Whooper Swan added to the list

Distant Whooper Swan through spray and rain (photo courtesy of Blurred Guides!! aka PJM) (lyrics by Dan Haywood and Jean Roberts)

Heysham Obs

North Harbour Wall

Highlight of the day was an adult Whooper Swan which was seen on the sea in both 36V and 46A as observed from the North Harbour Wall.

A juvenile Shag spent a short time in the harbour mouth.

2 Kittiwakes flew out of the Bay, far offshore.

The usual 2 Mediterranean Gulls were seen

Elsewhere

Two flocks of Kittiwake off JB Point late afternoon. Great White Egret Leighton Moss and best of all a Snow Bunting by the ramp at Fluke Hall (for the second day - this is just in the LDBWS recording area). NNEW on the Tatham Fells bird.

Not strong or rough enough

Heysham Obs
The only small bird I remember seeing today was the Snow Bunting near my house! (see below). John had a few bits and bobs of useful tetrad records around the harbour but the only birds of individual note here were 11+8 Shelduck flying purposefully out, the 2nd W Med on the north wall and at least one Purple Sandpiper on the rocks below the heliport

Moths
A very mild night saw single Winter Moth and Light-brown Apple Moth in the trap

Elsewhere
The male Snow Bunting was alongside Aitkengill Road near the junction with Slaidburn Road this am, therefore in SD66T (all previous sightings in 66S?). The hybrid female Ferruginous Duck x Pochard was on Pine Lake along with just about all the inland water diving ducks in the Carnforth/Leighton area by the look of it! Purple Sandpiper by Morecambe Stone Jetty this morning. 47 Winter Moths noted at 30mph in driving rain on the Mealbank Road near Millhouses early evening! This is a superb road for early and late season moths.

We need some gales

Heysham Obs
The only observations of note today were the usual 2 Mediterranean Gulls on the North Harbour Wall and an adult Kittiwake briefly on Heysham 2 outfall before flying out of the Bay.

Elsewhere


Male Snow Bunting still alongside the Ringstones to Petersbottom Lane section of the Bentham to Cross of Greet Road (SD6765). Thanks to Tony Moreton for this photo taken today at 11:30hrs.

Red-throat saved a dreary day

Showing the unobtrusive Czech ring on the adult NHW Med. Several schemes e.g. with Turnstone place the rings above the tarsus to avoid corrosion. This can make them less easy to see and it is worth carefully examining any Med Gulls.

Heysham Obs

North Harbour Wall

Purple Sandpiper - 2 on the rocks at the Near Naze, Med Gull - adult and 2nd winter, Red-throated Diver - single floated in then flew out of the Bay mid-morning (rather belated additional species for SD35Z and 36V. Knot - 3000 to 4000 on the heliport. Goldfinch - 1 on the Mound. Meadow Pipit - 3 on the Mound.

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/Outfalls

Nothing worthy of mention.

Elsewhere

The Snow Bunting has been refound this last two days between Ringstones Lane and Petersbottom Road alongside the Bentham to Cross of Greet road. It was present at least this morning.

Snipe sensation for SD36V

Heysham Obs
north harbour wall/outer harbour 0945-1110 hrs
Twice round the NHW mound was going to be it until there was a short break in the weather which helped get things going a bit.
Wren 2 on mound + 1 near entrance to sand plant.
Robin 1 on mound + 1 by sand plant gate.
Meadow pipit 1 on mound
Pied wagtail 1 by sand plant entrance
Twite 6 over mound
Goldfinch 1 over
Starling c110 appeared to come in-off continuing south towards Obs.
Snipe 3 on inner harbour wall 36V - what a 'mega', John, completely unexpected
Shelduck 2 "out"
Magpie on wooden jetty (35Z)
Pink-footed goose 25 South
Eider 2 "in"
Med Gull adult over WJ
Knot 500 on Helipad but increasing as tide was coming in.
Gate "38": Robin & 4 Goldfinch

Elsewhere
Purple Sandpiper Morecambe Stone jetty.

RBMs drag the Light-bellied Brent into 36V!

Heysham Obs
North Harbour Wall 1320-1335hrs
A break from computer screens to do an intermediate tide count included a diversion to the NHW to recycle some mouldy bread in the direction of Med Gulls. Four sleeping "ducks" were offshore drifting out with the tide in dull light. One revealed itself as the Light-bellied Brent Goose [the Canadian-ringed juv usually to be found just to the north at Sunny Slopes] and so we waited for it to float into 36V. This it duly achieved [but see 'Elsewhere'], continuing the phenomenal run of scarce Lancs species in this tetrad since the Atlas commenced
Med Gull: the Czech-ringed adult and the usual 2nd W patrolling the north harbour wall
Purple Sandpiper: single bird along the seawall (46A section). Yesterday's information was incorrect. The location should have been the old lighthouse by the heliport = 46A, not 35Z.

Visible (or invisible) migration by the office 0930-1100ish
Skylark - 4 SE
Siskin 4 E
Starling N/NW 31,12,5,7,3,10,13 & 8. SW 46
Mistle Thrush 1 E
As we were leaving the office at 1720hrs, therefore 'well dark' at least one Redwing was heard flying over then appearing to fly in a circle (or more than one bird)

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Male Sparrowhawk and no small finches! 1st W Grey Plover close inshore

Elsewhere
Great White Egret still at Leighton Moss. Light-bellied Brent (see above) returned to the Sunny Slopes area as the tide uncovered the skeer at c1350hrs.

Disorientated Little Gull

Heysham Obs
Recorded from by the office 0930-1130
Little Gull 1st W 1000 hrs. This flew west past office and Obs. tower!
Sparrowhawk male on Reserve
Goldfinch 3 over
Starling 3 NW + 3W
Long-tailed Tit 4
Goldcrest 2
Pied Wagtail 1

South harbour wall
TWO Purple Sandpiper on rocks blow the lighthouse mid-morning.

North harbour wall
Just the usual adult and 2nd W Med Gulls with nothing on the sea other than 2 Great-crested Grebs and no small birds of note seen

Heliport
Ringed Plover 5
Knot c250
Oystercatcher c300

Thanks to Malcolm, Mark and John.

Elsewhere
Great White Egret Leighton Moss, including coming in to roost with 10(+?) Little Egret. Belgian-ringed Ad Med Gull Morecambe Broadway. Guillemot floating in on the tide past Cockersands (this is presumably a long-staying bird irregularly reported). [Ad Iceland Gull seen at Walney today, unfortunately heading north up the open sea side]

winter fare

Heysham Obs

North Harbour Wall
A couple of snapshots, the first in the rain at high tide, the second on the dropping early afternoon tide:
Little Gull: adult offshore, 1045hrs
Shag: juvenile on wooden jetty with 41 Cormorant 1045hrs
Purple Sandpiper: single on North Harbour Wall on both visits
Med Gull: adult and possibly 2 second winters patrolling the North Harbour Wall - no time to thoroughly check

Ocean Edge foreshore
Jack Snipe 1,
Common Snipe 3
Twite: Flock of 38 may have been all this species, certainly those examined were,
Linnet/Twite: Mixed flock of 40 separate from the above

Red Nab
Kingfisher

Middleton I E
Woodcock - 2 birds flushed from different areas
Snipe - 10, Tufted Duck - 5, Teal - 3, Goldeneye - 1, Mallard - 4, Coot - 7 & huge flock of Long-tailed Tits comprising at least 40 birds

Elsewhere
Adult and 1st winter Little Gulls at Jenny Brown's Point. Great White Egret seen from Leighton Moss causeway.

nice sunny day - not a lot happening

Heysham Obs
A walk round the reserve during the morning saw very few Blackbirds remaining from the influx earlier this week as is typical after a clear night going into morning

North harbour wall
Twite - 5 briefly at the entrance to the sandworks
Goldfinch 1+
Meadow Pipit 1
Wren 1
Robin 2
Purple Sandpiper - 1 there at HT on the seawall c100m south of the sandworks entrance
Med Gull - Ad & 2nd W patrolling

Nothing on the sea at HT

Nothing on Red Nab/Ocean Edge & saltmarsh/outfalls during a check in late afternoon at LT

No moths/dragonflies/butterflies (but a wasp, possibly queen, yesterday flying along the north harbour wall!)

Elsewhere
One Purple Sand on the Stone Jetty rocks. One Water Pipit by Leighton public hide (up to 2 have been seen there, mainly during management work in otherwise inaccessible areas). Ad Med Gull Claughton with the hordes of gulls and Starlings by the Brookhouse junction at c0900hrs (SD56 something!)

Purple Sands showing very well

One of the Purps at the base of the sea wall

Med Gull at the top of the sea wall. Thanks to Keith Kellet for these photos.

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Purple Sandpiper: Fingers crossed for these birds, and those at the Stone Jetty, staying all winter. They were both showing very well on the sloping seawall just south of the sandworks entrance this morning.
Med Gull: Czech-ringed adult and the usual 2nd W patrolling

Unfortunately, the only passerines on the mound were the resident Robin and Wren.

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Presumably 'the' Little Egret's head was sticking up out of a channel on the saltmarsh, the first ever degree of any suggestion of some form of residency in the Obs recording area! A visit just after high tide surprisingly failed to produce any finch flocks but the touring park end of the saltmarsh was not visited. The Red Nab Wigeon numbered 68 and three RB Merg were in the region

Moths
The first Winter Moth of the year and a late Feathered Thorn

Elsewhere
One Purple Sandpiper Morecambe Stone Jetty. Great White Egret briefly on EM Pools before flying NE - clearly this site is not the attractive food source it was during the autumn.