Pleasant seawatching conditions for once with calm seas, a very light variable wind and warm sunshine.
Today it was the turn of auks to provide the main highlight of the watch.
0710-1010
Auk sp 74 into Bay and 106 out of the Bay
plus definite Razorbill 18 in and 8 out
plus definite Guillemot 4 out
Common Scoter 253 in and 22 out (a tiny fraction of the count off Walney yesterday - see Walney blog)
Gannet 5 fishing and probably same 5 out
Kittiwake 1 in, 5 out
Manx Shearwater 1 out
Arctic Tern 4 in
Little Tern 1 in
Sandwich Tern 4 in, 3 out and 10 blogging
Little Egret 1 out
Swan sp (presumably Mute) 9 headed towards Grange
Pink-footed Goose 3 north
Ocean Edge
Black-tailed Godwit 2
Dunlin 65
Grey Plover 1
Heysham skeer - low water (MD)
A total of 54 Godwit including Islandic Black-tailed
Mute swan 1
Sandwich tern 2
South wall roundhead - evening
Rock pipits - both birds feeding young in nest
Guillemot- still near waterfall
Common sandpipier 1 on sloping wall near wooden jetty
The observatory was set up in 1980. It involves ringing,'vis mig' counts (including seabirds) and general monitoring in the Heysham Nature reserve/power stations/harbour area. The statutory moth trap is in place and also a daily log for butterflies, dragonflies etc. We share an office, kindly provided by EDF Energy, with the County Wildlife Trust. This is located next to the Nature Reserve car park. Do call in. Please leave sightings in the letterbox, ESPECIALLY 'fly-by' seabirds.