Arctic Skuas top another good early morning seawatch

A dry day with an east breeze varying from SE to NE

Sea Heysham 0620-0820 (PJM, JR): 

dead after 0755: 

Sandwich tern 222 in (a handful out)

Little Tern 1 out

Arctic Tern one flock of 6 in

Razorbill/Guill 38

Guillemot 2

Manx Shearwater 31

Gannet 17

Common Scoter 17

Red throated diver 2

Arctic Skua two early ones (1 LM) in then 10 in fairly quick succession in as 3,2,1,2 (1LM),2.  All skuas fairly distant along approx Kent channel line therefore Cumbrian!

This by Phil Byle, who checked a little later. 

There were lots of Manx Shearwater milling about. It looked like there was a shoal of fish between Heysham and Ulverston, which a mixed flock of terns, gulls and manxies were feeding on. About 30 manx close in to Heysham, but lots more moving up and down the bay. 

Flock of 25 Arctic Tern through

11 Sandwich Tern

20+ guillemot 

1 red throated diver in.

South shore 08:30 - 10:00 (Malcolm)

On Ocean Edge 

Linnet 4 plus 2 near the lighthouse 

Wheatear 2

Meadow Pipit 1

Rock Pipit 1 on the foreshore and 4 between No.1 outfall and the waterfall

On the waterline just out from the foreshore 

Oystercatcher 120

Whimbrel 3

Dunlin 49

Some of the Dunlin, many in at least partial summer plumage

Swallow 7 in off the sea

Sandwich Tern 1 resting on the waterline plus 2 in

North sea wall 16:30 - 18:00 (Malcolm)

There was still a cloud of seabirds above a shoal of fish. Too distant for me to make out much, other than the unmistakable splash of Sandwich Terns feeding. Possibly a few Manx Shearwaters amongst the melee.

Sandwich Terns were also resting on the buoys.

Two Sandwich Terns and a Grey Seal drifting past

Arctic Tern just one probable seen near the red buoy on the south side 

Guillemot 1 summer plumage 

Guillemot 

Shelduck 1 seen flying out and in

Swallow - a constant passage in small groups 3 - 6. 48 counted, but almost certainly more.

One of Janet's shots from earlier

Just out of the recording area, but some of these birds will have passed through it. Shaun Coyle checked the sea out from Morecambe Town Hall 

Incoming tide from 17:00-18:00:

Black-tailed Godwit 23

Arctic Skua 2 dm

Sandwich Tern 110

Arctic Tern 21 & 26

Sand Martin 6

Swallow 105

Potts Corner, Janet took these lovely in flight shots of a Meadow Pipit