Proving a point?

Heysham Obs
Another wall of weather esconced itself in the southern Irish Sea and theoretically stopped anything progressing north. Therefore 5 hours of good science were spent at Heysham NHW proving the point!

North harbour wall 0700-1200
Gannet - about 12 in/out/fishing
Sandwich Tern - absolute minimum of 140 (one sweep at 0700hrs)
Whimbrel - 4 in, 7 out
Little Gull - 3CY in
Fulmar - one circling over the harbour! and another in
Guillemot - one on the water
Red-throated Diver - one in
Pink-footed Goose - 59 SOUTH! 1155hrs
Wheatear - one 'in off' north harbour wall, one sandworks, 9 OE foreshore
Swallow - 84 NE
Sand Martin - 18 NE
Goldfinch - 5 NE
Meadow Pipit - 5 NE
House Martin - 1 NE
Black Guillemot - by the wooden jetty/offshore

Mammals
One Grey Seal in

Elsewhere
Two Avocet Conder Pool

Early morning tern passage

Heysham Obs
A significant low tide passage of Arctic Tern this morning with birds heading off high inland in the absence of any water in the bay to the north. 3.7ish earthquake at 1120hrs shook the office but did not set any alarms off in the power stations

North harbour wall 0630-0900 - all vis to NE
Arctic Tern - 518, largest flock 140 (see above)
Sandwich Tern - 157 'in' along the low tide channels
Whimbrel - 1 in & 3 at high tide on Red Nab
Red-throated Diver - 2 in
Whooper Swan - one across the bay at 0705hrs (very late)
Linnet - 5
Carrion Crow - one in-off from Walney
Siskin - 3
Redpoll - at least one heard
alba Wagtail - 1
Swallow - 14

Grounded
Robin - one on NHW mound
Wheatear - 9 OE foreshore including 2 very large males

Inshore
Canada Goose - 2 on the sea
Black Guillemot - sitting by the wooden jetty

Elsewhere
Nothing yet. Either a home computer problem or no news of any significance at all from this area. The rain produced good numbers of hirundines on the Dockacres complex, including about 10 House Martin on Borwick Waters

Black-throated Diver eventually identified

Heysham Obs
Ended up as single observer of what I'm on record as saying is the most stringy species in Lancashire (as opposed to the White Wagtail subspecies)! It took 35 minutes to be certain of the identification due to a combination of initial distance and then active feeding. After 'swopping channels' round the end of the sandbank during a dive, it was then seen heading increasingly distantly up the Kent channel and a diver which appeared to be this species was unfortunately rather belatedly picked up in flight heading for south Walney at 0950hrs

North harbour wall 0830-1030hrs (seawatching disrupted by concentrating on the Bk TD)
Black-throated Diver - became aware of it distantly on the sea about 0855hrs, then reasonable views about 35 minutes later (see above). No sign of any breeding plumage therefore most likely to have been a 2CY
Red-throated Diver - 4 in summer plumaged birds in together + single wp/2CY 'in'
Guillemot - c10 floating in, including group of 5
Sandwich Tern - absolute minimum of 50 'in' & presumably the same birds starting to come out and 'ignored' count-wise from about 0945hrs
Arctic Tern - flock of 12 'in' as soon as I got there at 0830 was the only sighting (any missed pre-0830?)
Arctic Skua - dark morph in very high and gaining height at 0844hrs
Purple Sandpiper - 1 under the wooden jetty

No sign of Black Guillemot, despite calm conditions

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Only about half the number of gulls as yesterday & nothing of note amongst them
Bar-tailed Godwit - flock of 217 on the tideline just south of Stage 2 outfall - these are the Lune estuary birds as indicated by the presence of the leucistic individual
Whimbrel - 3

Wheatear
11 Ocean Edge, 3 on the NHW mound, one on heliport

Whinchat
Male on fence in non-op land at 1400hrs

Mammals
A single Harbour Porpoise only appeared to breach the once

Elsewhere
Everyone appears to be at work!

Poor nice sunny morning

Heysham Obs
The weather in the south Irish sea was again significant, I suspect with very frustrating seawatching this morning with potentially the best birds (3 possible skuas and two duck spp) remaining very distant and unidentified in the heat haze

North wall & office vis 0930-1000 - all flying NE unless stated
Black Guillemot - harbour mouth area
Purple Sandpiper - wooden jetty
Arctic Tern 1 + 4, the latter dropped from a height, faced into the wind before climbing again
Sandwich Tern - perhaps no more than 10 blogging
Guillemot - 11 floating in during the latter stages of the tide
Red-throated Diver - one out distantly
Gannet - 2 out distantly
Swallow - 32
Goldfinch - 49
Linnet - 16
Redpoll spp - 2
Sand Martin - 2
Meadow Pipit - 3

Red Nab/Ocean Edge/outfalls
Med Gull - 3CY in full summer plumage and probably the 2CY seen intermittently recently
Whimbrel - 8, including a flock of 4 in from the south
Gulls - up to 500 immature Common and Black-headed Gull - well worth regular perusal on the incoming tide

Moorhen
Unprecedentedly, one was wandering around on the grass by the office completely ignoring everyone. Escape from Martin Mere?

Moths
Common Carpet was a first for the year

Elsewhere
A new tetrad for Ring Ouzel in Bowland slightly lifts the gloom and doom with this species this year. Two Curlew Sandpiper Leighton Moss

Seawatching and vis morning on the north wall

Heysham Obs
An okayish morning, especially for the less experienced birders, but the lack of skua species was disappointing

Birds seen moving north 0700-1030
Kestrel - one watched 'in-off', then NE
Arctic Tern = 70 in, 7 out
Sandwich Tern - perhaps just 10 or so bloggng
Fulmar - perhaps just the two blogging
Razorbill - one in, two out
Guillemot - 5 out, one in
Whooper Swan - one in 1000ish - very late (Marton Mere bird?)
Whimbrel - 4 out
Gannet - 5 in, one out
Red-throated Diver - one out - landed on water
Goosander - male in (rare here)
Meadow Pipit - 25
Swallow - 90
Linnet - 23
Redpoll spp - 10
House Martin - 1
Swift - 2
Sand Martin - 14
Grey Wagtail - 1 (late)
Goldfinch - 17
Wheatear - 25 passed through the seawatch area, many of these "in-off" and north along the seawall. At least a further 27 in the recording area & the speed they were moving inland suggests many more as OE foreshore and the non-operational land were not checked until very late/not at all respectively
Wheatear (additional)
16 on Half Moon Bay foreshore 7am
13 on Ocean Edge foreshore 11am


In situ
Black Guillemot by the wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - probably just the one intermittently visible below wooden jetty
Little Gull - 2 adults on the outfall for a lengthy period - then at least one of them seemed to head off high
2 Grasshopper Warbler - Middleton Industrial Est

Elsewhere
Black Tern Leighton Moss

Routine migration trickle

Heysham Obs
*** See posting on 16/4 for good views of Alpine Swift just a few millimetres outside the Obs recording area at 1100hrs (on 16/4)!

Ocean Edge foreshore
Mediterranean Gull - yesterdays 2CY
Wheatear - 12 plus 6 NHW
Willow Warbler - 2 migrants on the rocks

Office area
Redstart - female
Redpoll spp - 1 NE
Goldfinch - 2 NE

North harbour wall & area (all passerines/hirundines NE)
Black Guillemot
Arctic Skua - one dm in 0750hrs
Arctic Tern - 7 in
Sandwich Tern - one blogging, 3 in
Little Gull - ad winter blogging
Gannet - 6 in
Razorbill - 2 in
Guillemot - 2 in & 4 floating in
Whimbrel 14+22+1 in, 3 out
Swallow - 92
Meadow Pipit - 40
Goldfinch - 17
Linnet - 7
Redpoll - 1
Siskin - 2
Jackdaw - 1 in
Grey Heron - 1 in
Turnstone - 265
Purple Sandpiper - 1

Jay
One was along Moneyclose Lane between the reserve and Ocean Edge and is the first posting for a bit. Please post any sightings of this species in the Heysham area. Thanks

Mammals
3 Harbour Porpoise and a Grey Seal off NH wall

Moths
Chinese Character new for the year

Elsewhere
Absolutely nothing of interest reported in this area in the public domain other than the above Heysham stuff! 2 Black-necked Grebe at Lilians hide, Leighton Moss yesterday, also 2 Curlew Sandpiper on the Allen/EM Pools. Apologies for not texting the BNG - forgot to check pager - very busy! Scalloped Hook-tip was an unexpected capture at Lord's Lot Wood last night

Fairly low key, especially on the sea!

Heysham Obs
Extensive cloud cover out to sea did nothing to divert any passage via Morecambe Bay...........at least pre-0900hrs when work had to take over.

North harbour wall 0700-0900
Black Guillemot - in residence
Gannet - one out
No obvious sign of any Purple Sandpiper in poor light

Vis mig north wall/Ocean Edge/by office pre-0900
Siskin - 8 NE
Swallow - 16 NE

Grounded
Wheatear - 11
low single figures of Willow Warbler & Chiffchaff plus a single unringed Blackcap caught

Miscellany
Med Gull - unringed 2CY with extensive dusky rear crown and well-defined dark band on outer bill OE foreshore
Black-headed Gull - 280 OE foreshore/outfall - good count for this time of year - worth checking daily!
Common Gull - 35 perhaps a lower number than usual for this time of year

Moths
V Pug & Herald & a few orthosias

Elsewhere
Nothing as yet

Not worth getting up early!

Reptiles
Apart from the possibility of an escapee from a snake dancer in a Morecambe nightclub, reptiles have never featured on the radar for this area. However, an intensive search for Belted Beauty Moth at nearby Potts Corner produced a minimum of two sightings of Common Lizard. Please do keep an eye open for these in the Obs recording area as they havent been seen in 30+ years of coverage!

Heysham Obs
Early seawatching was like watching paint dry with just 4 Sandwich Tern 0715-0815 in very clear conditions. Went up a gear later as some cloud and haze appeared to the south. A survey vessel (didnt appear to be bird work) in the mouth of the bay did not help with respect to Red-throats and scoters drifting in [the(?) two Velvets were seen again at Rossall].

North wall 0715-0815, 0830-1045
Black Guillemot - on or below the wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - definitely two and possibly three on/below wooden jetty
Sandwich Tern - just 8 seen all morning - all in!
Arctic Tern - flocks of 10 + 104 in (latter at 1010hrs)
Arctic Skua - a distant all dark skua in at 0945 appeared to be this species
Little Gull - adult still in winter plumage out, plus 3CY on the sea of Ocean Edge
Redpoll spp - 4+1 in
White Wagtail - 1 in
Linnet - 6 in
House Martin - 1 in
Swallow 45 - in (0840-1130 hrs) more frequent latterly.
Sand Martin 1 NE
Woodpigeon 1 high over Bay NE
Robin - one grounded on the end of the north harbour wall - soon went inland (see also ringing)

Ocean Edge
Little Gull - see above
Mallard - male off Red Nab (mega!)
Wheatear - 8
Whimbrel - 3


Ringing
An early start in clear conditions did at least produce the first Lesser Whitethroat of the year on the reserve plus a Blackcap & probable migrant Robin


Middleton IE
Whinchat - male
Grasshopper Warbler - singing male central marsh

Mammals
At least three Harbour Porpoise but quite distant (Kent channel?) at c1030hrs

Insects
Several teneral Large Red Damselflies were seen YESTERDAY around the reserve

Elsewhere
Osprey last night at Leighton Moss

Routine coverage

North harbour wall 0830-0950

Black Guillemot wooden jetty

Purple Sandpiper wooden jetty

Gannet 5 'in' (4 ad + 1 sub-adult)

Sandwich Tern 4 blogging

Swallow 1 North

Rook 1 South over wooden jetty

Velvet Scoter highlight

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 06.30-7.30 & 0845-1145
Arctic Tern - 15 in
Eider (6 in, 8 out, 15 across the end of the Bay N-S)
Sandwich tern (build up - 2 in and hanging round yellow buoys, 4 on red buoy, later 10 altogether wandering round)
Red-throated diver (1 out but landed by yellow buoys, 1 out, 3 in)
Gannet - 1 in, 3 out
Guillemot - 1 out.Common Scoter 30+20+130=180 ouy
Velvet Scoter - 2 out with common scoter flock
Little Gull - 2x AdS north, 2x 1stW north, 1 AdW on sea
Arctic Skua - 1 dark morph on seaMeadow Pipit - c36 NE
Swallow - c6 NE
Tree Pipit - 1 NE
alba Wagtail - 4 NE

Red Nab
Dunlin unusual & 2 Sandwich Tern

Wooden jetty area
Purple sandpiper - 1, later 2 seen
Black Guillemot - flying about and swimming, then up on top of pier.

Grounded
Wheatear - 3

Elsewhere
Nothing dramatic although belated news that the Alpine Swift on 15/4 was seen flying from Cockersands towards Glasson at 5pm!