No squalls: no seabirds

Heysham Obs
A promising forecast suggesting "aggressive" showers (5-live forecaster) didnt happen and a 30 minute seawatch produced ONE Kittiwake 'in'. No check for Shag.

Outfalls: Ad and TWO 1st W Little Gulls, adult Kittiwake

Moth trap: Common Quaker (2), Hebrew Character, Clouded Drab. Double-striped Pug around security light in early evening.

Elsewhere
Purple Sandpiper Stone Jetty at lunchtime. NNEW on Lesser Snow Goose or 4 Barnacle Geese on Colloway Marsh - only report seemed to be of 2000 "very long range Pinkfeet". Just 5 Avocet left on the EM complex and the Bittern situation at Leighton Moss has been described recently as "one male booming weakly"

Goldeneye at Middleton - thanks to Simon Hawtin for these images

Heysham obs
4 Shags in the harbour.
No sign of Med Gulls at either high tide or low tide.

Vis: 8am - 1015am: 1 Skylark (!)

Moths: First Clouded Drab and Hebrew Character of the year in the trap

Middleton industrial estate
2 f and 1m Goldeneye
1 Oystercatcher
2 Lapwing
2 Mute Swan

Elsewhere
Lesser Snow Goose and at least 4 Barnacle Geese on Colloway Marsh with 2000 PF Geese

Trickle of Meadow Pipits

Could people please post any Heysham Obs vis mig records either on to the site or to my e-mail address (see left hand column). Please note number, direction & time e.g. "6 Meadow Pipit north 0700-0715". Thanks very much

Heysham Obs
4 Meadow Pipit recorded flying north this morning - the first indication of passerine vis mig this year. 1st W Med Gull on the north harbour wall, but no sign of the Czech-ringed summer adult (thanks Stuart Meredith).

Elsewhere
Purple Sandpiper on the seaward end of the Stone Jetty first thing. 11 Avocet EM Pool complex.

Red Nab, Outfalls & Harbour

Heysham Obs
Med Gull: Reappearance of adult in full summer plumage on NHW with 1st W also there this afternoon
Shelduck 9 off Ocean Edge.
Red-breasted Merganser pair RN.
Kittiwake 2 ad outfalls.
Little Gull Ad & 1st W outfalls.
Shag 5 in harbour + 1 wooden jetty.
Wigeon 33 RN down from 71 on the 3rd but tide much further out today.

Elsewhere
Summer adult Med Gull Battery groyne this afternoon. 10 or so Whooper Swans still viewable distantly from Farleton on A683 - in 'centre' of floodplain. Purple Sandpiper Stone Jetty this morning

Reappearance or new bird?

Heysham Obs
Thanks to John Frankland for keeping the coverage going: 1st W Med Gull around the harbour entrance along with at least one Shag

Elsewhere
A Canary-like 'fencehopper' along the A588 just south of the sewage works road at the southern end of the 30 limit. Flew across the road into the housing estate. Ad Med Gull (unringed) Stone jetty at lunchtime but no sign of the Purple Sandpiper. No sign of the Lesser Snow Goose, or indeed many PFG off Pilling Lane Ends

Useless wet strong southerlies

Heysham Obs
Ad Little Gull outfalls, two Shag harbour - both during token coverage in late afternoon

One March Moth in the trap

Elsewhere
Lesser Snow Goose & 7 Barnacle Geese Pilling Marsh before the rain, similarly 3 Spotted Redshank & 2 Greenshank Conder & 3 Scaup Glasson marina. At least 10 Whooper Swan on the Lune valley floodplain opposite Farleton, though distant.

No Sand Martin Pine lake but 4 Shoveler & a male RB Merganser new in. Sand Martin reportedly at Leighton Moss in the afternoon (no further info)

Red Nab, Outfalls & Harbour

Core area
Little Gull 1st W & adult on both outfalls then on Red Nab as tide came in 10.00 hrs.
Shag 3 in harbour + 3 on wooden jetty.
Cormorant 17 wooden jetty.
Wigeon 71 Red Nab.
Kingfisher on the south harbour wall at 0845hrs, then flew over Power Station

Middleton IE
3 Little Grebe, 8 Tufted Duck, 2 Teal, 3 Snipe

Thanks to John and Malcolm for today's news

Elsewhere
Very little news from this area today. Med Gull in the Black-headed Gull colony on the Public Mere at Leighton - aged as 2nd summer. Lesser Snow Goose on Pilling Marsh in the morning but no sign in late afternoon (but 6 Barnacle Geese & one Taiga Bean Goose). Three Little Egret on nearby Middleton Sands

2nd March 2007

Heysham Obs
Just a report of at least 2 Shags in the harbour

Elsewhere
Intermediate-morph Lesser Snow Goose, considered to be of wild origin and tracked from Norfolk, with Pinkfeet at Pilling Lane Ends and area throughout the day. Also two Taiga Bean and 5 Barnacle Geese. 3 Scaup Glasson area. Purple Sandpiper back at Morecambe Stone Jetty.

Heysham Obs
3 Kittiwake in the harbour this morning (1 1stW), ad & 1st W Little Gull around the outfalls and 2-3 Shag around harbour/wooden jetty. Goldcrest by the NR office possibly an early migrant

Elsewhere
Female Scaup Lilian's Hide Leighton Mos, 5 Avocet EM pool complex

Low key start for seabird migration

Heysham Obs
Very short time spent seawatching saw a flock of 12 Kittiwake heading into the Bay then landing in a closely-packed group on the water. Kittiwake migration, often including some very large flocks, is a feature of the forthcoming month with 800+ on one day last year. On a slightly higher key were flocks of 14 + 4 Red-throated Diver seen flying out of the Bay from the SJ by Ian Hartley. This is an early date for obvious passage birds. ALL mobile seabirds seen from anywhere between Heysham & SJ will be reported here (& reference also made to JBP records).

Ad & 1st W Little Gull outfalls

2 Shag in harbour (thanks to Tom Wilmer for this record) & 3 seen later on the wooden jetty by Ian Hartley

No sign of north harbour wall Meds by Tom or myself - adult at least presumably definitely gone

Elsewhere
Red Kite reported by Redwell Fisheries at 1330hrs (B6254 Carnforth to Kirkby road, about 2 miles east of Over Kellet)