Showers all day some with a hint of sunshine in between. A freshening wind became strong from the NW by evening.
Heysham Nature Reserve
Summary by Pete
Poor morning but could be explained by the wind going too southerly and us being in a huge clear slot between two weather fronts at dawn with nothing to focus any passage here other than pink feet ex roost and a trickle of common stuff
Loads of Pink-Footed geese over then around Clay Lane, but the Ross's Gull flew inland from the Pilling Lane ends roost early on.
North shore
Heysham Head - David Kaye
With high tide only 7.14 m Skear waders roosted on Heysham north shore, at least
36 ringed plover
1800 Knot
2 Dunlin
4 Canada geese south
rock pipit and stonechat on Heysham head
Heysham skear - Malcolm 13:45 - 15:00
I had hoped that the sun would shine at some point. I hoped in vain!
 |
| This is 13:50. The StenaLine is heading in and the ferry heading out. You can clearly see the lights shining on the ferry! |
Pink-Footed Goose 45 SE
Shelduck 2 south
Eider pair south
Red-breasted Merganser 1
 |
| Shelduck |
 |
| This Peregrine Falcon left without hunting or with any prey. Presumably it had been feeding somewhere on the shore and left when it finished. |
There were still c1000 Knot around the skear, other smaller flocks arrived (returned?) ending up with c2000. This flock gives a nice guided tour of the skear before settling
 |
| Knot, no colour marked birds seen |
Bar-Tailed Godwit 2
 |
| Bar-Tailed Godwit and Knot |
Oystercatcher c1500
 |
| Oystercatcher, Knot and Redshank with a Red-breasted Merganser in the background |
Redshank c200
 |
| Redshank |
Curlew 12
Turnstone 5
Ringed Plover 2
I'd stood out two short squalls, but a third mean looking one drove me off. The visibility varies quickly in these conditions......
 |
| This is Humphrey Head. It is a prominent limestone peninsula near Flookburgh, but normally you can barely make it out from the mainland behind. This was 14:01 |
 |
| This is Humphrey Head at 14:04. Even here it is showing more obviously than typical |
 |
| Humphrey Head, it is a Nature Reserve. Looks like a line of Eider in front of it |
 |
| Still loads of Sea Lettuce awaiting the first Brent Geese |
