Snipe surprise

Heysham Obs
Ocean Edge foreshore/Red Nab
Snipe - at least 28 roosting out in the open on Red Nab (saltmarsh not covered by tide)!
Wigeon - 94
Red-throated Diver - one on sea far offshore
Little Gull - 1st W sat on the calm sea

Moneyclose Lane
Catkins agg. (alder?)

North harbour wall
Shag - juv still on the wooden jetty
Med Gull - two adults together on the railings
Twite - 42
Red-throated Diver - one far offshore, prob same as above

Observers: Alan Draper, Jen & Jeff Butcher, Pete Marsh

Elsewhere
Egyptian Goose with Greylags in fields at northern end of Leighton Moss. 21 Little Egrets in the island roost at Leighton Moss

Shag a welcome year tick amongst a good selection

Heysham Obs
Shag occurrences are usually limited to autumn juvenile influxes which gradually disappear (e.g. about 28th December 2008) or very occasional strictly transitory birds. Therefore a juvenile roosting on the wooden jetty at high tide today was unexpected.

The other feature today was an example of the unpredictable nature of the north harbour wall. Saturday is normally much quieter than Sunday but an attempt to catch Twite was unsuccessful due to a semi-resident angler plus 3 kids & dog and, when they had finally gone, really unfortunate timing by arriving police patrol and birders. Today at 1100hrs: not a soul anywhere near the feeding station, despite high tide!

Birders could help by not getting out of their cars if a black-coloured Rover is parked next to the feeding station with a 'whoosh' net set ready for action! Thanks very much & please remember that any Twite you do see are very much courtesy of this ringing study/feeding station - they would not be here otherwise, but offering much less satisfactory and unpredictably located views on the saltmarshes

Seawatch 0920 - 1145 hrs & north harbour wall 1100hrs
Kittiwake - adult in the harbour by the "waterfall"
Pink-footed Goose - 3 South; 45+52+16 North
Greylag Goose - 1 North
Great Crested Grebe - 4 out, 1 in & 2 offshore
Red-throated Diver - 6 out; 5 in
Guillemot - 2 offshore + 1 out
Auk sp - 2 out; 1 in
Shelduck - 1 in
Common Scoter - male out 1102 hrs
Duck sp - 15 out, very fast and very low over sea
Shag - juv wooden jetty
Little Gull - 1st W Stage 2 outfall
Med Gull - adult NHW
Twite - 46 Sand Plant gate
Linnet - 1 over Reserve
Perhaps surprisingly, no sign of any Purple Sandpiper

Visible from the recording area boundary(ish)..............
Pink-footed Goose - 1076 in fields just east of the met mast alongside the A683 Heysham bypass at least 1030-1530 - thoroughly grilled & not even a neck-collar or darvic

Observers: Malcolm Downham, John Wood, Pete Marsh

In addition to above:
Red nab
1 Purple Sandpiper flew in from along South Wall 1hr before high tide
21 snipe (plus 15 from Ocean Edge)
123 wigeon (didn't count shelduck as they were scattered into several groups from Ocean Edge to outflows)
c 30 Twite/Linnet flock
(MD)

Elsewhere
At least two European Whitefront with partially obscured views of the Bull Beck Greylag flock. Little Gull off Morecambe lifeboat station at lunchtime. The Wray 'crest is a Goldcrest.

Moondance farewell

Heysham Obs
.........sailed out for the final time - Denmark awaits.

Seawatch 0905-1050 hrs (HT 1019)
Kittiwake adult near S1
Purple Sandpiper 2 very low on middle section of wooden jetty
Pink-footed Goose 65 & 104 North, from Fylde direction, then into the Bay, long way out; + 52 East, high up from Barrow direction.
Red-throated Diver minimum 3 with odd singles 'in' and 'out' could have been same birds.
Guillemot 2
Eider pair 'out'
Shelduck 3 'out' + 1 'in'
Med Gull adult
1040 hrs 75 Bar-tailed Godwit 'out'
Wigeon 3 'out'
Twite 33, later 54 by Sand Plant gate

Middleton Industrial Est (MD)
2 mute
9 coot (last species to fully re-colonise after the freeze)
3 moorhen
18 mallard
8 tufted
1 pochard (female)
16 teal
95 pinkfoot East 11:30

Elsewhere
European White-fronted Geese (2 ad & 2 juv) showing well by Bull Beck car park on the Lune floodplain. No sign of the Hooded Crow by lunchtime. Probable Firecrest visiting a garden in Wray for the last few days

Guillemot nailed at last

Heysham Obs
Short time available & spent it in the picturesque old "Gate 38" area by the Shag(less) waterfall. This gives an angle on the outer harbour and was an appropriate repository for the free half of a 2 for 1 Ginsters pasty bought on Monday evening at the biggest petrol/junk food complex without a public toilet I have ever come across (be warned - first one on A628 west from the M1)

Harbour mouth
Guillemot - one sat in the harbour entrance
Med Gull - adult positively headed for the above pasty
Kittiwake - adult showed a vague interest in the above pasty

North harbour wall
21 Twite - 2 unringed, rest Heysham-ringed

Ocean Edge
Quick scan of Stage 2 outfall revealed no Little Gulls but 5 Twite were on the shore at Red Nab

IOM ferry too far away to wait for

Moths
Agonopterix heracliana in the trap

Observers Alan Draper & Pete Marsh

Elsewhere
Hooded Crow seen, after perfect timing as regards receipt of yesterdays sighting, at the top of Daisy Bank cSD503613 at 1115hrs & again at 1230hrs - initially on its own in a field to the north of the road & flighty & later in stubble field. The Greylag flock just north of Bulbeck at SD545646 was also showing well at c1105hrs and included the 2 adult & 2 juv European Whitefront and at least 2 Pinkfeet

Coastal coverage

Heysham Obs
Just in time for the IOM ferry

Heysham north wall lunchtime
Kittiwake - 13 behind the IOM ferry - flew into bay in two lots (7+4) whilst the other two flew out with Common Gulls. All ads.
Med Gull - 2 adults
Purple Sandpiper - one on the rocks below the inner end of the wooden jetty
Twite - 39 - 5 unringed, one metal-ringed (possibly the bird we forgot to colour-ring!), one ringed at Askam-in-Furness in late October 2008 & the rest all Heysham autumn 2008-ringed
Still no Guillemot for the year list.

Very brief OE visit late morning
Ad Little Gull stage 2 outfall

Elsewhere
2 Bewick's Swan (remembered to stop & look this time!) Sand Villa, later 5 plus some Whoopers. 1st W Dark-bellied Brent Lane Ends. At least 3 European Whitefront and at least one Pink-foot with partially obscured Greylag geese just north of Bulbeck (between Caton and Claughton) on the Lune valley floodplain. Park at Bulbeck and walk north. Note: mobile speed trap at Claughton this afternoon - is this the start of a blitz = quite right on this stretch?

Very short visit to OE

Heysham Obs
Ad Little Gull seaward end Stage 2 oufall 1330hrs
Red-throated Diver - one flew "out and across" 1330hrs

North Harbour Wall
Twite: just 11 this morning (windy and very cold!) - 2 unringed and the remainder all with combinations of pale blue, blue & white colour rings.
Great-crested Grebe: 1 close inshore.

Elsewhere
Load of Greylag still north of Bulbeck car park in Lune valley but no time to check through for White-fronts. Similarly load of Wigeon off Bazil Point but too far away to check from Sunderland road (c/f hybrid)

Very rapid year listing!

Heysham Obs
After Dan & myself had an exciting time down south via Holmfirth - a random selection being: a 63 Waxwing jam-in at a Huddersfield bypass petrol station [I've use up all my good fortune on this species during this influx] , being advised how to make babies by a rich and powerful German, a conversation with "Lard" - a Gillingham sopowter who beat 'you lot'= Morecambe = "is it somewhere near Newcastle?", a Spoonbill on mega-private land we couldn't put out and sliding down a snow-covered road near Hepworth:

Stage 2 outfall twelvish
Kittiwake - 2 adults on seaward end
Little Gull - ad & 1st W inner end

Later with a house/taxi-bound Jean
Med Gull - two adults in the harbour mouth, one to bread
Kittiwake - one by the waterfall and 3 behind the Clipper Point (part of our transport to and from the Little Blue Heron!)
Little Gull - now 2 adults and 2 1st W on Stage 2 outfall
Twite - c40 flying about the mound etc.
Great-crested Grebe - 2 inshore
No small waders visible on/under the wooden jetty remains

Elsewhere
Four European White-fronted Geese on the Lune flood plain just north of Bulbeck car park (& 1+ Pink-foot) Hybrid adult drake American x European Wigeon off Fishnet Point, Glasson along with ad Med Gull

Bits and bobs

Heysham Observatory

North Harbour Wall
Twite: 36 present on feeding station. All ringed except 2 - majority with this winter's colour rings.
Red-breasted Merganser: 2 pairs
Mediterranean Gull: 1 adult.

Elsewhere
Stone Jetty: Rock Pipit
Field next to Giant Axe, Lancaster: Mediterranean Gull P96
Leighton Moss: 13 Little Egrets

Seabirds dominate

Heysham Obs
Number Two outflow 3:20 (MD)
6 adult + 4 1st winter Little gull

Ocean Edge salt marsh (MD)
c 150 dunlin
c 150 lapwing
4 snipe
(not the weather for accurate counts)

Seawatch 1400-1600 hrs SHW/harbour
Red-throated Diver imm 'out'
Little Gull 3 'out'
Kittiwake adult + 2 imm 'in' 1 adult 'out'. Adult & imm in harbour near 'waterfall'
Guillemot 1 in harbour
Med Gull adult around harbour entrance.
Shelduck 1 'in' 3 'out'
Twite 12 over harbour
Purple Sandpiper 1 wooden jetty roosting.
Red-breasted Merganser M 'out'
Great Crested Grebe 1 on sea.

Elsewhere
Jenny Brown's Point - 3 Kittiwake
Leighton Moss Allen Pool - Greenshank, Spotted Redshank
Conder Green - Common Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank
Junction of Quernmore Rd and Grab Lane - 3 Brambling.

You stupid boy!

Please note that Ocean Edge leisure park is in its non-residential period. NO access at all before 10am or after 4pm and please ask at reception between these times. Thank you.

Heysham Obs
What am I doing going down to Kent (for an induction as well as survey) & what am I going to miss here?

In other words, worth checking around the wooden jetty (watching it drop to bits - easier to find the Purps?)/harbour mouth/outfalls /north harbour wall in the next couple of days

Purple Sandpiper - two below the wooden jetty
Med Gull - at least 2 adults, including the ringed bird
Twite - 63 early on, then no more than 20-25 were seen around the seed in increasingly poor late afternoon weather
Red-throated Diver - minimum of 2 offshore late afternoon
Snipe - 23 Red Nab, 10 OE saltmarsh
Golden Plover - flock of 52 north over Red Nab - mega record!
Wigeon - 69 Red Nab, 6 off the north harbour wall

Middleton Industrial Est (MD)
Nice to see that all the wildfowl (plus a few guests) decided to return to the area after the freeze:
2 Mute
5 coot
2 moorhen
3 goldeneye (1 male)
8 tufted
1 pochard (female)
c 20 teal
5 mallard
1 little grebe
5 snipe
1 jack snipe

Elsewhere
Nothing new apart from Greenshank on the EM Pools & Adult Med Gull in fields near Overton SD431587 (has this been atlas roving recorded, please?)