Plenty of distant Scoter and a LRP bonus

East winds all day, freshening slightly in the afternoon. High cloud with sunny spells.

Seawatch report from Pete Crooks:

Three hours over the incoming tide (7.15 – 10.15 am) produced:
1 2nd CY Kittiwake
c.200 Common Scoter – numerous distant groups of 10 – 20 flying in or out so probably some duplication; largest group = c.35
c.55 Pink-footed Geese – 3 distant groups
34 2nd CY Black-headed Gull – flying into the Bay in a single group
4 Sandwich Tern
1 Arctic Tern
2 Red-throated Diver
c.20 Swallow & 1 House Martin – low over the sea in ones and twos
1 Harbour Porpoise

Red Nab (PM, JR)

Little Ringed Plover 1 flew from Red Nab to the Power Station non operational land (this area was checked recently, but this species can easily be missed)

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Alan:

The wind was variable in strength this morning and not great for mist netting. A small selection of species was caught including the 100th Lesser Redpoll for 2022.

The catch comprised:

Wren 1

Robin 1

Blackbird 1

Sedge Warbler 1 plus 1 retrap

Reed Warbler 1 plus 1 retrap

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Common Whitethroat 1

Chiffchaff 1

Blue Tit 1 retrap

Lesser Redpoll 5

Heysham skear (MD)

I walked the morning tide in then just did another quick check of the inner skear in the afternoon, before the outer skears were exposed.

Eider 55

Red-breasted Merganser 4

Great Crested Grebe 6

Shelduck 6 out ( morning)

Little Egret 4

Grey Heron 1

Shag 1 feeding (afternoon)

Swallow 3 (morning) 7 (afternoon)

Dunlin 1

Turnstone 6

Sanderling 2 (afternoon)

Sanderling - the one on the right is moving towards summer plumage,
but the one on the left is still, pretty much, in winter plumage 

Kevin took this shot yesterday on the south sea wall, its a gull pellet. Interestingly it includes what looks to be the claw of a small Edible Crab. A gull would not eat a crab this size whole, they normally remove the claws first, and when eating Shore Crabs, the claws are often discarded. I suppose the extra meat in an Edible Crab claw makes it worth swallowing. 

Gull pellet made up largely of  crab (looks to be an Edible Crab)