Scaup joins the year list

Overnight showers had more or less stopped by 08:00. Odd shower during the day. West wind drifting to north by evening.

Seawatch report from Pete:

Sea incoming tide Heysham north wall: 

1 Arctic Skua - dark morph

1 drake Scaup flew in 09:08

41 Guillemot

5 Razorbill (all auks floating in quite close)

16 Gannet

1 Red Throated diver

7 blogging Sandwich Tern (don’t usually get tern passage in westerlies)

5 Whimbrel

1 migrant little egret NW across the bay.  

Low water channels

320 Eider

1 Dark-bellied Brent

Harbour Porpoise 1

There are 8 singing male Rock Pipit between Heysham Head and Ocean Edge - at least three - like the stone jetty one - probably not paired.

Wheatear 1 below Heysham Head

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1 out from Half Moon Bay

It was nice to see this male House Sparrow help to feather the nest (one of the colony near Half Moon Bay high steps).

Heysham skear on ebbing evening tide

Little Egret at least 14

Great Crested grebe 1

Red-breasted Merganser 11 many of them frantically displaying to the diminishing female contingent:

These even go in for a bit of synchronised diving - note the second male start to display when it temporarily finds itself first male