants comprised 3 Wheatear and 1 Willow Warbler
Grounded elsewhere
Wood Warbler - singing male by the dipping pond mid-morning
Wheatear - at least 19 different birds, mainly Ocean Edge
Whinchat - male Ocean Edge
Blackcap - three new birds ringed
Willow Warbler - just two new birds ringed
Middleton NR
A 'new' continuously singing male showed well to some observers, increase in Sedge Warblers to low double figures of singing males
Gadwall - 5
