Despite the calm, many birds still in situ

Heysham Obs
Calm slightly frosty conditions saw a net loss of Guillemot, but all the other waifs in place

Glaucous Gull - Juv on the top of the old Fisher's roof along the south quay most of the day.  Only visible at long range from north harbour wall
Twite - 22, including Machrihanish 2011-ringed bird
Shag - 1+2 around, later all three together
Kittiwake - 22 in SW corner of harbour, c5 outfalls
Little Gull - 2 x 1CY outfalls
Med Gull - Two adults along north harbour wall (one Czech-ringed)
Guillemot - just 2 seen
Red-breasted Merganser - two in harbour
Goldfinch - 2 on Twite seed

Dont turn your back on the sea

These were taken today by Janet with the three Shag together by the waterfall.  Thanks Janet

Heysham Obs
Good sea conditions were somewhat neglected as observers looked the other way at the increasing number of waifs and strays in the harbour.  This included serious neglect on my part as a 'Glaucous-finding' session for a visiting group did not include the compulsory scan of the wave troughs behind my back.  A late Leach's Petrel was slowly making its way out but the observer was out of communication range at the harbour mouth.  Just to show the luck of the draw with seawatching and the need to be there in the short time-period, the Leach's observer then took a short break and missed the 'dark-morph' Fulmar seen by another local observer arriving just after the Leach's had disappeared!

In the harbour area
Shag - 3 1CY
Guillemot - max of  ELEVEN in the SW corner
Glaucous Gull - either on the waterfall or somewhere on the corrugated roof, but a bit elusive
Kittiwake - c30
Med Gull - 2 adult
Purple Sandpiper - 2 on the end of the north wall about 1300hrs

Freight ferry
Kittiwake - c60 (mostly 1CY)
Little Gull - 2 x 1CY

Seawatching
Leach's Petrel - one slowly 'out' at 1300hrs
Fulmar - light and dark (not double-dark) morphs out together at 1315hrs.  This bird had a greyish head concolorous with the grey mantle and contrasted with the white-headed 'normal' light morph
Pintail - 7 out
Guillemot - 2 out
very little else other than a trickle of Kittiwake

Outfalls
Little Gull - up to 3 adult and two 1CY, but birds dispersed as the tide/rough sea came in

Landbirds
Song Thrush - one still around the mound!
Twite - max of just 6 today

Goldfinch - 2 on mound area

Hanging on to what we have got in wild and woolly weather

Heysham Obs

 Thanks for these pics Janet - taken today in the SW corner of the harbour

Seawatch 0845-0930
Little Gull - 3 adults out
Kittiwake - flock of 15 sat on the sea, 'small numbers' offshore mid-afternoon
Pintail - three out
Razorbill - 2 together out
Guillemot - 2 closer inshore on the sea
Common Scoter - male inshore along the north wall
Med Gull - adult

Harbour area
Glaucous Gull - again did not arrive until about 0945hrs, then sat on the old corrugated roof along the south quay, still there 1145hrs
Kittiwake - 22 in the harbour
Shag - two together in the inner harbour - both looked 1CY at long range, but one much darker than the other
Guillemot - 4 in the harbour

Outfalls
Little Gull - 2 1CY, later also 3 ad
Kittiwake - 12

Glaucous Gull still present

Heysham Obs

First two in the harbour (thanks Pete) and the third from Ocean Edge beach (thanks Janet)

Inner harbour
Shag - at least two, probably three (at least 2 1CY, one possibly 2CY) either in the harbour or on wooden jetty
Guillemot - 4
Kittiwake - c25 - one Ad metal ringed (looked British) sat on the SW corner 'pipe'
Glaucous Gull - juv under the waterfall SW corner of the harbour at 0945hrs (also visible rather distantly from the north harbour wall) then later either under the waterfall or on the old Fisher's roof along the south quay.  This can only be viewed from the north harbour wall (north side of roof) or by the Moneyclose Inn traffic lights at long range (south side of roof)

Outfalls
Little Gull - 2 1CY
Kittiwake - 5

North wall
Twite - 17
Med Gull - two adult

Moth
one Winter Moth

Rather impressive cast headed by Glaucous Gull

Thanks to Pete Cook for these pics

Heysham Obs
It has taken time, as it usually does before the turn of the year, but the gales are producing the goods.  This site really comes into its own in winter after a few days of strong onshore winds, both on the outfalls and in the shelter, and food availability under the waterfall, of the harbour

Inshore
Glaucous Gull - juv feeding below the waterfall late morning and still around the harbour area to at least 1445hrs
Shag - mobile juv touring the harbour
Little Gull - two 1CY still on outfalls
Kittiwake - c18 in harbour
Guillemot - 4 in or just outside the harbour, one offshore
Purple Sandpiper - one on wooden jetty outer section
Twite - up to 30 seen with 17 around the feeder
Med Gull - three adults, one quite 'black-headed'
Sanderling - still with Dunlin on Oceab Edge beach
Eider - 1CY male inshore
Little Grebe - one in the inner harbour (thanks to the couple of birders for alerting us to this)

Ringing
A single (20 minute) round produced two new Greenfinch

Moths
They got into the act for the first time for a few days with Mottled Umber and Winter Moth

Waifs and strays slowly increase

Heysham Obs
The SW corner of the harbour is accumulating a collection of Kittiwakes and Guillemots and at least four Little Gulls were also inshore

Sea 0915-1015
Red-throated Diver - 2 out
Kittiwake - flock of 13 out, plus 3 singletons
Auk spp, prob Razorbill - 2 together out but distant
Guillemot - 2 offshore

Inshore
Kittiwake - 10 in SW corner of harbour, c5 outfalls/harbour entrance
Little Gull - at least one 1CY, one 2CY and 2 adult, mainly Heysham 2 outfall
Med Gull - 2 adults around; patrolling the north wall early afternoon, additional adult Red Nab
Twite - 16
Guillemot - now 3 in the SW corner of the harbour
Sanderling - one still roosting with Dunlin on Ocean Edge beach
Red-breasted Merganser - 6 together inshore near Red Nab (4 male)
Wigeon - still 102
Linnet - one OE saltmarsh (at least)
No sign of any Purple Sandpiper or Shag

Harbour fare

Heysham Obs
Todays news included the possibility of yesterdays 'whirring thing' ending up as a Little Auk inside a Great Black-backed Gull at Rossall today.  Work prevented high tide coverage of the south side but there were a few bits and bobs around the harbour/north wall

The fare in the south-west corner of the harbour.  Thanks Janet

North harbour wall/harbour

Med Gull - adults patrolling the north wall and sitting on Fisher's roof (two birds)

Kittiwake - 7-8 in the harbour

Cormorant - two in the harbour (no Shag seen)

Guillemot - 2 in harbour

Auk spp - probable Razorbill out but very distant

Stormy Sanderling and whirring mystery

Heysham Obs
What appears to have been a small auk was reported as having whirred past the north harbour wall, quite close inshore, about 1300hrs, but carried on beyond the wooden jetty.

Coastal sightings
Sanderling - one with Dunlin (27) and Ringed Plover (11) on Ocean Edge south shingle beach.  All winter records have been associated with stormy weather.
Kittiwake - flock of 35 on the sea first thing and 6 waifs in the sw corner of the harbour (2 1CY)
Guillemot - 1 in sw corner of harbour
Shag - mobile 1CY touring the harbour early afternoon - very elusive!
Twite - 3 seen
Whooper Swan - two adults flying out over the sea into the teeth of the gale early morning.  Why?!
Little Gull - adult outfalls in the morning

Tricky conditions

Heysham Obs
Neither Tom not Pete enjoyed the conditions today during brief visits which produced a few bits as per yesterday and a few extra Kittiwake.  Thanks for the info.

North harbour wall
Purple Sandpiper - yesterday's bird with white feather in right wing
Guillemot - 2 in the harbour by the 'intake'
Med Gull - adult patrolling
Kittiwake - 2 1CY in the harbour, at least 9 in transit offshore in two groups during very brief seawatches
No Twite seen (no food left?)
.

Blanket coastal coverage gives a reasonable selection

Heysham Obs

North wall area/off outfalls/IOM ferry
Common Scoter - one on the sea, then presumably the same in flight just after IOM ferry
Guillemot - 2 harbour
Kittiwake - not so windy today and just 3 in harbour (2 1CY) and four behind the IOM ferry, 3 of which 'signed off' at green No 7 buoy
Shag - at least one juvenile seen, possibly two
Purple Sandpiper - what appeared to be a new arrival with white feather(s) in the right wing and 'uniform' plumage half way along NH wall
Twite/Linnet/Goldfinch - c25 birds in total, at least 18 Twite & 2 Goldfinch
Meadow Pipit - 2 on mound (one ringed)
Red-throated Diver - one offshore
Med Gull - just the one adult seen today
Pink-footed Goose - c60+85+78+ c140 south/south-east plus a large gang circling around to the south off Cockersands/Lune Estuary
Dunnock - one along the west quay (35Z)
Song Thrush - two 'wintering' on the mound!
Rock Pipit - one heliport seawall
Wigeon - 102 Red Nab (as the 'other day')

Mammal
Grey Squirrel - 2 together Moneyclose Lane (one there yesterday)