Black-tailed Godwit surprise

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall seawatch 0925-0955
Kittiwake - 15+6+21 in in very quick succession, perhaps the one flock which had fragmented
Black-tailed Godwit - flock of 5 out. This and Little Egret are perhaps inexplicably rare in the Heysham area c/f status just either side.
Red-throated Diver - 2 adult summer in together
Med Gull - 2nd summer cruising all over the place but no sign Czech-ringed adult

Wooden jetty
Two Purple Sandpiper & c80 Turnstone

Stage 2 outfall
1st W Little Gull Stage 2 outfall afternoon and seen to land for the first time for a month!

Elsewhere
Ad white-morph Ross's Goose of unknown origin Aldcliffe Marsh from mid pm, also 2 Whooper Swan. TWO Spotted Redshank Broadway groyne plus female Scaup offshore. Chough into roost at 1620hrs.



Ross's Goose in strong winds & fading light!

Meds get together

Czech-ringed EX78711 [above tarsus right leg] signing out from the winter? It was not seen tomorrow and left on 7th March in last two years. Only photo possible due to imminent moving car!

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
The two north harbour wall Med Gulls (Czech ad & 2nd S), which have been in parallel universes for most of the winter, started to wave heads at each other today

c15 Twite at the feeder

Ocean Edge/Stage 2 outfall
1st W Little Gull Stage 2 outfall
Wigeon - 63 Red Nab

Elsewhere
Pale-bellied Brent Goose on tideline off Sunny Slopes late afternoon low tide. 2 Avocet still on EM Pools. Chough in to roost about 1720 at Warton Crag - roosted to the west of the usual site. Thorough search for Fleagarth Wood Firecrest drew a blank, but it could, of course, have been an early passage bird. No Sand Martin Pine Lake (3 Goosander)

Czech-ringed Med returns

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall at lunchtime/late afternoon
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult on the railings at lunchtime, almost in summer plumage, with the 2nd summer bird on the mudflats late afternoon
Twite - 21 by the mound (at least 11 unringed)
Linnet - one with the Twite
Purple Sandpiper - at least one on the wooden jetty - lower tier middle section
Pink-footed Goose - 36 or 37 SE over the sea

Outfalls/Red Nab
Little Gull - 1st W Stage 2 outfall the only one left
Wigeon - 73
Shelduck - 71

Elsewhere
Another Avocet at last to keep the long-since-arrived one company on the EM Pools. Chough was in the Warton Crag roost at 1720hours but not sure of the arrival time. No Sand Martin Pine Lake but a bit cold & 'open'. At least 12 (but perhaps no more than 13) Whooper Swan still in the Lune Valley between Gressingham bridge and Melling. 16 Little Egret in Ashton Hall roost

No coverage

Heysham Obs
No coverage today

Elsewhere
Adult Long-eared Owl calling in the 'lower' plantation where they bred last year on the Leck Fell road. Very quiet call & wont be much use going in the forecasted noisy windy conditions. Any listening/watching MUST be done from the Leck Fell road. No taping please. 557 islandica Black-tailed Godwit at Broadway area of Morecambe - an unprecedentedly large number for there. Also the usual Spotted Redshank. The Chough arrived into the Warton Crag roost just before 4pm

First Gannet

Heysham Obs
A seawatch 0855-0925 was a bit more entertaining than of late

North harbour wall seawatch
Gannet - adult in
Little Gull - 3 1st w together in
Kittiwake - 5 + 17 out distantly
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 37 out [not sure of significance, but unusual]
Common Gull - 17 adults in

No sign 2nd W/S Med Gull on the one morning visit

Stage 2 outfall/Red Nab area
Little Gull - 5 adult, one obvious 2nd W, 1st W at 0930hrs. Late afternoon: 2 1st W & 2nd W.
Kittiwake - one adult all day
Twite - 22 Red Nab but only seen in flight

Elsewhere
The Chough came in at 1547hrs this afternoon, very early, and spent very little time perched up before disappearing, perhaps avoiding hail. Pale-bellied Brent Goose Sunny Slopes area

2nd W/S Med returns!

Heysham Obs
Used Heysham office as a base to make a big dent in the 2007 Annual Obs Report - sorry it is late this year - entirely my fault. Unfortunately two groups of people sent in what should have been the right direction for at least Little Gulls didnt reciprocate and report their sightings, despite an ever so polite request. So a quick dash round from 1515hrs was all the known coverage of the coastal areas. Pity, because putting 2 & 2 together suggested quite a few Kittiwake moving today and the early morning tide would have been worth a look.

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2nd W moulting into summer plumage cruising the wall as usual!
Kittiwake - Adult along the wall with the Med Gull and another adult in the harbour mouth. A tightly packed flock of 45 on the sea, slowly drifting into the Bay (1530hrs)
Goldfinch - one on the (Twite) nyger seed which was being decimated by rabbits!

Stage 2 outfall
A very brief look late afternoon saw at least 2 adult-type and 2 1st winter Little Gull

Middleton IE
Pair of Mute Swan nest building! 4 Tufted Duck, 1 female Pochard, 12 Coot, 3 Goldeneye, 6 Mallard, 1 male Teal (usually this bird with a female), 1 Little Grebe (low number for this time of year), just one Snipe and 2 Stonechat, presumably passage birds.

Elsewhere
Chough was already roosting in Warton Crag quarry at the usual site at 1700hrs. 1st W Kittiwake Pine Lake (very) late afternoon. Female Firecrest "about 6 minutes" along the Fleagarth Wood to Jenny Brown's Point footpath from the entrance c300m along Hollins Lane (SD465746) mid-morning. Tight flock of 28 Kittiwake lingering of Crook Farm, Lune Estuary mid morning (see intro. comment above) & the usual 3 Scaup on Conder Pool. Pale-bellied Brent Goose still Sunny Slopes groyne

Wintering Meds absent but Little Gulls remain on Stage 2 outfall

Heysham Obs
Stage 2 outfall
Little Gull - 17 first thing (2 1st W) reducing to about 6 mid-morning, 2 at 1430hrs then they increased again to 12 (2 1st W) on the late afternoon tide
Kittiwake - 2 ads late afternoon

North harbour wall
The only notable birds from three visits were a 1st W & Ad Kittiwake behind the dredger late afternoon

Quite a few immature large gulls around/passing through in the 30 minutes spent checking 'both sides' in the morning [but nothing much later on], especially feeding in the surf along the north wall. This is a good time, and following a good winter, for 'white-wings'.

There dont appear to be any of the resident winter Meds left.......but it is March and the Med Gull discussion group indicates that the colonies are being occupied in the Low Countries for e.g. with major passage counts to the SW e.g. Iberia.

Elsewhere
Chough reappeared in Warton Crag Quarry at 5pm (per pager message at 2300hrs). Two Whooper Swan Aldcliffe & Greenshank JB Point. No GWE reports but single Little Egrets at Griesdale and Jackson hides. Usual dearth of Saturday activity! Did anyone have time to check Pine Lake for Sand Martin in the 'ideal' late afternoon drizzle?

Not a lot for the leap year list

Heysham Obs
The weather looked quite promising this afternoon but was wet and miserable with the wind too far to the south in the morning. However, nothing behind the IOM ferry or on a 30 minute seawatch 1430-1500hrs and the only birds of note were:

Stage 2 outfall
1100hrs: 1st and 2nd winter Little Gulls
1425hrs: 5 adult type and 1 1st W Little Gulls
1505hrs: 9 adult type and 3 1st W Little Gulls
1715hrs: 16 Little Gulls, mostly adult-types

No doubt Ray has a fancy term for this sort of increase. No Kitts or Mediterranean Gulls!

Elsewhere
Great White Egret reportedly at the Grisedale Hide in the morning but definitely not later. No sign of the Chough at Warton Crag on Thursday=yesterday evening.

Very brief visit as part of low tide count

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Ad Little Gull dipfeeding with Black-headed Gulls somewhere in Cumbria i.e. miles out!
Ad Med Gull in the harbour

No coverage elsewhere in the recording area

Elsewhere
Pale-bellied Brent Goose on the tideline off Sunny Slopes (miles out!)
Ad Med Gull flew south close inshore at Sunny Slopes. Negative news on Chough roosting overnight (Wed/Thu) in Warton Crag quarry; NNEW, but presumably again absent, tonight.

Routine Fare

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Red-throated Diver - one out
Med Gull - adult summer behind the IOM passenger ferry to about the right-angle turn, then flew out[no Kittiwake]
Med Gull - 2nd W/S around the north wall

Outfalls/Ocean Edge
Little Gull - 1st winter Stage 2 (where else!)
Wigeon - 104 Red Nab