Heysham Obs
.........or misses a load given the 0700 start. The usual start to the seawatch at low tide involves checking around the skeers from the Near Naze vantage point and going, for the umpteenth time to no avail, through the masses of large immature gulls. It is also a good vantage point for the low tide channels and also any hirundine passage, as the birds tend to cut across to Heysham Head
Sea 0700-0900
Arctic Tern - 9+7+22+16+12+11+85 in - the latter seemed to descend on to a low tide channel to join feeding Black-headed Gulls then spiralled up and headed off NE. Then the plug pulled with none 0730-0900
Sandwich Tern - only 6 seen
Black-headed Gull - a very unexpected inbound passage/feeding movement totalling about 450 birds, mainly breeding adults - where are these from?
Mediterranean Gull - Ad or faintly marked 3CY with the above
Little Gull - 3CY and 2CY together with the above
Common Sandpiper - one below north wall for a short time
Whimbrel - 2 in
Swallow - at least 510 in with a very concentrated passage 0720-0750
House Martin - 46 in
Sand Martin - 5 in
Lesser Redpoll - 9 in
Linnet - 14 in
Eider - 65
Red-breasted Merganser - flock of 7
Grounded
Nothing obvious with no Wheatear or any much in the mist nets
3 wheatear Ocean Edge
1 whimbrel No.2 outflow
