Saturday, 4 October 2025

Some good stuff, but some long gaps between them

Very strong SW wind with heavy showers continued though the night and morning the wind moving to NW by mid afternoon.

From Ocean Edge - Pete (M) to 09:00
Gannet 1 adult
Sabine's Gull 1 juvenile on the seaward end of No.2 outfall then towards the wooden jetty. Lost as the visibility closed in.

Tom Walkington saw a juvenile Sabine's gull out from the North sea wall a little earlier. Likely the same bird.

North sea wall - Shaun Coyle 09:30-14:30:

Gannet 2 adults in

Shag 4 juvs out

Shelduck c.75 out

Wigeon c.90 out

Pintail 14 out plus 15 distant ducks that were almost certainly Pintail too.

Teal 17 out

Eider 12 

Common Scoter female out

Goosander female out (this makes it seven duck species today)

Ringed Plover 3 out

Grey Plover 11 out

Sanderling 2 out

Great Skua out at 14:00

Mediterranean Gull 2 1cy out

Little Gull adult out

Sabine's Gull juv in at 12:05 (probably a second bird)

Fulmar 1 out


Heysham Head - David Yates

Little Gull 1 juvenile 


Stone Jetty - Dan Haywood

The following is an excerpt from Dan's report posted on LDBWS webpage. Link below if you want to see the full report and Dan's excellent shots including the GND.

https://lancasterbirdwatching.org.uk/forums/topic/morecambe-jetty-0920-1250/#

09:20 - 12:50

Wigeon 45 in, 62 out

Pintail 5 in, 66 out (probably some overlap with Shaun's birds)

Shelduck 29 out

Common Scoter 17 in, 4 out

Pink-footed Goose 13 in

Eider 11 in

Teal 4 in

Little Gull 3 out (one ad) (possibly including David's juvenile)

Red-throated Diver 2 in then out

Leach’s Petrel 2 out 

Gannet 1 in

Kittiwake 1 in then out

Sabine’s Gull 1 in, 1 out an hour later (which I took to be the same juv.)

Purple Sandpiper 1 out

Great Northern Diver 1 out (it also flew high over the North sea wall 15 minutes later seen by Emma Kelly)


I had a walk along the south sea wall (Malcolm) 10:00 - 12:00

I saw nothing over the sea, that isn't already covered in the above reports, so just a few shots to show the conditions 

Pintail 



Shelduck 

End of the wooden jetty still being favoured for a roost by both Cormorants 
and Shag. I saw two juvenile Shag battle their way to it against a wind that I
could barely stand in!

This juvenile Shag was in the relative calm of the harbour mouth. Not a great clip, but perhaps portrays the conditions better than a picture.


When it set off to fly to the wooden jetty, it was making no headway, at one point it was just a couple of metres over my head flapping furiously and going nowhere!



I wasn't much better......clicking furiously but couldn't quite get it in focus.
It dropped down low past the lighthouse and eventually managed to reach
the wooden jetty

I managed a better shot of the second bird, despite it being further out.
This one flew directly to the wooden jetty. 

Wigeon 56 on Red Nab
Wheatear 2
Rock Pipit 2



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