Meds gone?

Heysham Obs
No sign of any adult Med Gulls at the optimum time of IOM ferry arrival

Wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - 2 right at the end of the outer section on skeer

Offshore
Red-throated Diver - 2

North wall
Twite - 8 at feeder (one unringed, one from Jan 2009, one from 31/10/08, 5 from unspec. autumn 2008 - all Heysham-ringed)
Eider - male inshore

Elsewhere
Avocet Lune estuary & drake Scaup Conder pool. "Nothing" with c820 Pink-footed Geese along Heysham bypass by 'resident' Peugeot

Saved by a Stonechat

Heysham Obs
Near the heliport
Male Stonechat, obviously on passage at this site

North wall
Twite - 11
Purple Sandpiper - 1+ on wooden jetty - too wet to open gate (wimp?)

South of harbour (morning and late afternoon visits)
Wigeon - 70
Lots of common seagulls and waders

Broadgate garage area (Middleton road)
Little Egret - one flew over towards the Lune (roost?) late afternoon (no idea where from, but definitely in recording area). Sneaky behaviour this winter with many deserting the saltmarsh creeks for obscure inland ditches

Elsewhere
Waxwing still Leighton Drive am. Spotted Redshank in creek on west side of Sunderland tidal road late afternoon. "A lot of PF geese" in the most awkward field possible along the Heysham bypass clearway about 3 view-blocking hedges south of MFI/Wickes and 4 blocking hedges north of the first available farm access track

A Quiet Monday

No records so far from obs.

Moths

Single Dotted Border and March Moth (picture below)

Heysham Obs.

2 Purple Sandpiper on middle section of wooden jetty at high tide; one on top and one on angled beam about halfway down.

Report-writing priorities

Heysham Obs
Getting on with the 2008 Obs report was the priority today - not the least because the county and LDBWS report compilers were "after" the records in an easier form than on this website. Perhaps a good time to ask, with reference to the various report compilations, is there anything of great significance missing from the "public domain" from the Heysham area in 2008..........or anywhere else in Lancashire? You wont be 'named and shamed'!

North wall
Very brief visit saw the back end of some Twite (6+) and a single distant adult Med Gull. Please keep an eye open for the Czech-ringed adult - it will be leaving any day now and we need to inform the Czechs of the limital dates. We think of this bird as 'wintering' but it has been around since at least 18th July 2008 and usually seems to leave about the 6th March........but this spring has suddenly become a little "early" - e.g. three roding Woodcock in Roeburndale this evening - good last gasp "winter" atlas records! Thanks.

Middleton Industrial Est
4 mute
18 coot
5 moorhen
18 tufted
3 pochard
3 goldeneye
12 mallard
0 Teal!
2 little grebe
1 water rail (heard only)
1 snipe
1 heron

Elsewhere
Single Avocet reported Lune Estuary YESTERDAY. Three at Allen/EM Pools and one at Pilling Lane Ends today. Two Long-eared, single Short-eared, single Barn and two Tawny Owls Freeman's Wood/Pool area. The first three were feeding in late afternoon daylight - perhaps to avoid the later Tawny's? NO interesting geese actually reported in the LDBWS recording area but 3 x Tundra Bean in fields adjoining the seawall near Fluke Hall early morning

Quick (but legal!) run round

Heysham Obs
Having wasted a lot of time dealing with a hire car speeding offence which placed me in Nottingham when I was in High Tatham, not much time for birding or indeed 'work work' & dont think anyone else on the prowl today.

North harbour wall high tide
Med Gull - adult on the corrugated roof on the old Fisher's building. NB. due to sand removal, you can see this roof now from your car around the sandworks gate area and also just about see around the waterfall area
Twite - 13 around the feeder
Purple Sandpiper - at least one at long-range on the lower tier of the wooden jetty

South side (high tide)
Ringed Plover - 7 on OE west field

Moth
One Dotted Border in the trap

Elsewhere
Waxwing still at Leighton Drive, Lancaster. 5 Common Scoter off J B Point. Egyptian Goose on the pond at Haverbrack SD488801 (since last Friday). Bean Goose, presumed Tundra, Sand Villa area. Long & Short Eared & Barn Owls Freeman's Wood/Pool area.

Med Gulls get ready for spring and imminent departure

Heysham Obs
No reports of any Kittiwakes over and after the tide from any of the local coastal sites

Coastal area sightings pre-high tide
Wigeon - 97 Red Nab
Med Gull - ad at the seaward end of the outfalls in partial s.p., it or another around the IOM ferry. At least one bird in almost full summer seen along the NHW and a different adult roosting on Ocean Edge saltmarsh [3-4 adult Meds]
Kittiwake - 11 swirling about offshore in tight flock 0935, then landing on sea
Twite - 7-8 seen NH wall in brief flight
Purple Sandpiper - 2 on wooden jetty

Elsewhere
A bad goose day with flocks of PFG very uncooperative in the north Fylde and nothing unusual reported. Brief sighting of probable Rough-legged Buzzard reported from Leighton public hide c1015am (per pager)

Changing seasons

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Purple Sandpiper 2 below wooden jetty
Shelduck 2 'in' + 2 'out'
Eider 7 'in'
Twite - 7 on the seed, legs not seen
No sign of any Meds

Kittiwakes
It looked a good day to kickstart the spring Kittiwake passage - a stiffish westerly at the end of February. There is some history of this species being more frequent in spring on afternoon dropping tides (only Storm Petrel of the other regularish seabirds exhibits this pattern and in a totally different context). No time at all to seawatch over/after the tide at Heysham so it was left to the conscientious JBP observers (Tom & Tony) to rein them in:

"Kittiwake 5 + 13 (a long way out) +4 (close in) over the tide + at least 120 minimum feeding on dropping tide at 15:30pm"

Should be some more in the next few days

Heliport
At least a male Ringed Plover on territory

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Ringed Plover - a reduced flock of just 11 in the high tide roost, including a metal-ringed male trying to chase the rest off. No sign of the Snettisham-nesting c.r. female [one other metal-ringed bird].
Wigeon - 86 Red Nab

Elsewhere
Ad TUNDRA BEAN GOOSE Jeremy Lane (Glasson) along with 1st W European White-fronted Goose. 1st W Pale-bellied Brent elusive in Sand Villa area

Snipe at Red Nab again

Heysham Obs
Red Nab
Snipe 28 flew off Red Nab inland
Wigeon 85

Heliport
Golden Plover - 1 on helipad - first record there?

North harbour wall
Med Gull adult not ringed
Red-throated Diver 1 offshore
Purple Sandpiper 1 wooden jetty lower tier of outer section

Outfalls
A visiting observer reported seeing a 2nd W Med Gull

Moth Trap
Two Dotted Border

Elsewhere
Sand Villa geese at various times included: 3 x Greenland Whitefronted, Barnacle, TUNDRA BEAN & both Light and Dark-bellied Brent Goose. Both Long & Short-eared Owls seen at Freeman's Pool area

WeBs day

Heysham Obs
........didnt produce anything startling

North harbour wall area
Med Gull - 2 adults
Purple Sandpiper - 2 on lower tier of outer wooden jetty section
Red-throated Diver - probably 2 offshore
Twite - no sign

Red Nab etc.
Snipe - 4 Red Nab
Wigeon - 117

Moth trap
Single Dotted Border


Elsewhere
Barnacle, Ad Dark-bellied Brent, 1st W European White-fronted Geese with large numbers of PFG Sand Villa. Ad Med Gull with metal ring (probably ex-36W) Broadway area but no sign of any Scaup off north Morecambe. Long & Short-eared Owls hunting at Aldcliffe area this evening by Freeman's Pool.