Good maritime morning

North Harbour Wall
0640-0810
Decided to emulate the Fleetwood birders and get to the watchpoint for dawn to do some pre-work sea-watching.  It was well worth the early start.
Nothing much until 0710 then the following:
Red-throated Diver - 36 (including a flock of 16) heading generally north, some spiralling up to quite a height. Fantastic sight in the early morning sun.
Kittiwake - 295 in flocks of about 30 to 35, largest flock 55.  Many probably missed if they were further out. 
Gannet - at least 40.  Largest flock = 10.  There were many probables wheeling about way out near the wind turbines.
Possible skua, again way out near the turbines.  Only the jizz suggested a skua as it was a larger and very dark bird persistently harrassing a smaller bird.
Eider 11 flew into the Bay.

What a difference a day makes

Or what a difference the weather makes.  Snow to the north and blocking rain to the south so nothing flying over this morning from 0750 to 0900.  About 60 Twite still around.  Only 3 Red-breasted Mergansers in the low tide channel. 

Gathering twite

Heysham Obs
The Black-tailed Godwit seen earlier this year was ringed as a chick on 16/07/2008 at Knappsstadir, Fljot, SW of Siglufjordur, N Iceland.  No info. received on any interim sightings (apart from Cockersands around the same time) [perKane Brides].  Just visited Pete Woodruffs site and it was seen YESTERDAY in a large spring tide roost on Conder Pool - apparently there definitely aren't any sightings between being ringed and being seen in this area over the last few months.

One hour on the north harbour wall before the rain - 0800-0900
Twite - 81, increase seemed to be of adults, with at least 14 with spring 2008/winter 2008/9 rings, c15 unringed, but spooked by departing ferry before full check
Linnet - 5
Meadow Pipit - 55NE
Goldfinch - 2 NE
alba Wagtail - 2 NE
Red-breasted Merganser - 13 offshore
Great-crested Grebe - 7 offshore (one flock)
no grounded migrants

Good fall/vis conditions at 0400hrs?

Heysham Obs
A shame the weather was not two-three hours later as it was originally forecasted to be.  The leading edge of the cloud was way to the north at dawn, as was any associated vis or grounded migrant concentrations.  Always difficult to predict rubbish or a decent morning in these conditions - the timing is critical

Ocean Edge area
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - two right out on the tideline off OE early am
Wigeon - 4 still left
Mallard - male showing really well off Red Nab (rare here)
Wheatear - just one male
Rock Pipit - one Red Nab

North wall
Twite - 62, in two groups with a high proportion unringed (15) in smaller group, all but two of the c40 in the larger group ringed, including 8 adults bearing spring 2008 or winter 2008/9 rings
Linnet - 5
Purple Sandpiper - one showing for a short time early am, later alongside the jetty
Guillemot - 2 offshore at 1115hrs
Red-throated Diver - 3 in spot check at c0830hrs

Reserve
Meadow Pipit - 46 NE, v few after the rain started
alba Wagtail - 6 NE
Redpoll agg - 1 NE
Goldfinch - 4 NE
Chiffchaff - unringed bird caught

Moths
First Shoulder Stripe of the year

Cold Cumbrian Cataract Challenge

Heysham Obs
The first 1.5 miles was a no-go area for other than seagulls, Meadow Pipits and a couple of Red-throats.  Further out (i.e. Cumbriaish) with a shaking 'scope, there were small seagull-type things, things with a whirring flight and Gannets.  Out of the mire of uncertainty (not helped by central right eye cataract):

North wall 0830-1030 new time
Sandwich Tern - at least 16, the first of the year
Little Gull - two adults were recognisable
Razorbill - 1 out
Guillemot - 2 out
Razorbill/Guillemot - 4 out
Red-throated Diver - 2 out
Diver spp (probably Red-throat) - 3 in
Gannet - c36, including string of 12
Kittwake - 5 (f) out, 16 (f) in
Purple Sandpiper - 2 wooden jetty
Turnstone - an increase to c186 wooden jetty
Twite - c40, possibly more
Meadow Pipit - c35 north 0900-1030

Ocean Edge foreshore
Wheatear & Rock Pipit

Elsewhere
Why didnt I do the Kent work today/tomorrow via Minsmere - last minute personnel change & just cannot go for foreseeable future [Lesser Kestrel]?
Nothing much locally today, other than this morning's distant Heysham seabirds which dont seem to have been replicated at JBP (wind too NW).  At least one person failed to locate the Dalton Shrike which does seem to go awol in windy conditions from a direction providing no shelter i.e. other than N/NE

Obscure bunting trawl just in case

Heysham Obs

Not used to handling spring Reed Buntings, so I assume this is an aberrant female.  Bit small for a male 73mm/16.5g and whitish throated, supercilium shape & position  etc etc.  Went 'tew' on release (phew!).  Any comments via PMrsh123@aol.com, please.
Offshore
Red-throated Diver - 4 + 5
Whooper Swan - flock of 12 NW

Vis
Meadow Pipit - very low numbers/too high - about 12 NE in a hour
alba Wagtail - 7NE
Goldfinch - 3NE

Grounded
Chiffchaff - Nature park
Wheatear - male OE
Twite - very high numbers at the feeder - 70-80, but unfortunately dispersed during mid-morning with an increase in wind speed
Green Woodpecker - heard from NR office

Middleton IE
Swallow - one
Greylag - 1
5 Mute Swan, 11 Coot, 6 Moorhen, 9 Mallard, 3 Goldeneye, 5 Little Grebe, 4 Tufted Duck, 1 Snipe

Elsewhere
Great Grey Shrike Dalton Crags visible from layby

Squeaking Meadow Pipits or chirpy-chirpy cheep-cheep

Heysham Obs
A seawatch plus Magic 999 was interrupted by an irritating dribble of Meadow Pipit.  After a period of selective radio/vis, the sky cleared and the Meadow Pipit passage took full control.   A west of Ireland headland snapshot was provided by a close flock of 14 Gannet - cannot remember such a big flock here.

North wall belatedly 0845-0945
Gannet - flock of 14 out at c0905hrs the only sighting
Red-throated Diver - one in high
Razorbill - 2 out together
Twite - 56 in off-passage flock (7+unringed) and 2+1 'in-off' from SW
Meadow Pipit - 113 NE, most in last 20 minutes
alba Wagtail - 16 NE (as above)
Linnet - 5 NE, 2+ off-passage
Wheatear - 2 males on heliport seawall
Purple Sandpiper - 1 showing on wooden jetty
Cormorant - what was surely a migrant adult flew 'in-off' from the south-west and headed similarly high inland to the north east

absolutely no time to do Ocean Edge side

Moths
Herald & Common Quaker new for the year

Elsewhere
Pair of Marsh Harrier Leighton Moss and 5 (2+3) gull-calling Bittern departing to the E/SE from there this evening,  These elicited no response in the form of booming, and that might be it as regards breeding Bittern at Leighton until a corridor linking Leighton with a source of new birds of British origin is established

Earliest ever ants in pants?

Heysham Obs
Knocking the Chiffchaffs off the top spot were several (initially unseen) smallish black ants which transferred to my clothing as I was packing up the mist nets and thence to a painful area.  I cannot remember seeing ants in March before.  No wonder the Green Woodpecker(s) are hanging around.  Otherwise routine stuff this morning, despite a promising wind direction and a bit of cloud/spits and spats

HNR Office area
Robin - lightweight unringed bird
Chiffchaff - 2 males moved through to the north, one via a mist net
Green Woodpecker - one on the reserve
Reed Bunting - one female caught which had been ringed at Middleton IE on 18/8/09
Meadow Pipit - 223 NE 0715-1015 (11 ringed = niggling wind).  There was then a surge just ahead of a splodge of uniform cloud with the birds orientating more west to east i.e. 'in-off', giving a total of 349 in 3.5hrs
alba Wagtail - 6 NE
Siskin - 1 NE
Woodpigeon - 2 high to the north
Carrion Crow - flock of 6 NE chased of by locals
Sand Martin - 3 together NE at 1145hrs

North harbour wall 0830-0930 (different vis birds to the office)
Meadow Pipit - 89 NE
alba Wagtail - 12 NE
Linnet - 4 off-passage
Twite - c60 off-passage
sea dead

Ocean Edge not checked, hence the Wheatear absence!

Elsewhere
Great Grey Shrike still Dalton Crags 150m S of trig point (awol yesterday morning).  15 Whooper Swans in fields near Gressingham Bridge this evening, presumably the remains of the wintering flock - one was darvic-ringed but cannot be certain this is the wintering bird.  Can anyone check in better light, please?

Watery eyes, wet specs and a Wheatear

Heysham Obs
A stuttering power walk around the north harbour wall mound area was about it for the morning - a half-decent Meadow Pipit movement was the on-going interest

North harbour wall 0945-1025
Meadow Pipit - 52 NE
alba Wagtail - 7 NE
Linnet - 1 NE
Twite - 61, but no decent views to check rings
Wheatear - one male
Purple Sandpiper - one flew on to the big skeer next to the red gate

Ocean Edge foreshore/grassy areas
Nothing notable

Reserve
Bombus terrestris

More mipits

Heysham Obs
North Harbour Wall 0710-0910
Seabirds
Red-throated Diver - 3 in, 5 on (including a flock of 4)
Canada Goose - 3 in
Eider - 69 mostly distant (i.e. off Morecambe)
Little Gull - very distant flock of 5 adult-types blogging in the outer bay
Black-headed Gull - 9+8 purposefully north

Vis
Meadow Pipit - 88 NE in a steady trickle
alba wagtail - 33 NE (1 landed briefly and was a male white wagtail - the earliest ever (genuine!) record here).
Goldfinch 2 NE, plus flock of 5 high NE at 1045hrs
Linnet 3 NE

Feeding station
Linnet - 2
Twite - 64 (at least one unringed bird)

General
Green Woodpecker heard along Moneyclose Lane (beware of singing Song Thrush imitating it - a novelty for here!)

Elsewhere
Female Marsh Harrier Leighton Moss at about 1000hrs.  Sand Martins back at Bela colony at Beetham. Great Grey Shrike Dalton Crags am at least