Stick to the highway code

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
'Look ahead rather than out to sea, even at 10mph' as a Purple Sandpiper shot from under the bonnet at the end of the north harbour wall.
Kittiwake - 13 behind the IOM passenger ferry (1 1stW)
Med Gull - 3 - the large ad followed the ferry in, the Czech-ringed ad was already in the harbour and the 2nd W was along the north wall

Red-throated Diver - 1 'out', close inshore
Goldfinch - 3 on the mound (36V) but no other small finches in the short visit

Wooden jetty
Single Pink-footed Goose on the sea late afternoon (SD35Z)

South harbour wall/Gate "38"
3 Twite

Red Nab
47 Wigeon

Elsewhere
2 Bewick's Swan still Jeremy Lane, at least one male Scaup still Glasson basin.

Seawatching year ticks

Heysham Obs
'Created' a spare couple of hours this morning. What would normally have been a pretty tedious routine seawatch was elevated by the 2008 factor. Most of the birds seemed to be coming from across the Bay, then flying 'out' i.e. not blown properly into the Bay.

North harbour wall 1005-1135
Fulmar - 2 out - not at all regular in winter
Kittiwake - 31 out, bits and bobs other than a flock of 13
Little Gull - 6 adults out as 3+2+1
Guillemot - One out
Red-throated Diver - One out
Bar-tailed Godwit - 3 out (scarce here)
[What appeared to be a fem/imm Long-tailed Duck was seen very briefly at long range flying 'in' then ?landing on rough sea]

Med. Gull - 2nd W briefly along the seawall in the morning and adult during late afternoon check. c12 Twite were seen briefly at the sandplant entrance.

Ocean Edge side
Watched sea/IOM passenger ferry in 1140-1205 & there were 24 Kittiwake behind the ferry & 12 Ringed Plover on Ocean Edge west field

Elsewhere
European White-fronted Goose with Greylags roadside near Catshaw Fell. TWO Purple Sandpiper Morecambe Stone Jetty at lunchtime. Two Bewick's Swans with just over 100 Mute on Jeremy Lane and 12+ Whooper in semi-darkness at Melling, Lune valley. Nothing on Pine Lake during quick check in fading light [19 Goosander].

Quick check of the ferry

To add to yesterdays request, please could we also have any 2007 dragonfly records which have not been posted on the site. Thanks.

Heysham Obs
Not a nice day - just a quick visit to the north harbour wall at lunchtime, therefore near HT. Amazing anything actually found the ferry to follow it in the lunchtime visibility and, not surprisingly, the Kittiwake numbers were down to 8 adults

Ad & 2nd W Med Gulls along the north harbour wall

Elsewhere
The female Scaup was very easy to see off north Morecambe. The ad female Ferruginous Duck x Pochard returned (from Stocks?) to Pine Lake and was present along the eastern edge. Pale-bellied Brent Goose at Sunny Slopes (reportedly). No Purple Sandpipers seen anywhere today

Kittiwakes and the IOM passenger ferry

Please could you check if any sightings of interesting birds in the Heysham area during 2007 are missing from this site. We are ready to write the annual report and would be very grateful for any additional records, perhaps especially even 'common' passing seabirds. Thanks. The recording area comprises birds seen from or in SD36V, 46A, 35Z and 45E. In English, this means any coastal sightings between Sunny Slopes and the old Pontins site at Middleton and (mainly) anything west of the Morecambe to Overton road between Knowsley Road junction and the Potts corner junction at Middleton i.e. includes Middleton IE wetlands.

Heysham Obs
IOM ferry at lunchtime
Med Gull - Both adults accompanying
Kittiwake - c27 of which c10 were 1st winters, most flew rapidly out of the bay as the boat entered the harbour

North harbour wall area
Med Gull - 2ndW
c17 Twite, 2 Linnet and a Goldfinch sandplant entrance mid- afternoon
Tide too far in for Purple Sandpiper sightings at lunchtime

Elsewhere
Female Scaup off Bare was new in (high tide)
Canadian-ringed juv Pale-bellied Brent Goose still by the Sunny Slopes groyne [plus year ticking Ringed Plover and Dunlin at last!]. Royds Avenue is the best access if you are pushed for time.
Purple Sandpiper - single bird showing well today at Morecambe Stone Jetty (& Raven over)
Barnacle Goose Fluke Hall and 3 Scaup still on Glasson Basin

More Twite and Linnet

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Twite - up to 19
Linnet - up to 26 but high tide only
Med Gull - The usual Ad & 2nd W
Purple Sandpiper - one at the base of the north wall early morning before being forced off by tide
Red-throated Diver - one 'in' late morning, landed off Heysham Head

Heliport & nearby industrial estate
Fruitless Black Redstart search

Middleton IE
Female Pochard, 3 Tufted Duck, 13+ Teal

Elsewhere
Snow but no Snow Bunting X of Greet, but female Brambling with Chaffinches at Thwaite Moss (just W of Lowgill) [Stock Dove cast-iron at nearby Lower Stock Bridge, best from Barleybank road]. Polish-ringed Ad Med P96 Lancaster City football ground. Juv Pale-bellied Brent Goose on distant skeer off Sunny Slopes mid afternoon. Ad Med Gull in feeding melee near Morecambe Strathmore mid-pm, presumably Belgian-ringed 36W. Water Pipit briefly at Leighton Moss. No known check of Pine Lake this w/e. Two European Whitefronted Geese with Pink Feet near Pilling Lane Ends/Fluke Hall. [White-crowned Sparrow Cley - dont 'need' it]

Three Meds together!

Heysham Obs
..........along the north harbour wall - presumably the Ad Med from the outfalls area following a freight ferry in and joining the regular Ad & 2nd W. At least 6 Twite and and least 12 Linnet around the sandworks entrance. No passenger ferry at lunchtime & nothing else behind the freight ferry.

Elsewhere
Female Snow Bunting at Cross of Greet but disturbed by traffic & not seen in the afternoon (different from the Ringstones bird last back end). Later a male Hen Harrier. Ad Med P96 on Lancaster football pitch. Pale-bellied Brent Goose off Morecambe west end in Sunny Slopes. Two European White-fronted Geese with Pinkfeet at Pilling Lane Ends area

Yet another unexpected SD36V passerine sighting

Heysham Obs
.................this time a completely unprecedented midwinter flock of c20 Linnet which joined c8 Twite on the north harbour wall sandplant area during the afternoon.

Single Ad Kittiwake behind the IOM ferry (up to 50 odd this time last year!)

At least one Purple Sandpiper on rocks under the wooden jetty

Adult Med Gull (not sure which one) briefly behind the IOM ferry as it approached the wooden jetty (but not following into the harbour), later both adults behind an afternoon ferry. The north wall Meds have not been easy since new year & the 2nd W not reported today.

Elsewhere
Nothing of interest Pine Lake. Purple Sandpiper at the end of the Stone Jetty at least 0820-1400hrs then flew south. Pale-bellied Brent Goose visible at low tide from the end of Royd's Avenue looking out on to the skeers

Purple Sands still present at the harbour mouth

Heysham Obs
North wall/harbour area
Purple Sandpiper - 2 commuting across the harbour mouth feeding on skeer below the seawalls
Med Gull - Ad & 2nd W but neither particularly easy
Twite - 9 in the morning, 10 in the afternoon (2 ringed birds with light blue (Hey site code) over black/white (3 winters ago)
Eider - male offshore

Elsewhere
Ad Med Gull Morecambe Broadway
Chiffchaff by Jackson hide Leighton Moss
Purple Sandpiper end of Morecambe Stone Jetty at lunchtime before flying towards the Battery ex-sewage outfall pipe

Another winter mega for SD36V

Heysham Obs
After discovering that yesterdays male Stonechat was on the north harbour wall mound (there are some gorse bushes!), today saw the turn of a Skylark. This is unheard of in winter, other than during snow & CWMs - maybe its a couple of days early. Just missed the incoming IOM ferry c/f Kittiwake. We have no idea where yesterdays Black Redstart might be as the sighting was bang in the middle of a well-watched area, not a minor displacement from unwatched strictly private land as previously assumed (the main lorry park). 5 Linnet by the sandworks

North harbour wall
Med Gull: 2nd winter seen in the morning but none seen at lunchtime
Purple Sandpiper: Two feeding together below the north harbour wall at lunchtime - right at the harbour mouth end
Skylark: One on the mound at lunchtime!
Twite - Four on the mound in the morning, two (one ringed - Heysham site ring light blue over ??) lunchtime which flew towards the south harbour wall

South harbour wall/gate "38"
Two Twite and the Dunnock still in rather adventurous residence, receiving a SD35Z stamp!

Elsewhere
Light-bellied Brent Goose off the Sunny Slopes the only report received of any interest from year listers. Purple Sandpiper off the end of the Stone Jetty during the low tide period but elusive amongst large rocks (much easier to see at Heysham, providing not under the wooden jetty!)

Under our noses for a month?!

Heysham Obs
Happy New Year

The excuse is that large chunks of the harbour are not accessible. An experienced observer with a different routine - walking down the footpath next to the lorry park - allied to inactivity therein - dug out a male Black Redstart. It was sat on the perimeter fence (no further details). Logic suggests that this was the bird seen in November nearer the harbour mouth which was never properly searched for away from the Centrica Storage Yard/Mound area.

IOM ferry
Two Ad Kittiwake and the 2nd W Med Gull followed it into port at lunchtime

North harbour wall
Male Eider new in. Stonechat in the area (detail later) & at least 1 Twite.

More detail possible later

Elsewhere
Disappointing with nothing startling. Water Pipit seen from at least one hide at Leighton and 3 Common Crossbill at Thrushgill. plantation