Black-throat no show

The commuting Black-throated Diver decided that heading for Glasson (from Blea Tarn) was a better option this evening and we obviously failed to add it to the "seen from flypast list"

Big contrasts with the weather at the moment

Flesh-fly landing on the car in yesterdays sun at Middleton (Pete)

soft focus Shag by the harbour in driving rain this morning (Malcolm)

...................but a decent sunset this evening (Malcolm)

Todays birds
Shag - juv in the harbour mouth briefly in the rain at 0940
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - the two off horse paddocks on skeer late afternoon (flew in from north)
Chough - on Heysham Barrows at lunchtime
Med Gull - ad on shore by horse paddocks with the small gang of BHG (seemingly very regular here) 

"Seen from" possibilities!

Today was the last of the "isn't it a lovely day" greetings for about a week or so and we finished off the winter bird survey for SD45.  After yesterdays comment, what a surprise that TWO male Pochard were present today!  Malcolm also located a very mobile Chiffchaff on Middleton along with at least two Goldcrest but still no Cetti's.

Chough - seen at least twice
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - on the shore off the childrens play area, viewable from Knowlys road vantage point
Chiffchaff - one Middleton NR
Pochard - TWO drakes model boat pond
Med Gull - one ad harbour mouth
Red-throated Diver - one in second channel offshore
Eider - 520 - pretty accurate
GCGrebe - 2 

Also:
Chris Batty watched the Black-throated Diver leave Blea Tarn reservoir for FIVE MINUTES on the following trajectory at 1639hrs. It did not waver from the straight line flight during this period and, assuming it does not change direction when reaching the sea, suggests it is pitching in somewhere around the old Sandylands sewer outfall south of the Stone Jetty. There is a fairly wide channel here, even at low spring tide. Various vantage points suggest themselves for monitoring this flight eg watching the halfway stage from the raised south end of the golden ball tidal road and more coastally: end of Royds Avenue or even scoping north from Knowlys Road which would give good evening light as well as a 'seen from'!

Good coverage, missing birds but the Pochard back!

A sign of current status was a decision not to stay at home today but 'twitch' the Pochard in case it was the last ever day this species would grace the Heysham Obs list!

Glaucous Gull - no sign in extensive coastal and rooftop search and regular waterfall checks
Shag - no report
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - the two on the shore off the northern end of the horse paddocks - scan from Knowlys Road
Chough - seen at the half moon bay fields and, first report for a bit, from the horse paddock
Med Gull - ads on the shore from the horse paddock, fishers roof and possibly the same behind departing ferry = presumably Czech bird
Stonechat - no sign of OE saltmarsh bird, no reports of half moon bay bird
Eider - 420 off the north harbour wall
Pochard - drake model boat pond

Tufted Duck - 2 model boat pond
Gadwall - 3 model boat pond

The sum of the bit-parts

Today was a bit like one of those seawatching reports which look absolutely "mouth-watering" until you see the small print................. (0530-2000hrs = one decent bird every 2.5 hours).  For example, the only birds of note I saw today were: about 40 seconds of juvenile Shag (along with Rosie and Mario), a distant Little Gull and 1st W Kittiwake on the outfalls, yet the 'full house' was available for visiting birders, but extremely elusive with only the Brent Geese playing ball to any extent.  Pics from Malcolm unless otherwise stated - thanks for these

Glaucous Gull - juv under the waterfall c1000hrs as per these pics but not there one hour beforehand and not seen since.  Where is its bolthole or rooftop?

Pale-bellied Brent Goose - the two were on the shore north of Heysham Head off the horse paddocks, then shifted to Red Nab at High Tide (1500hrs).  This is a Pale-brindled Beauty copied by accident but the first moth of this year at Heysham NR office!

  photo P Marsh

Shag - juvenile flew into the harbour mouth from along the north wall about 1150hrs, remained for about 30 seconds then flew 'round the corner' towards the inner end of the outfalls.  Not seriously looked for since but a nice addition to the year list 

Little Gull - adult flew out about 1220 hrs

Kittiwake - Juv on outfalls late afternoon

Stonechat - half moon bay female seen again, NNEW on Ocean Edge bird

Chough - only definitely seen about 1130hrs in field north of cafe

Chough plus a bit of Choughish scenery (thanks Jeff)

Glaucous Gull mystery

Four of us put quite a bit of time into searching for this bird today around the harbour, as also did the police patrol birder!  Yet it was seen there and earlier on Red Nab by visiting birders.  I suspect it must have been sitting on the Fishers quay behind an object, rendering it about the only place not visible from the south harbour end

Chough - in the half moon bay fields lunchtime and in the sheep(less now?) fields mid afternoon
Stonechat - female NE corner of OE saltmarsh
Merlin - female seen near half moon bay cafe
Med Gull - adult behind the dredger may have been the Czech bird also seen along the north wall

Third successive day of no Brent Goose sightings despite coverage of the usual sites

Glaucous finds the waterfall, Chiffchaff on the HN reserve

A very successful disappearing act for a day and a half and it was back today underneath the waterfall in the SW corner of the harbour - a proven attraction for white wingers if they find it

Thanks Malcolm

Also:

Chiffchaff - one in bushes by HNr car park

Woodcock - one MNR again

Goldcrest - ringed bird MNR

Chough - half moon bay fields
Med Gull - ad following IOM ferry into port
Eider - 489 offshore - careful count
Great-crested Grebe - 2
Rock Pipit - south roundhead



Sunday

Chough - half moon bay fields
Stonechat - NE corner OE saltmarsh

Glaucous surprise

Sometimes the rubbish you talk comes back to haunt, although you don't mind when it is a top notch patch year tick.  I said to Peter Sharples and his wife that there was no point in checking Fisher's Roof (now a walk 'cos of road closure) as "there wont be any new big gulls because its calm".  So they go and just beat the WeBs counters to it on Red Nab with a fine huge pale juvenile Glaucous Gull.  Unfortunately, didn't risk getting the car stuck on the sodden grass to use window clamp phone-scope and balancing it on the fence produced farcical results before the bird was flushed by an off-lead dog.  Thanks to Bill Aspin for managing to sort out a video grab of sorts where "at least you can see the bill"!

Coastal stuff
Glaucous Gull - Juv on Red Nab from at least 1305 to about 1320 then flew north along the seawall and was not seen again despite an extensive search up to Morecambe West End Groyne as per the WeBs
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - Two on OE saltmarsh at least 1300hrs

OE saltmarsh plus the Brents from OE 'top tier' looking back north

Chough - seen at least twice in the morning along half moon bay edge

** Green Sandpiper - one right on the eastern edge of the area near the new transformer on the bypass (thanks Garry)

Very unexpected Fulmar

A few decent bits and bobs including a Fulmar heading out pretty quickly at c1115 which didn't appear to have an all-white head and certainly not a paler tail, but views were brief and at a poor angle.  Certainly not an obvious dark morph e.g. the underwing coverts were pale and it stays as "a Fulmar".  Next best were two Little Gulls seemingly related to the incoming ferry

Chough
Earthworm sequence in field next to half moon bay cafe (thanks Janet)

Sea on and off 1050-1245
Fulmar - one out c1115
Little Gull - ad and 1st W slowly out - picked up soon after ferry arrived
Kittiwake - moribund looking 1st W in harbour entrance, just one ad behind ferry
Med Gull - ad behind ferry - flew back out straight away (not Czech bird)

Miscellany
Brent Goose - two pale-bellied Red Nab on incoming tide
Med Gull - ad Knowlys road field HT roost
Ringed Plover - 44 Knowlys road HT roost
Goldcrest - two by HNR office

Woodcock joins the year list

Middleton NR
Mute 8 (4 pairs)
Moorhen 3
Tufted 4 (3 male)
Gadwall 16 (11 male)
Teal at least 50
Mallard 8
Ware Rail 1 (two heard)
Common Snipe 1
No Cettis - two observers checking in calmish conditions

Woodcock 1. This was in strip along golf club, but there is some wood management going on in wood behind Tradebe, so I suspect it originally came from there.
Goldcrest 1.

Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - two at HT exactly as yesterday (see pic)
Stonechat - female in corner as yesterday

Heysham half moon bay
Chough(ish) - seen from moving car at same time as two Carrion Crows were flushed off Half Moon Bay fields c1320hrs when in hurry - flight silhouette looked fine!