Garden Warbler makes the year list

 A sunny morning after the sun cleared the early morning clouds. Light south wind freshened slightly. It became overcast again in the afternoon, with some light showers.

Pete Crooks compiled this morning's sea watch report:

Heysham North Harbour Wall (6.30 – 10.00 am) – A disappointing morning given the incoming tide.

32 Arctic Tern – groups of 15, 3 and 14 flying into the Bay

41 Pink-footed Goose – flew north across the bay at 7.08 am

7 Whooper Swan – flew north across the bay at 8.28 am

10 Guillemot – all appeared on the later stage of the incoming tide. Also 2 distant auks flying ‘out’

c.30 Kittiwake – very distant on the sea then flew ‘out’

1 Red-throated Diver – flew into the bay and landed on the sea

16+ Sandwich Tern – small numbers continuously in view offshore

12 Swallow – flew along the harbour wall (the only obvious passerine movement)

Also offshore: 86 Eider, 2 Great Crested Grebe and 2 Red-breasted Merganser (prior to the incoming tide)

6 Grey Seal – separate individuals pushed into the bay on the rising tide

2 Harbour Porpoise – moved into the bay at 9.05 am

Garden Warbler 1 male singing near the quarry on the west side of Heysham Nature Reserve (first record this year) ref Pete (M).

South shore (MD)

The smell of fuel as I approached the saltmarsh didn't bode well. 

There seems to have been no attempt to bring the car ashore (see yesterday's post).
There was no evidence, other than smell, of pollution, but it would seem to be a
relatively easy exercise to winch the car from the drain and up the slipway.

Sandwich Tern 1

Whimbrel 3

Wheatear 2 

They didn't seem as plump and dark today. Perhaps it was an effect
of the conditions yesterday. The tangle behind this bird is the wooden jetty.

Rock Pipit 3 probably 4

It is still unclear what the situation is near the lighthouse nest site.

This unringed bird was resting on the wooden structure near the nest site

Meanwhile the ringed male was guarding the wall above

A probable third bird was displaying near the waterfall. Another bird was on the sea wall between the outflows, before flying back to Red Nab

They have started replacing the first roof panels on the old Fishers building.
The gulls seem to approve.

Heysham skear low water 17:55

Eider only 7 seem

Red-breasted Merganser 3

Whimbrel 11

Lesser Black-Backed gull c30 - on the lower tides there were hardly any LBB, but plenty of Herring gull feeding on the seed mussels. This evening there were about 30 of each. The LBB also grazing the seed mussels, although most were around a central large pool and seemed to prefer feeding in the water.

Dunlin a flock of c20 flew off as tide started rising

Turnstone c150 - when the tide moved them off their favoured honeycomb worm bed, they shifted to the SE corner of the skear, where they turn into turnoystershells. There are always a lot of oyster shells here, not locally grown, they must be brought in by the tides and storms and collect in this corner. An ideal opportunity for turning, relatively light, but cover a lot of area.