Nothing as yet

Heysham Obs
Looks like the first blank for quite some time - anyone out checking for year list, please?

Twite: A flock of 6 seen today on the shore by Cockerham Sands Caravan Park consisted of 5 with autumn 2008 Heysham rings and one unringed bird

One slightly unusual ringing recovery just received. August is not usually a month associated with cross bay or indeed any distant movement of adult Greenfinch (e.g. moult). One ringed on 23/8/08 was recaptured on Walney on 29/8/08 (19km in a straight line over the Bay). A Magpie ringed here on 13/8/97 was found in a Larsen trap at "Heysham" on 6/8/08. Wonder where this is?

Heysham Head
1 siskin (f) (MD)

Elsewhere
Nothing not on LDBWS site (see links)

Twite desert the north wall

Unfortunately a combination of at least one photographer lacking field craft, anglers, general walkers & nice-ish weather has led to the Twite deserting the north wall feeding station. Hopefully they will be back in the new year (no ringing has taken place recently).

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall, pre-tide & early dropping tide
Linnet - one
Red-throated Diver - 7 offshore in a quick sweep - all very distant
Shag - absolutely no sign of any - yesterdays report looks like it was not the regular remaining bird from the autumn influx, but a 'one-off'
Guillemot - no sign
Med Gull - 2 adults on the railings
Purple Sandpiper - no sign of any roosting on the wooden jetty

Ocean Edge area
Twite - 32 on the saltmarsh but elusive and wide-ranging (this is the usual number on here - the flock of 40-60 on the north wall, sometimes supplementing the OE birds has gone AWOL)
Wigeon - 131 again

Elsewhere
The Egyptian Goose has been seen regularly at Leighton Moss this last few days - mainly Lilian's, Jacksons or in the field by the level crossing. Tundra Bean and 2 Barnacle Geese off Pilling Lane Ends. 4 European White-fronted Geese still off Aldcliffe in the afternoon but very mobile in the morning (possibly just due to 3 roaming dogs?). Now SIX Scaup off north Morecambe.

Blinding low sun favours the morning observer

Heysham Obs
The mid-stages of the incoming tide were a whole lot more productive than the afternoon visit but a common denominator was the absence of any small finches.

North harbour wall mid-morning and mid-afternoon
Med Gull - 2 adults on the railings on both visits (one Czech-ringed)
Shag - one on the wooden jetty in the morning (& 16 Cormorant) but no sign around the waterfall area on the dropping tide (as was also the case yesterday)
Guillemot - a float-in singleton at 1040hrs
Red-throated Diver - at least 4 offshore in the morning
Song Thrush - unusually, 2 in the sandworks mid-morning [**need to add to atlas roving records]

Observers: Jeff Butcher, Pete Marsh

Elsewhere
At last, a quality new arrival in the form of 4 European White-fronted Geese joining the Greylags at the north end of Aldcliffe Marsh (visible from the Golden Ball side as well as the Aldcliffe side). Med Gull off Glasson, 8 Whooper Swans just south of Melling, 1st W female Scaup Freeman's Pool

Midwinter ticking over in undramatic weather

Heysham Obs
Med Gull - 2 adults, including Czech-ringed bird
Guillemot - one in harbour
Red-throated Diver - one fairly close inshore
Linnet - 6
Twite - one

Thanks to John Mason for providing coverage

Red Nab
79 shelduck
89 wigeon
13 common snipe
(MD)

Elsewhere
8 Whooper Swan Lune valley between Gressingham Bridge and Melling. Absolute minimum of 7 Common Buzzard from Lilian's Hide Leighton Moss mid-afternoon, but forgot to check the sightings book on departure (often contains sightings which are not put on websites/pager). 5 Gadwall Pine Lake. No sign of any Waxwings Cove Road, Silverdale but a bit late in the day to check. Spotted Redshank & 2 Greenshank Conder area

There is only one Twite (at the time of the original posting)

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall lunchtime
Twite - one on the seed!! - 14 later
Med Gull - 2 adults on railings
Red-throated Diver - 2 in a single sweep offshore
Shag - no sign

Observers: Alan Richards & Pete Marsh

Heysham Head
1 treecreeper with/following small flock of Long tailed Tits (MD)

Elsewhere
4 Scaup Scalestones Point area, singleton Freeman's Pool. 8 Whooper Swan Lune valley between Gressingham and Melling. Belated report of Rough-legged Buzzard (& 5 Buzzard) at Leighton Moss [morning sighting from Lilian's Hide] (per pager)

No red noses but plenty of Red-throats.

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 0920-1200 ish
Red-throated Diver 16 minimum
Shag 1 juv harbour entrance
Twite 52
Eider 1 'in' + adult male close in
Shelduck 6 'out' - 1+1+3 'in'
Med Gull 2 adult
Great Crested Grebe 2
1005 Grey Plover 16 'out'
1015 Pink-footed Goose c160 North
1028 Guillemot 2 end of wooden jetty
Defeated by Ducks - 13 'out' may have been Mallard? + 2 'in' which could have been anything! Always find seawatching a challenging experience (John Wood)
Meadow Pipit 1 over

Heysham Head
c250 dunlin (south 10:30 - looks like they didn't get as far as John on NHW) MD

Elsewhere
Scaup - 2+ whilst driving along Morecambe prom, 8 Whooper Swan between Gressingham Bridge and Melling including one with darvic ring on right leg. No apparent sign of any Waxwings arouind Lancaster tax office and surrounding likely habitat (but Peregrine perched on cathedral)

Brief not a lot of encounter

Heysham Obs
A quick 40 minute trawl round the north harbour area/Ocean Edge foreshore, incorporating the lunchtime incoming IOM ferry, was not very good

Shag - no sign (single Cormorant at the waterfall)
Twite - c40 north wall feeder, but disturbed & not seen well
Red-throated Diver - after an age, one located far offshore
Guillemot - no sign
Med Gull - still just the one adult in the inner harbour
Purple Sandpiper - one seen after about 20 minutes searching below the wooden jetty
Kittiwake - none today behind the ferry
Wigeon - 131 off Stage 2 outfall

Middleton Industrial Est
2 mute
5 coot
4 moorhen
1 little grebe
8 tufted
1 pochard (f)
22 teal
8 mallard
16 snipe
3 bullfinch
140 Gloden plover (south 1:15)
Pinkfooted geese
160 (south 12:30)
91 & 49 (North east 2:00)

Elsewhere
Waxwing - 9 behind the tax office , Lancaster. No sign of any Whooper Swans in the usual Lune valley site (4 Mute). 4 Tree Sparrow at Heaton village feeders.

High numbers of Twite maintained

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 0925-1230hrs
Twite - 85 (21 unringed)
Red-throated Diver - 4 on sea including 1st W in harbour entrance then just below NHW + 1 'in' & 1 'out'
Shelduck - 1 + 1 'in'
Greylag Goose - 1 'out' then same one 'in'
Guillemot - 1 1015 hrs 'in' same 'out' 1034 hrs.
Pink-footed Goose - under wooden jetty then alongside NHW - injured bird & another injured bird on sea off wooden jetty (seen at same time)
Red-breasted Merganser - pair
Med Gull - adult (& still just one when IOM ferry arrived)
Purple Sandpiper - 2 on rocks under wooden jetty (right at seaward end)
Kittiwake - 1st W behind IOM ferry
Shag - at least one and possibly 2 juvs

Elsewhere
12 Little Egret in the Leighton roost

Bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
North Harbour Wall
28 Twite, adult Mediterranean Gull, juvenile Shag

Stage 2 outfall
Ad Little Gull was a loom through the gloom late afternoon

Elsewhere
Waxwing at north end of Leonard's Gate, Lancaster. Possible Red-necked Grebe Lune Estuary lunchtime (seen off Glasson floating out). Scaup Freeman's Pool.

Reasonable inshore coverage of dropping tide

Heysham Obs
Around/off harbour walls
Twite - 17 (all Heysham 2008-ringed) north harbour wall
Red-throated Diver - one (flew) out distantly and one closer inshore on water
Pink-footed Goose - injured bird under wooden jetty (qualifies for BTO challenge!)
Shag - juv harbour mouth, later waterfall area (with 2 Cormorant)
Guillemot - one close inshore
Purple Sandpiper - one at least under the wooden jetty on rocks
Shelduck - 3+1+1 out

Stage 2 outfall
Little Gull - adult mid-afternoon [none yesterday in calm weather]

Red Nab
1 Kingfisher

Ocean Edge salt marsh
268 lapwing(nicely spaced for easy counting)
30 mixed twite & linnet flock

Moths
Mottled Umber and Winter Moth in the trap

Elsewhere
Waxwing - three "behind tax office" (cobbled street to east of Dalton Square) at at least 1030hrs