More Puffins and an exciting evening passage

The ENE light wind continues moving more to NE by evening. High cloud with plenty of sunshine.

Morning seawatch report from Pete:

Stone jetty this am had a flock of three Arctic Skua which descended from height before heading up the Bay towards the Kent Estuary 

Also:

one flock of 31 Arctic tern after we left Heysham.  

We ‘only’ had a couple of Puffin, two dark morph Arctic Skua 

and low single figures of

Red-throated Diver

Common Scoter

Whimbrel.  

Only 10-15 Sandwich Tern.  

Pair of Canada Geese on mudflats off Red nab 

Heysham skear - low water 17:00 (MD)

Eider c60

Great Crested Grebe 2

Red-breasted Merganser 9

Little Egret 5

Whimbrel 11

Shag 1 2nd calendar year 

Kittiwake 2 flocks 24 and 11 flew into the bay before circling higher. One flock left east over Heysham Head, the other also headed east towards the harbour, but may have turned south and headed out.

Some of the Kittiwake gaining height

This is the larger group circling before, later, disappearing over Heysham Head, again they could have turned south later and headed back out.

Sandwich Tern 2 feeding

Arctic Tern 161, three flocks 65, 32, and 83 plus one hung around to feed

Arctic Terns

The first two flocks flew along the channels and gained a bit of height before crossing the skear, then dropped again and continued into the bay. The third flock was as the tide was flooding. They came in low, but quite close to the shore. When they approached the skear, they lifted high and kept getting higher. I lost them high to the east, but it wasn't clear which way they actually continued. This clip is where they started lifting, pretty much over my head. One of nature's special moments! I stopped filming and just watched.

Janet took this shot of the first Cinnabar moth of the year on Knowlys Rd