Just managed to make it back from work - counting waders - to change into an 'unreliable amateur' (details confidential) and count waders for WeBS. The heliport roost revealed a good array of birds and enabled most species to be counted at the individual level
Heliport roost
Redshank- 385 (initial guesstimate 370)
Ringed Plover - 43
Lapwing - 21
Dunlin - 68
Turnstone - 41
Knot - zero (all at Middleton?)
Black-headed Gull - 6
which left Oystercatcher. Had just enough time to spend about 15 minutes on these:
"Visual impression" - 4500
Block count in 50s - 4800
Block count in 100s - 4700 plus about 60
Block count in 10s - took 'ages'! - 4840 - fortunately they kept still throughout
So yet again visual impressions underestimate - always doing this - especially with V or W geese flying over - amateur!!
The number of Oystercatcher at the sunny slopes and battery/west end groyne roosts were rather on the low side with 475 Redshank the stand-out. Adult Med just out of the area by the Battery groyne but anglers prevented access/time for access for a thorough check of Fishers roof for the Czech bird (can someone do this tomorrow pm please?)
