Heysham Obs
One of those mornings when there was a ground frost but attempts to scan the outer bay/channels were thwarted by a heat haze, notably what looked like a Great Northern Diver.
Offshore 0715-0815
Sandwich Tern - loose gangs of 6 + 9 in
Black-headed Gull - several small flocks purposefully in = 45 total
Red-throated Diver - absolute minimum of 14 on water or flying in, also 7 "birds" on the water in the heat haze which looked like this
Diver spp - see above (not a Cormorant!)
Common Scoter - Presume the same flock of 70 blogging but then flew out
Whimbrel - one flushed from the seawall by gate, then flew towards harbour - it or another north 20 mins later (IOY)
Vis mig north wall 0715-0815
Redpoll - 5 heard
Meadow Pipit - 6 heard
Alba Wagtail - 3 heard
Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Greenshank - one with a few Redshank along the inner wet bits of mud/saltmarsh off Pontins - memo - check this more often (IOY)
Ringed Plover - flock of 71 on mudflats
Dunlin - 16 with above
Purple Sandpiper - this was lucky - one with 5 Turnstone on Red Nab then flew towards wooden jetty where there were loads of other small waders (presumably Turnstone/Redshank mix) - unfortunately no time to check
Wheatear - 7
White Wagtail - 1
Middleton Nature reserve (0830 -1000)
8 mute
2 mallard
4 tufted
1 teal
2 adult little grebe feeding 2 chicks (fence pond)
1 Cetti's warbler (male singing fence pond)
2 grasshopper warbler (reeling)
2 sedge warbler
numerous willow warbler and (less) chiffchaff
2 swallow
