Did the same Pom Skua follow the ferry in?

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 1150-1205
Missed the incoming ferry again due to phone call, but a short seawatch produced an outgoing juv Pomarine Skua at 'yellow buoy' range [1203hrs] along with four Ad Kittiwake sitting on the sea. The Pom was identical to and surely the same bird as the January record which was also just after the IOM passenger ferry entered port.
Med Gull - 2nd W in the harbour & no obvious sign of distress and no sign of any fishing line during fairly close views in flight late afternoon (c/f photo with fishing line two days ago)
Red-throated Diver - 2 distantly on the sea early am

Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge
1st W Little Gull Stage 2 outfall
Wigeon - 105
Med Gull - large adult Ocean Edge on sea

Elsewhere
No reports of Warton Crag quarry Chough, negative on Great White Egret reported yesterday (including a check of the Ashton Hall roost which just produced 7 Little Egret). Pale-bellied Brent Goose Sunny Slopes groyne. Ad Spotted Redshank Bubbles (SJ) Groyne but no lunchtime sign of Purp Sand. Single Avocet on the Allen Pool [& Greenshank]. 3 Scaup Conder Pool & at least one Spotted Redshank & Greenshank in same area

Plagued by phone calls!

Heysham Obs
Missed the lunchtime IOM ferry check, missed a late check of the north harbour area as darkness intervened, all due to an overactive mobile!

High tide check off Ocean Edge
Usual large Ad Med cruising the shoreline, then sitting on sea above Ocean Edge saltmarsh (covered)
1st W Little Gull Stage 2 outfall

Lunchtimish brief check along the north wall
2nd W Med Gull but only seen distantly c/f fishing line - certainly showing no obvious signs of distress as yet

Elsewhere
Very frustrating day for most people. Another Birdguides "reported" concerned a Great White Egret off Glasson at 1410hrs, but no sign after an exhaustive check by Fylde and other birders [this is the commonest species not on any Fylde birders local area lists]. There were also birders in the area an hour previously. The Chough was again available flying above and very briefly landing on Warton Crag quarry from c1525-1535 but no indication of where it came from, or the direction flown in as everyone was watching from inside the quarry, with very limited lateral vision. It is now "pretty certain" that the bird is not ringed. Single Avocet on the 'flood' (eastern end of EM Pool, visible from the crag). There have been 17 Egrets in the Ashton Hall roost recently, all presumed to be Little (per Helen Pye)

Bad news

The only news received today was a picture of the regular 2nd W Med Gull with a cut fishing line dangling out of its mouth and therefore presumably a swallowed hook involved. We'll try and catch it and take it to a vets, but easier said than done.

Thanks to all for updating the site this week.

Elsewhere

Buff-bellied Pipit, juv American Herring Gull (convincing e.g.), 23 or so Iceland Gull, 3 'Kumlien's' Gull, 9 Ring-billed Gull (including an in recent years near-'mythical' 1st W bird!), 4-5 Glaucous Gull, Forsters Tern & Cattle Egret on a 4-day Irish trip [I missed the last two!]

More Red-throated Divers

Heysham Obs

North Harbour Wall
At least 2 Twite on the mound.
3 Red-throated Divers flew out of the Bay at 0830.

Red Nab
125 Shelduck, 1000 Knot, 13 Ringed Plover, 600 Oystercatcher, 1 Grey Plover, 6 Redshank, 3 Turnstone, 8 Curlew and 75 Wigeon.

Outfalls
1st winter Little Gull

Middleton Industrial Estate
female Stonechat

Elsewhere
Warton Crag:Chough - present most of the afternoon.
Morecambe: The Pale-bellied Brent was still at Sunnyslopes Groyne. A Chiffchaff was in John Girdley's garden. A Red-throated Diver was seen from the Stone Jetty, also 50 Eider. 62 Black-tailed Godwits fed near Bubbles.
Conder: Scaup on the pool and 2 Bewick's Swans at the Lune/Conder estuary
Leighton Moss: Avocet

Knot a problem!

North Harbour Wall
Mediterranean Gull adult & 2nd W

Near Naze rocks
Kingfisher
Purple Sandpiper
Grey Plover
Knot - another ringed/flagged. Both today's and yesterday's Knot were ringed on the Waddenzee in the northern Netherlands and have moved west to Heysham. Yesterday's bird was ringed in October 2005 whilst today's bird was ringed in September 2003.

Elsewhere
LB Brent Goose Sunny Slopes groyne
Avocet reported at Leighton Moss
4 Red-throated Divers off the Stone Jetty

Colour ringed/flagged Knot

Heysham NHW

Red-throated Diver 10 distantly offshore actively feeding at high tide (8am)
Knot - colour combination passed on for details.
Mediterranean Gull adult and 2nd W
Twite 4 by the Sand Plant gate plus 10 on the mound early am

Red Nab

Shelduck 147
Wigeon 114

Middleton Industrial Estate

16 Coot, 4 Moorhen, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Mallard, 2 Teal, 2 Tufted Duck, male Pochard, 1 Snipe

Elsewhere
Great White Egret at Lane Ends, Pilling mid afternoon till 1530

The news in brief

Heysham Obs

North Harbour Wall
8 Red-throated Divers early morning feeding in the channel just beyond the buoys.
6 more Twite ringed and 11 retrapped.

Red Nab
32 Twite - probably the same birds as those at the sandplant at 0930hrs .
Little Egret.

Middleton Industral Estate
2 Mute Swan, 14 Coot, 7 Teal, 7 Mallard, 5 Tufted Duck, 1 Pochard, 2 Goldeneye (pr), 1 Little Grebe.

Elsewhere
Mediterranean Gull at Holmere, 2 Whooper Swans Aldcliffe Marsh, Green Sandpiper Borrow Pools, Aldcliffe.

Little Egret and Red-throated Divers

I will not be updating the site tomorrow to next Wednesday inclusive. Please contact Jean Roberts (details in RH column) if you have any sightings to add......or please update yourself if you know the access details. Thanks very much

Heysham Obs
Taking the Walney lead, a short early morning RTD watch was made from the north harbour wall on the dropping tide.

North harbour wall
Red-throated Diver - one 'in' and a further 3 sat distantly on the water during a brief long-range scoping session off the NHW in the early morning
Twite - 5 at the sandworks

Red Nab/Stage 2 outfall
Little Egret - one in the channel along the seaward edge of Red Nab - visible from seawall but not OE foreshore. Rarer than Yellow-browed Warbler here!
Little Gull - 1st W seaward end of Stage 2 outfall at low tide
Twite - 25 feeding in tidal debris at Red Nab, at least 8 unringed birds and several ringed birds from the other day.

unusual nest

Heysham Obs
This nest composed solely of wire was found near the top of a pine tree which had to be felled. Presumed Magpie initially, but could it be Woodpigeon?


North harbour wall
2nd W Med Gull
c10 small finches reported by angler on feeding station early pm, 2 Twite at 1530hrs.

Wooden jetty
One Purple Sandpiper creeping about with Turnstone on lower tier middle section

Red Nab/Heysham Stage 2 outfall
1st W Little Gull

Elsewhere
3 Scaup Conder pool. THREE Spotted Redshank Conder creek.

Bumble bees!

I will not be updating the site next Saturday to Wednesday inclusive. Please contact Jean Roberts (details in RH column) if you have any sightings to add......or please update yourself if you know the access details. Thanks very much

Heysham Obs
Two bumble bees were reported today, the earliest I can remember them. One at least sounded like B. terrestris

Stage 2 outfall
1st W Little Gull

Red Nab area
5 Twite, at least 4 bearing yesterdays rings

Ringing by the office
Unremarkable: Greenfinch (4), Long-tailed Tit (1), Blue Tit (2), Dunnock (1), Great Tit (2), Blackbird (1) plus retraps: Blue Tit (6), Great Tit (2), Robin (1), Dunnock (3), Long-tailed Tit (3), Chaffinch (1).

Moth trap
One Dotted Border

Elsewhere
3 Scaup Conder pool. Bittern attempting to boom at Leighton Moss, described as a 'grunt'. More Bumble Bees!