A duck-breaking moth

Heysham Obs
Harbour/outfalls/Ocean Edge/north wall
Sanderling - one with Dunlin again at high tide on Ocean Edge south beach
Med Gull - two adults and one 2CY
Shag - 7
Guillemot - 9
Kittiwake - 26 harbour - 4 outfalls
Little Gull - 2CY outfalls
Ringed Plover - 22 heliport

Moth
Dark Chestnut is the first moth this year from here

Midday visit

Heysham Obs 
Harbour and north wall areaShag - 8 and one strangled on loose monofilament netting on the platform roost
Guillemot - 3
Kittiwake - 19
Med Gull - Ad & 2CY
Little Gull - 2CY
No Twite seen today

Dogwalk strip
Redwing - 2 (first of year)

Thanks to Malcolm, Pete and Jean for todays sightings

Early visit

Nothing from me again tomorrow - contributions very welcome either directly or to my e-address.  Ta.  Pete.  Thanks for the info the last two days.

Quick visit to the North Harbour Wall:
Birds in the harbour =
Guillemot 5
Kittiwake 23
Shag 8
Little Gull 2 (2CY in harbour and adult from North Harbour Wall)

13 Twite on the feeder, including the Machrahanish bird.

Late Visit

Nothing from me tomorrow - any contributions very welcome.  Thanks.

Late afternoon very brief visit viewed from NH Wall
Waterfall Area in SW corner harbour
Minimum of
Shag 4
Kittiwake 13
Guillemot 3

Landbirds out of the closet

Heysham Obs
Productivish lunchtime walk.  No Glaucous Gull and the sighting on Saturday needs to be classed as 'reported' (per simultaneous observers), therefore last known confirmed sighting was on the waterfall near dusk last Friday evening.  Obviously it may reappear when it gets windy again tomorrow and the number of large gulls increases, but that may be clutching at straws.

North wall/waterfall area
Black Redstart - female/imm along the seawall on the harbour side of the mound - unfortunately didnt see it until got rather too close and it flew underneath the parallel short jetty across the harbour to the Fisher's quay
Meadow Pipit - 3, one sandworks, two heliport
Rock Pipit - one by north wall roundhead
Guillemot - at least two in harbour
Shag - at least 8 in harbour
Kittiwake - at least 15 in harbour
Twite - 11
Goldfinch - 4

Bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
Managed the near-impossible today - visited Heysham without seeing the sea!  It's called paperwork.  Some other bits and bobs might be posted later:

Heysham NR
Siskin - one by office early morning

North harbour wall
Twite - maximum of 11

Middleton NR
4 mute & 2 moorhen on main ponds. Remaining wildfowl on Tim Butler pond: 3 teal, 4 mallard, 1 little grebe, 7 moorhen, 1 coot

Frosty Sunday

Heysham Obs
Pretty poor today, given decent coverage, unless there is some 'cred' in an apparent claim of an 'Icelandic' Gull from the north harbour wall early afternoon (per angler).  There was no apparent sign of the Glaucous Gull during all-day coverage, including work vigils, in what were much reduced numbers of large gulls

Harbour Area

Guillemot - 6 in the harbour at high tide
Shag - 9, possibly 10
Kittiwake - c18

North Harbour Wall
Mediterranean Gulls 2 Adults

Twite - maximum 11  Slow to come to nyger seed

mainly in smaller numbers.

Also 2 Goldfinch, 2 Dunnock and a Robin on the seed

Ocean Edge/off the old Pontins area
Plenty of waders, but the only worthwhile loggable sightings were:
Pink-footed Goose - 54 SE, 110 NW
Linnet - 3 OE saltmarsh

Just outside the area
Med Gull - one by the Sunny slopes groyne - a small unringed adult with a noticeable yellow tip to the bill, not one which has been frequenting the harbour area
.............and on the south side
Short-eared Owl - one by Potts Corner

Departing Guillemots

No access via Gate 38 week commencing 16th January due to fencing work on the seaward side of the path.  Please do not pester the fencing team for access. Thanks for your cooperation. 
  

Harbour Area

Glaucous Gull - seen briefly near the wooden jetty around 2pm
Guillemot - 2
Shag - 9
Kittiwake - c18 + 6 outfalls

North Harbour Wall

Mediterranean Gulls 2 Adults  

The first calm day for ages!

Heysham Obs

Thanks for this, Jenny (taken by her son)

 

First of all, if anyone has picked a tripod up, please give me an email or text (07532433043).  Thanks.  No known check made of the Ocean Edge side today

 

Harbour area

Glaucous Gull - still around the waterfall at 1640hrs whilst checking for the above tripod, earlier seen on mudflats off the north wall and on the wooden jetty

Guillemot - 6

Shag - 10

Twite - 19

Kittiwake - c18   

 

Ringing by the office

Only two rounds possible, but these did produce a surprise in the form of an unringed Robin as well as a couple of Greenfinch and a Chaffinch.  Surprisingly no sign of any Goldfinch

 

Middleton NR ponds

3 mute swan, 4 coot, 8 moorhen, 1 water rail (heard only), 5 tufted duck, 2 teal

3 mallard.

Succumbing seabirds and a white scuttler

Heysham Obs
Perhaps inevitably, some Kittiwakes are starting to perish, with about 5 dead ones plus a dead Guillemot in the SW corner of the harbour.  The other point of interest is perhaps best described as "the return of the elusive wintering Sanderling" as presumably the same bird has been occasionally seen this winter with the very small proportion of the Middleton Dunlin flock which sometimes roost on the Ocean Edge south beach

Ocean Edge/outfalls
Skylark - 2+
Sanderling - one - looks like adult winter
Bar-tailed Godwit - 14
Kittiwake - 5 on outfalls
Little Gulls - 2x2CY on outfalls

Harbour area
Glaucous Gull - seen flying about mid-pm then on wooden jetty
Guillemot - 9 + one dead
Shag - 8
Kittiwake - 19+5 dead

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2CY and 2 adults
Rock Pipit - one
Twite - max of 8

Heysham NR late afternoon
Roe Deer - Four in NE corner!
Water Rail - one in NE reedbed
Bullfinch - 2