First Whinchat

A light east wind till mid morning, it then freshened slightly and moved to the west. Sunshine for most of the day.

Vis and seawatch report from Pete:

Male Whinchat north wall - first record this year

Tree Pipit 2

Wheatear 4

Arctic tern 15 in a high flock north

Sandwich Tern 18 blogging

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report from Alan:

The weather forecast for last night and this morning suggested that some migrant passage might occur. It was not to be however. Five nets were set but only 15 birds were caught. Passage species - four Blackcaps and two Willow Warblers only were ringed.

Dunnock 1

Robin 1

Blackbird 2

Song Thrush 1 + 1 retrap

Common Whitethroat 1

Blackcap 4

Chiffchaff 1 retrap

Willow Warbler 2

Jay 1

Virtually no movement overhead was perceived (no hirundines seen) and few birds moving in the vegetation near the offices. Eleven Carrion Crows milling around the transmission towers.

Heysham skear - low water 10:30 (MD)

Just three of the Sandwich Terns remained. 

But these quickly moved off, east then north. You can just hear them calling in this clip.

Eider 33

Red-breasted Merganser 11

Great Crested Grebe 6

Little Egret 5

Waders:

Oystercatcher c500

Redshank c20 (it's hard getting an accurate count even of low numbers as the birds are very mobile)

Turnstone c60

Curlew 1

Whimbrel 2

We're back to neap tides now, which means the water doesn't go out far enough to expose the seed mussel beds. There were still a lot of Herring gulls around waiting in hope. There were 150 waiting in vain on the sea.

Middleton Nature Reserve (Jannet)

Cetti's Warbler singing

Grasshopper Warbler singing 

Large Red Damselfly

Peacock

Comma

Also, Large White, Brimstone, Orange Tip and Speckled wood

South shore - high water 16:15 (MD)

Wheatear 6 on Ocean Edge foreshore (not the same as Pete's birds)

As well as not going out far, neap tides do not come in very far, so I had a walk out onto the shore south of the saltmarsh.

Ringed Plover 2 together.

Ringed Plover

There were very few waders along the waterline, 60 Oystercatcher and c30 Curlew that flew further south. Plus these 6 Bar-Tailed Godwit. These are not after worms but catching small invertebrates in the shallow water. 

Shelduck 7 - three separate pairs resting plus a single bird.

Sleeping Shelduck and a Curlew