Seawatching and vis morning on the north wall

Heysham Obs
An okayish morning, especially for the less experienced birders, but the lack of skua species was disappointing

Birds seen moving north 0700-1030
Kestrel - one watched 'in-off', then NE
Arctic Tern = 70 in, 7 out
Sandwich Tern - perhaps just 10 or so bloggng
Fulmar - perhaps just the two blogging
Razorbill - one in, two out
Guillemot - 5 out, one in
Whooper Swan - one in 1000ish - very late (Marton Mere bird?)
Whimbrel - 4 out
Gannet - 5 in, one out
Red-throated Diver - one out - landed on water
Goosander - male in (rare here)
Meadow Pipit - 25
Swallow - 90
Linnet - 23
Redpoll spp - 10
House Martin - 1
Swift - 2
Sand Martin - 14
Grey Wagtail - 1 (late)
Goldfinch - 17
Wheatear - 25 passed through the seawatch area, many of these "in-off" and north along the seawall. At least a further 27 in the recording area & the speed they were moving inland suggests many more as OE foreshore and the non-operational land were not checked until very late/not at all respectively
Wheatear (additional)
16 on Half Moon Bay foreshore 7am
13 on Ocean Edge foreshore 11am


In situ
Black Guillemot by the wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - probably just the one intermittently visible below wooden jetty
Little Gull - 2 adults on the outfall for a lengthy period - then at least one of them seemed to head off high
2 Grasshopper Warbler - Middleton Industrial Est

Elsewhere
Black Tern Leighton Moss

Routine migration trickle

Heysham Obs
*** See posting on 16/4 for good views of Alpine Swift just a few millimetres outside the Obs recording area at 1100hrs (on 16/4)!

Ocean Edge foreshore
Mediterranean Gull - yesterdays 2CY
Wheatear - 12 plus 6 NHW
Willow Warbler - 2 migrants on the rocks

Office area
Redstart - female
Redpoll spp - 1 NE
Goldfinch - 2 NE

North harbour wall & area (all passerines/hirundines NE)
Black Guillemot
Arctic Skua - one dm in 0750hrs
Arctic Tern - 7 in
Sandwich Tern - one blogging, 3 in
Little Gull - ad winter blogging
Gannet - 6 in
Razorbill - 2 in
Guillemot - 2 in & 4 floating in
Whimbrel 14+22+1 in, 3 out
Swallow - 92
Meadow Pipit - 40
Goldfinch - 17
Linnet - 7
Redpoll - 1
Siskin - 2
Jackdaw - 1 in
Grey Heron - 1 in
Turnstone - 265
Purple Sandpiper - 1

Jay
One was along Moneyclose Lane between the reserve and Ocean Edge and is the first posting for a bit. Please post any sightings of this species in the Heysham area. Thanks

Mammals
3 Harbour Porpoise and a Grey Seal off NH wall

Moths
Chinese Character new for the year

Elsewhere
Absolutely nothing of interest reported in this area in the public domain other than the above Heysham stuff! 2 Black-necked Grebe at Lilians hide, Leighton Moss yesterday, also 2 Curlew Sandpiper on the Allen/EM Pools. Apologies for not texting the BNG - forgot to check pager - very busy! Scalloped Hook-tip was an unexpected capture at Lord's Lot Wood last night

Fairly low key, especially on the sea!

Heysham Obs
Extensive cloud cover out to sea did nothing to divert any passage via Morecambe Bay...........at least pre-0900hrs when work had to take over.

North harbour wall 0700-0900
Black Guillemot - in residence
Gannet - one out
No obvious sign of any Purple Sandpiper in poor light

Vis mig north wall/Ocean Edge/by office pre-0900
Siskin - 8 NE
Swallow - 16 NE

Grounded
Wheatear - 11
low single figures of Willow Warbler & Chiffchaff plus a single unringed Blackcap caught

Miscellany
Med Gull - unringed 2CY with extensive dusky rear crown and well-defined dark band on outer bill OE foreshore
Black-headed Gull - 280 OE foreshore/outfall - good count for this time of year - worth checking daily!
Common Gull - 35 perhaps a lower number than usual for this time of year

Moths
V Pug & Herald & a few orthosias

Elsewhere
Nothing as yet

Not worth getting up early!

Reptiles
Apart from the possibility of an escapee from a snake dancer in a Morecambe nightclub, reptiles have never featured on the radar for this area. However, an intensive search for Belted Beauty Moth at nearby Potts Corner produced a minimum of two sightings of Common Lizard. Please do keep an eye open for these in the Obs recording area as they havent been seen in 30+ years of coverage!

Heysham Obs
Early seawatching was like watching paint dry with just 4 Sandwich Tern 0715-0815 in very clear conditions. Went up a gear later as some cloud and haze appeared to the south. A survey vessel (didnt appear to be bird work) in the mouth of the bay did not help with respect to Red-throats and scoters drifting in [the(?) two Velvets were seen again at Rossall].

North wall 0715-0815, 0830-1045
Black Guillemot - on or below the wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - definitely two and possibly three on/below wooden jetty
Sandwich Tern - just 8 seen all morning - all in!
Arctic Tern - flocks of 10 + 104 in (latter at 1010hrs)
Arctic Skua - a distant all dark skua in at 0945 appeared to be this species
Little Gull - adult still in winter plumage out, plus 3CY on the sea of Ocean Edge
Redpoll spp - 4+1 in
White Wagtail - 1 in
Linnet - 6 in
House Martin - 1 in
Swallow 45 - in (0840-1130 hrs) more frequent latterly.
Sand Martin 1 NE
Woodpigeon 1 high over Bay NE
Robin - one grounded on the end of the north harbour wall - soon went inland (see also ringing)

Ocean Edge
Little Gull - see above
Mallard - male off Red Nab (mega!)
Wheatear - 8
Whimbrel - 3


Ringing
An early start in clear conditions did at least produce the first Lesser Whitethroat of the year on the reserve plus a Blackcap & probable migrant Robin


Middleton IE
Whinchat - male
Grasshopper Warbler - singing male central marsh

Mammals
At least three Harbour Porpoise but quite distant (Kent channel?) at c1030hrs

Insects
Several teneral Large Red Damselflies were seen YESTERDAY around the reserve

Elsewhere
Osprey last night at Leighton Moss

Routine coverage

North harbour wall 0830-0950

Black Guillemot wooden jetty

Purple Sandpiper wooden jetty

Gannet 5 'in' (4 ad + 1 sub-adult)

Sandwich Tern 4 blogging

Swallow 1 North

Rook 1 South over wooden jetty

Velvet Scoter highlight

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 06.30-7.30 & 0845-1145
Arctic Tern - 15 in
Eider (6 in, 8 out, 15 across the end of the Bay N-S)
Sandwich tern (build up - 2 in and hanging round yellow buoys, 4 on red buoy, later 10 altogether wandering round)
Red-throated diver (1 out but landed by yellow buoys, 1 out, 3 in)
Gannet - 1 in, 3 out
Guillemot - 1 out.Common Scoter 30+20+130=180 ouy
Velvet Scoter - 2 out with common scoter flock
Little Gull - 2x AdS north, 2x 1stW north, 1 AdW on sea
Arctic Skua - 1 dark morph on seaMeadow Pipit - c36 NE
Swallow - c6 NE
Tree Pipit - 1 NE
alba Wagtail - 4 NE

Red Nab
Dunlin unusual & 2 Sandwich Tern

Wooden jetty area
Purple sandpiper - 1, later 2 seen
Black Guillemot - flying about and swimming, then up on top of pier.

Grounded
Wheatear - 3

Elsewhere
Nothing dramatic although belated news that the Alpine Swift on 15/4 was seen flying from Cockersands towards Glasson at 5pm!

Through Morning Mist

North Harbour Wall 6.00am to 10am

calm conditions but visibility very poor
Arctic Skua pale morph in at 7.20am though distant
Black Guillemot and Common Guillemot
Purple Sandpiper with Turnstones
Arctic Terns c25 : Kittiwakes 5

Sandwich Terns c35 (including 25 in view at one time on buoys ad outfall railings)
Scoter 48 (including flock of 40, which went out of bay then back in an hour later)
Gannet 1

Eider 33 (26m & 7f)

Greylag - 2 in

Red Throated Divers 5
Little Gulls 16 ( 11 adults ; all into bay)
2 Wheatear on mound

Shelduck pair inner harbour wall

Meadow Pipit 11 NE

Swallow 34 NE

alba Wagtail 8 NE

Redpoll spp - 3

Siskin - 3

Middleton Industrial Est (Evening)

Singing warblers:

1 Grasshopper

1 Lesser whitethroat

1 Sedge

Nice day for migrants

Wanted : experienced seawatcher(s) to cover Monday 20th & probably Tuesday 21st from the north harbour wall - early morning to 1000ish (or part of this period). No-one available at this end.

Heysham Obs
Unfortunately no mist netting was possible this morning but a good few odds and ends picked up by what was otherwise good coverage of the sea & land except early morning on the sea (see JBP)

North harbour wall 0645-0930, some hirundine/passerine vis from other sites, then 1215-1315
Manx Shearwater - distant bird, probably this species c1300hrs
Red-throated Diver - 6 in
Gannet - 24 (+) in
Common Scoter - flock of 6 in
Red-breasted Merganser - 4 in
Black-tailed Godwit - 1 SW (rare here)
Little Gull - flock of 7 summer plumaged adults, including a 'pink' bird in with c12 Black-headed Gulls at c1230
Arctic Skua - 1 pale morph at 0700hrs, 1 pale 1 dark 0720hrs, dark 0900hrs, dark 0930hrs - all in
Whimbrel - 4 in (first of year)
Sandwich Tern - 128 in, 7 out, then 70 in 1 out 1215-1315
Arctic Tern - 34 in, nearly all in first hour - JBP figures suggest a lot missed prior to 0645hrs (79 at JBP), then 103 in 1215-1315
Swallow - 61 NE
Sand Martin - 11 NE
Meadow Pipit - 31 in
alba Wagtail - 7 in
Linnet - 38 in
Goldfinch - 4 in
Siskin - heard once + 2 NE
Redpoll spp - 1+ in
Carrion Crow - 2+ 4 in
Tree Pipit - one NE (first of year)

Grounded definite migrants
Wheatear - 3 non-op, one Red Nab, 2 heliport
Redstart - male lingering on the north harbour wall mound!

Miscellany
Black Guillemot returned = around wooden jetty or just offshore
Purple Sandpiper - at least 2
Grasshopper Warbler - FOUR Middleton IE
Lesser Whitethroat - 2 singing male Middleton IE - first of year
Common Whitethroat - singing male by office - first of year

Middleton Industrial Est
3 mute
12 coot
3 moorhen
4 little grebe
6 tufted
6 shellduck
1 teal
4 mallard

Elsewhere
Early morning coverage of JBP indicated what had been missed past Hey prior to 0645. There was obviously a very early movement of Arctic Tern with 79 picked up at JBP (& most of the Heysham birds prior to 0730hrs), not always the best site for this spp., e.g. how many went inland via the Keer flightline? Two Great Skua also seen at JBP . 2 Osprey Leighton Moss mid afternoon, single Osprey Cleveley Mere early morning

Thank goodness for the Gannet!

Wanted : experienced seawatcher(s) to cover Monday 20th & probably Tuesday 21st from the north harbour wall - early morning to 1000ish (or part of this period). No-one available at this end.

Heysham Obs
No observer until 0830hrs this morning due to early morning work. The Rossall seawatch stuff hadn't yet kicked in on the pager [Little Tern, 3 Arctic Skua 12 Arctic Tern by 0730hrs] & it seemed to be "dead", therefore just about to make a beeline for the nearest coffee when a Gannet flew in.....give it another 5 minutes or so. The reward was the biggest (and one of the closest) flock of Arctic Skua I have ever seen from here. No sign yet again of the Black Guillemot.

North harbour wall 0830-0945
Arctic Skua - flock of 7 (3 lm) in at 0850hrs, just inside the line of the yellow buoys - picked up again off north Morecambe at 0915hrs (following phone calls), whence they circled high and disappeared in a NW direction into the haze (just south of Humphrey Head)
Gannet - one in at 0845hrs
Arctic Tern - flock of 16 in at 0900hrs
Sandwich Tern - 5 in with the above Arctic Terns & one out at 0920hrs
Purple Sandpiper - 3 together below the wooden jetty and almost certainly an additional singleton with the Turnstone below the NHW by the gate
Turnstone - 392
Swallow - 26 NE
Linnet - 8 NE
Meadow Pipit - 5 NE

Elsewhere
See above for same flock of Arctic Skua off Bare. Curlew Sandpiper again Allen/EM Pool and adult Spoonbill at Leighton Moss. Stunningly routine on the Lune & north Fylde.

Struggle against a 'blocking' wind but late afternoon Osprey saves the day

Alpine Swift
This was seen very well by Bill and Chris Ashby accompanying a single Swallow from their house overlooking the bay on Twemlow Parade. It was around at 1100hrs before heading north. This does suggest that the theories re-roosting on the power station or the cliffs at Heysham Head probably had some substance! Unfortunately the only morning observer in the area was doing a VP the wrong side of the 'Heysham ridge'

Heysham Obs
Just one hour on the north wall this morning 0730-0830 & an afternoon visit by a group of eminent Fylde birders. A bit of vis along the seawall but nothing happening offshore after a little flurry 0730-0735. The Black Guillemot was also nowhere to be seen! Some Germans were photographing the departing Moondance - apparently it is due to move to pastures new - pity it cannot take the axphixiating rust bucket West Express with it.

North harbour wall 0730-0830
Meadow Pipit - 69 NE
Linnet - 48 NE
Swallow - 7 NE (all in last 10 minutes) & about 25/hr subsequently
House Martin - 2 NE in the afternoon - first of the year for here
alba Wagtail - 5 NE
Siskin - heard once
Arctic Tern - flock of 6 'in' at 0733hrs
Common Scoter - 4 'in' 0735hrs
Purple Sandpiper - THREE under the wooden jetty

Work along Heysham bypass
Osprey - one flew over the ridge where the new housing is on Mossgate heading north and gaining height. Therefore above SD46A and therefore the Obs recording area. This was during a lull in the wind at about 1750hrs, prior to quite a cloudy and wild spell of weather with a bit of rain which apparently did not reach Lancaster!

Elsewhere
Curlew Sandpiper Allen/EM Pools (second day), Ad Spoonbill Griesdale Hide, Leighton Moss. 11 Arctic Terns off Cockersands late afternoon but none of the significant number of Little Gulls grounded on inland waters to the south of here were seen in our area