Reasonably good seawatching & Heysham One outfall producing the goods at last!

Heysham Obs
Five observers covered the north harbour wall seabirds 0715-1230hrs and were rewarded with (or missed!) some reasonable fare:

North harbour wall/outfalls observations 0715-1230 (Dan Haywood, someone who should have been at work, Pete Marsh (who also should have been at work), Brendan & Paula Smith)
Avocet - flock of 6 into the Bay - the third ever record & the third this spring!
Pomarine Skua - full-tailed ad light morph in at 1010ish - a bit distant, flying low into the bay
Arctic Skua - single dark and darkish morphs in 0735 & 0743
Marsh Harrier - one across the mouth of the bay heading for the north Fylde at c1135
Arctic Tern - not easy to document. c470 birds involved, mainly after the tide started to come in and invariably after gathering on the outfalls. Many of these headed straight up into the air and either NE over the harbour or high into the Bay. 91 of the total were birds remaining on the outfalls on the incoming tide when the observations ceased. c90 still on the outfalls (same birds??) at 1600hrs, then 50 headed off high into the sky NE (which suggests that they were not the same throughout)
Black Tern - at one stage there were two on Heysham 2 outfall but hard to see through the remnants of the wooden jetty. The accompanying Arctic Terns went off high into the sky and were presumed to have taken the Blacks with them. However, a single Black Tern appeared with more Arctics & remained until observations ceased. Probably 3 birds. One still on the outfalls at 1600hrs and two others flying SE past Red Nab
Common Tern - up to 4 blogging
Sandwich Tern - impossible - somewhere between 35 and 50 birds during the morning
Whimbrel - 5 in
Swallow - 506 in 0715-1130 - probably double this as birds sneaked behind observers! Still moving at about 4/minute late afternoon
Swift - 16 in
House Martin - 19 in
Sand Martin - 1 in
Tree Pipit - one NE
Lesser Redpoll - just 2 NE
Jackdaw - 2 in-off, then NE as yesterday (some moving at Walney this month as well)
Linnet - 2 NE
Meadow Pipit - 2 very late birds NE
Black-headed Gull - notable passage with 100+ flying in and 35 still on outfalls at 1200
Mute Swan - flock of 4 in-off from Walney direction and a flock of 7 across from Ulverston direction - most unusual!
Knot - flock of 40 out

Inshore/off passage (see above for tern species)
Bar-tailed Godwit - 2 - scarce here
Common Sandpiper - 2
Turnstone - 166 (no Purple Sands noted)
Black Guillemot
Guillemot - 2 floating in quite close (1st summers)
Common Gull - 287

Insects from north harbour wall
Large White - 13 in-off/NE
Small White - 6 in-off/NE
unspec white spp 22 in-off/NE
[no Red Admiral or other butterflies seen]

Elsewhere
Ad male Red-footed Falcon 'in-off' at JB Point - seen by two experienced observers. Just outside LDBWS area: 5 Dotterel on Little Ingleborough. Black Kite over Lancaster YESTERDAY evening.

Back to 'normal'....then afternoon Marsh harrier

Heysham Obs
The only year tick today was two queen wasps in-off during the seawatching. A scattering of interest from the north harbour wall, but very few seabirds. The only incentive was to hope for a Red-rumped Swallow! Then after the above was written, a Heysham year-tick flew NE over the edge of the golf course in the form of a female or imm male Marsh Harrier, on size, probably female at 1337hrs


North harbour wall 0730-1200
Flava wagtail - one NE at 1100ish - normal flavissima-type calls i.e. mellow, not harsher like Grey-headed, but bird not seen
Jackdaw - two together in-off and purposefully NE - unusual [not resident in this area]
Sanderling - 4 in
Arctic Tern - 14+8 in
Swallow - 441 NE (MANY missed going 'behind')
Swift - 9 NE
Sand Martin - 1 NE
House Martin - 10 NE
Redpoll - all appeared to be Lesser - 33 NE
Linnet - 1 NE
White Wagtail - 3 NE
Gannet - ad behind IOM ferry
Kittiwake - 5 adults (flock) in with the second AT flock
Common Scoter - 2 out
Whimbrel - 8 in
Wheatear - one in-off

Inshore/off-passage
Purple Sandpiper - one with c85 Turnstone
Black Guillemot - around wooden jetty & off NHW
Common Sandpiper - one briefly on rocks
Med Gull - 1st W (same as the other day)heading towards outfalls
Sedge Warbler - one briefly on mound

Ringing/reserve
Nothing much as too windy for most net sites (3 Lesser Redpoll trapped). No sign of White-throated Sparrow but no (visiting) birders at all looking!

From the office
The autumnal vis mig seat outside the office produced a Marsh Harrier NE at 1337hrs. Surprisingly not noticed by the local gulls - perhaps the flightline was far enough to the east.

Insects
2 queen wasp spp. and 3 queen bumble bee spp. in-off

Elsewhere
Spoonbill still Griesdale mere. Osprey along Lune valley by Aughton Woods 1500hrs. No sign of the Chough at Warton Crag since Friday despite consistent observer presence. 7 Common Scoter of JBP but nothing else to 1300hrs at least. The two skuas off Knott End (one dm Pom) did not reach Heysham.

One of those days

Photos by Emma Garston

Heysham Obs

Heysham Nature reserve ringing
2CY White-throated Sparrow of the tan colour-morph trapped and ringed at 0910hrs by Alan Draper & Andrew Cadman. The high fat and muscle scores (3 & 2 respectively) indicate that it has been around for a day or two and indeed it was trapped in an "inland" net site by the dipping pond. Texted Walney with "1-1 after 43 years!". Very little else caught! The only other grounded bird of interest was a Garden Warbler, only the second of the year for a species which does not breed here

North harbour wall 0630-0911 then 1200-1300
Pomarine Skua - adult light morph in close inshore at 0836hrs (hugging the water). Attempts at Coolpixing it produced fresh air and sea. The timing suggests it may have been the bird seen 'heading for the outer reaches of Morecambe Bay', as seen from Walney during the previous 45 minuts or so
Arctic Skua - dark morph in at 0710hrs
Black Tern - one in at 0720hrs, another blogging around the end of the outfalls with 8 Arctic Tern at 0845 but they did not pass the NHW & had gone by 0900hrs
Arctic Tern - NONE past the NHW into the Bay! (see above) until 15 in 1200-1300hrs
Common Tern - one blogging
Swallow - 276 NE 0630-0911, many probably missed, 70 from 1300-1400.
Lesser Redpoll - 9 NE (& three ringed)
Linnet - 4 NE
House Martin - 2NE
Whimbrel - 4+11 in
Sandwich Tern - 11 in, 5 blogging
Manx Shearwater - 30 in, 2 out all 1200-1300hrs

A flock of 15 possible/probable Little Gulls distantly in the haze at 1330ish

Inshore
Black Guillemot & single Purple Sandpiper

Mammals
Grey Seal off NHW at low tide. [No observations later in the tide cycle at 'Harbour Porpoise time' but one seen off the SJ over the tide]

Elsewhere

A well-publicised Whinchat at Aldcliffe. 10 Greenland-type Wheatear on Ward's Stone plateau and 2-3 lower down, but only one Golden Plover on territory on the plateau. Several people wishing they had taken an extra day off! No news on anything from Leighton Moss e.g. current Spoonbill status but it appears there have been no Chough sightings since at least the 2nd May.

Skuas and sunbathing!

Heysham Obs

North harbour wall 0650-1100
A half-decent morning in 'deckchair' weather. Light variable wind turning SE and the early stages of the incoming tide at the optimum time of the morning. Puzzling lack of observers with only three enjoying the Pomarine Skuas.

Pomarine Skua - Three light morphs in distantly at 0915, only one of which had a full tail (this caused initial confusion). Two light morphs giving excellent views as they flew in at 0950hrs - they were well above the sea and unfortunately could not be found in the camera viewfinder!
Arctic Skua - 2 dark morph together + light and dark morph together + single light morph [& 3 additional Arctic Skua after midday as seen from JBP - one inland via the Kent, two via the Keer]
Arctic Tern - 45 in
Pink-footed Goose - 80+150+120+40+13 NNW in that order
Med. Gull - 1st winter in (very large-billed individual with no hint of summer plumage on head - not the bird seen the other day)
Little Gull - 1st S in
Red-throated Diver - 1 in, another on the water
Guillemot - one in on the water
Sandwich Tern - 9 purposefully in & c9 blogging
Mute Swan - 5 imms in (having been on the sea off Red Nab)

Inshore
Black Guillemot around wooden jetty but flew offshore at 1050hrs. No conscientious check for Purple Sandpiper. Just a single Knot remaining on the heliport roost!

Outfalls
Common Tern - 1

Grounded
Very little but did include a Spotted Flycatcher at Red Nab. Just one Wheatear seen.

Insects
Red Admiral 'in-off' as leaving the north wall at 1105

Mammals
Harbour Porpoise - 2 still around

Elsewhere
Hardly anything in this area! Two Spotted Flycatcher Upper Hindburn and Short-eared Owl along Silly Lane, Hindburndale.

Multiple Black Tern passage

Heysham Obs
Another morning & subtely different fare - today included multiple Black Tern, a fly-by Avocet (first north harbour wall record, following on the first site record in April) and confirmation of two Harbour Porpoise which was suspected the other day

North harbour wall 0600-1100
Black Tern - 7+2 in with Arctic plus another off Red Nab, then towards the Lune with 44 Arctic Tern [10 in total] [plus one - see below]
Arctic Tern - 89 in plus 44 as described above [see below]
Avocet - one out close inshore at 0914hrs - see above
Gannet - 1
Red-throated Diver - 1
Razorbill - 1
Swallow - good passage: 70 per hour, increasing to 120 per hour (from?) mid-morning
House Martin - 6
Sand Martin - 1
Swift - 3
Greylag - 3 out
Goldfinch - 2
Lesser Redpoll - 1

Black Guillemot by wooden jetty, but no obvious sign of any Purple Sandpiper amongst an increase to 235 Turnstone, but plenty of hidden sections of wooden jetty

Red Nab/outfalls
See above re-Arctic/Black Tern
Common Tern - 1 on outfalls
Common Gull - 161
Black-headed Gull - 24
Black-tailed Godwit - 1 within BTO challenge area
Whinchat - 1
Wheatear - 2

Late afternoon low tide trawl
Single Black Tern, 35 Arctic Tern and a 1st S Little Gull off the seaward end of Heysham 2 outfall or along the channel to the south just before a large shower

Mammals
2 Harbour Porpoise

Elsewhere
Spoonbill still EM Pools. Single Black Tern new in (NOT 'still'!) at Leighton Moss public mere (the three flew off high to NE, as they usually do if clear, last night. 3 more this evening plus another on Borwick Waters.

Trickle of migrants

Heysham Obs
A 'nearly' morning with a wind which did not have quite enough east in it, clouds which did not produce the requisite short sharp shower or two and visibility which was a little too clear. Nevertheless a steady trickle of migrants. This is the sort of morning where Stage One outfall is missed - there is no warm water coming out at the moment & therefore no cooked invertebrates to produce a large gathering of gulls/passage terns at the seaward end. These can usually provide 'entertainment' if the sea passage is slow

Grounded
An arrival of Common Whitethroat as judged by singing males with at least 15 scattered around the recording area, following just 2-3 (more on Middleton) on previous days. The mist nets were operated for CES which meant no Willow warbler or Redpoll tapes and the result was a sprinkling of migrants including the first Garden Warbler of the year. Wheatears were fairly prominent with at least 18 counted, including at least one by the office. A Willow Warbler was on the rocks at Red Nab but, as indicated by the biometrics of trapped birds, this was 'female time' and they are very elusive and unobtrusive, as well as moving rapidly inland, once the now leafy vegetation has been reached. Therefore impossible to put a figure on Willow warbler this morning.

Sea/vis, mainly from the north harbour wall
Common Tern - the 'highlight'! - 2 birds close inshore, one of which ended up on the outfalls
Arctic Skua - LM in
Sandwich Tern - c8
Arctic Tern - flock of 7 in & 3
Gannet - 4
Manx Shearwater - 1
Pink-footed Goose - flock of 60 N
Swallow 15NE
House Martin - 2 NE
Linnet - 13 NE
Lesser Redpoll - 8NE
Goldfinch - 5 NE
Meadow Pipit - 5 very late birds NE
Tree Pipit - 1 NE

Off-passage/inshore
Common Sandpiper - 1
Black Guillemot - around & on the wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - one still on wooden jetty
Mute Swan - pair on the sea by Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Guillemot - one on sea
Common Gull - 82 off OE/Red Nab
Black-headed Gull - 16 of OE/Red Nab

Reassessment
Following a conversation with another of the observers, the Pomarine Skua seen two days ago has been 'firmed up'. This additional information on this bird was not available at the time of the posting

Elsewhere
Belated mega JUST outside the area: DARK-EYED JUNCO in an garden at Newby, near Ingleton 13th April, the first Nearctic passerine anywhere near the LDBWS recording area! Predictably no sign of pratincole spp.. Three Black Tern arrived at Leighton Moss c0930 and left high to the NE at 2010; 2 were on Borwick Waters "this morning", but not there at 1500hrs.

Large falcon entertainment

Heysham Obs
Not sure whether it was worth getting up to be faced with serious identification problem at about 3 miles range = a pale headed 'thing' in a heathaze flapping and gliding low over the water. Fortunately is was heading for the wooden jetty, as many 'cross the bay' birds do and it was possible to "narrow" it down to something which looked like a Saker. Any conversation with falconers, especially the more knowledgeable ones involved with 'bird scaring' activities (and the best birds to use for this), will soon indicate that unless you have a white Gyr on a remote Irish/Scottish headland, large falcons are impossible to identify with absolute certainty in the field. This is based on an assumption that they are of captive origin and therefore subject to all sorts of permutations re-parent history, perhaps involving artificial insemination

North harbour wall 0650-0750
Saker or hybrid 'in-off' 0710!
LM & DM Arctic Skua in at 0720 - they were starting to climb as they passed Heysham.
Manx Shearwater - 3 together out
Sandwich Tern - 6 blogging
Linnet - 6 NE
White Wagtail - 2 NE
No hirundines or Arctic Terns c/f last year!

Black Guillemot - in residence around the wooden jetty, harrassed by 1st summer Herring Gulls
Purple Sandpiper - one still with 155 Turnstone on the wooden jetty

Elsewhere
Pratincole spp. frequenting wader scrapes along the Roeburndale West road, but flushed as a result of necessary farm work and not seen since midday. This was well-described by two people who are familiar with the usual birds and had no prior knoeledge that anything like a pratincole existed. The initial views were in flight and it was described as a big 'black and white' swift with a forked tail but it was later seen at the water's edge with Lapwing. One of the observers may have seen the underwing colour but I havent spoken to them. Black Tern Lilians Hide. Female Velvet Scoter on the sea at JBP at least 0820 but no sign at 0915. Razorbill on rocks off the Stone Jetty & fsp Spotted Redshank on the Strathmore groyne.

DBBrent a BTO business challenge bonus

Heysham Obs
Dark-bellied Brent on the seaward point of Red Nab at 0800, then disappeared whilst making phone call!

North harbour seawatch 0705-0935
Pomarine Skua - one in very distantly at 0855 (more info. received on this bird, hence upgrade). 2-3 other birds which may have been skuas further out at the same time
Arctic Skua - lm in 0750, dm in 0920
Common Scoter - 18 in
Red-throated Diver - c9, mainly in
Manx Shearwater - 10 in, 3-4 out
Gannet - 2 in, 4 out
Sandwich Tern - 1 in
Arctic Tern - 3 in
Kittiwake - 2 in
Whimbrel - 5 out
Razorbill - 2 out
Guillemot - one on sea
Fulmar - 2 in, 1 out
Dunlin - 45 out (flock)
House Martin - 1 in
Swallow - 1 in

Inshore
Black Guillemot intermittently noted
Purple Sandpiper - at least 1 on wooden jetty

Mammals
Porpoise - one close inshore

Insects
Large Red Damselfly Middleton IE

Elsewhere
Osprey Leighton Moss. No Scaup at Glasson/Conder Pool

Unexpectedly productive

Heysham Obs
What looked like a dismal useless morning was far from it for an hour or so. Weather involved a significant slow-moving front blocking any high northward movement. Wind variable 1-2. Unfortunately unable to cover promising conditions on the early incoming tide late afternoon. Arctic Terns have moved in numbers at this time of day in previous years

North harbour wall 0800-0940
Knot - c7,500, possibly more swirling about very high in the sky before heading SE!
Arctic Skua - LM in 0805
Arctic Tern - long straggling flock of 163 in which then fragmented with 52+33 returning out
Common Scoter - flock of 8 out
Red-throated Diver - 2 in
Whimbrel - 6 north
Swallow 2NE
Sandwich tern - 4 blogging

Inshore
Black Guillemot - throughout in the harbour mouth
Purple Sandpiper - 2 together on the rocks under where the inner end of the wooden jetty should be!

Elsewhere
Black Tern - Leighton Moss from early morning - Lilian's hide, then Public Hide - treated like a 5-star rarity! Cuckoo flying over Lancaster, heading SW. NO mention of Green-winged Teal or Spoonbill at Leighton c/f yesterday's uncertainty.

A very low key morning

.............especially for night migrants as there were no sharp showers and it was otherwise far too clear. Help needed with early morning NHW sea/vis mig coverage on the weekdays next week and especially Monday 12th May when there is no way any of 'us' can cover. Anyone able to commit to any of next Monday to Friday? Please contact Pete or Jean - best to be on site minimum of 0700-0800 or 0730-0830 if a bit slow, or as much as possible 0700-1000 if fairly productive. Thanks - surely there is someone out there in the 80+ who access this site daily!

North harbour wall 0650-0805
Med Gull - noisy 1st summer on sea by gate (heard before seen whilst opening gate!)
Black Guillemot - on and alongside the wooden jetty - ignored the dredger this morning - seen off the end of the jetty early afternoon at least Purple Sandpiper - two under the inner section of the wooden jetty early afternoon at least. One of these & Middleton Grasshopper Warbler provided a South African world lister with two new species this late afternoon
Guillemot - 2 on water
Razorbill - one on water
Arctic Tern - flock of 16 in
Sandwich Tern - only 3 seen
Lesser Redpoll 4NE (together)
Linnet - 21 NE
Swallow - 27 NE + 21NE late afternoon
House Martin - 3 NE+2NE late afternoon

Grounded
Nothing other than 20 Wheatear Ocean Edge/Red Nab. This has been the worst spring on record (so far) for mistnetting migrants; a really unfortunate combination of factors, mainly heavy rain at the wrong times on good migrant days

Middleton IE
Two singing male Grasshopper Warblers this evening. Access at your own risk - stay on concrete roads

Butterflies seen in the recording area today
The first decent numbers and variety this year: 4 Brimstone, 2 Orange Tip, 2 Speckled Wood, 5 Peacock, 1 Small White, 3 Small Tortoiseshell.

Elsewhere
No information yet on local scarcities & uncertainty over whether Spoonbill & Green-winged Teal still at Leighton. Chough overflew Warton Crag but had not returned to roost by 2015hrs. An odd hirundine situation in Hindburndale with 5 pairs of House Martin all in and nestbuilding at Thrushgill but Swallows still by no means 'in'. HM usually later. 2 Scaup Conder Pool.