Friday 5 May 2017

Even closer Puffin and swift passage

About 1.5 hours of rather messy coverage rather than complete concentration on the sea.  This was because there was clearly nothing happening looking from the north wall beyond the yellow buoys and therefore some later Ocean Edge grass watching seemed in order with an eye kept on the nearest channels offshore.  This is a better vis mig site and so it proved with swift and hirundines and 'invisible' redpoll.

Coastal coverage 0725-0900 (ie when cafe opened!)
Puffin - at about 0830 one flew round the wooden jetty and then towards me on the north wall, gaining height before dropping down again in the near channel and heading up the Bay!  Bizarre and surely the same bird Ian had seen from Rossall at 0630ish which had sat on the sea for a bit?
Guillemot - one in 0815
Red-throated Diver - one out - the only distant bird of any note
Swift - 9 from the north wall heading NE over the sea, 14 in-off at Ocean Edge
Swallow - 7 as above, then 44 in-off Ocean Edge
Sand Martin - 2 in-off Ocean Edge
Sandwich Tern - 4 in
Lesser Redpoll - 5+H+H+2+H+H
Whimbrel - 1 in
Dunlin - 55 in
Ringed Plover - 24 in
Black-headed Gull - 19 in

Grounded
Whinchat - female OE slipway area
Wheatear - at least 7 OE foreshore
Meadow Pipit - 2 OE foreshore