More squall-free seawatching

Heysham Obs
A few bits seen entering the bay from JBP in the morning and Heysham on the early stages of the incoming tide, but the conditions then rapidly ameliorated and led to nothing on the evening tide

JBP/centre of Bay 0700-0900
Great Skua - singles reached JBP after being picked up 'central bay' at 0735 & 0745, the first went up the Keer, the last 'up and over' JBP & Silverdale
Gannet - 3-4

Heysham north wall/south wall 1500-1600
Arctic Skua - dark morph flew in and across c1530hrs
Gannet - 4
Manx Shearwater - group of 4-5 distantly across the bay
Kittiwake - single ad off north wall

Outfalls
Kittiwake - adult and 2CY in residence

Moth
Shoulder-striped Wainscot opens its account

Where were the heavy showers?

Heysham Obs
The lunchtime clear-out saw 8/8 cloud & driving rain & 'nil' visibility turn to 0/8 in the form of a well-defined line and blazing blue skies for the whole of the rest of the afternoon tide!  The seawatching started reasonably well, then went downhill with great rapidity, despite a decent wind.  Its no good without the squalls!

North harbour wall 1230 to 1400, then a brief visit late afternoon in awful light
Pomarine Skua - light adult blogging about 1245hrs, then flew 'in' quite close, then may have landed on the sea
Arctic Skua - dark morph in/across at 1325 (up to 7 dark-morph off JBP later in the afternoon)
Gannet - 2
Manx Shearwater - 3

Outfalls
Arctic Tern - 5
Common Tern - 2
Kittiwake - 2CY

Instant reward for better timing

Heysham Obs
Too many early morning sandbank-fests have recently sapped the enthusiasm of seawatchers here, not helped by some of them being useless Plan B's after a failed CES attempt.  This morning was much better after timing with the early incoming tide as it covered the sandbanks.  However, a slightly earlier start might have been better as the weather then proceeded to clear up, wind drop and the only sightings after the first 40 minutes or so were a few Manx Shearwater

North wall 1135-1550hrs
Pomarine Skua - 3 light-morph in together - quite high in the sky & quite close in 1145hrs
Arctic Skua - 2 dark-morph in together, then landed briefly on sandbank before continuing in 1152hrs
Manx Shearwater - at least 15
Gannet - at least 11
Arctic Tern - up to 4 of the end of Heysham one outfall, at least one out
Razorbill - 2
Sandwich Tern - 2

Outfalls side
Kittiwake - 2CY Heysham 2

Time warp and last-ditch CES visit two

Heysham Obs
The final chance of doing the CES Visit 2 suggested that it 'might' be ok from about first light for 3 hours, then it would be too windy.  What a nightmare CES Visit 2 has been wind-wise.  The attempt at first light was a miserable failure and in the end we managed 0530-0830 (thanks for your help, John; invaluable when you have multiple guy snaps!).  The morning was not without interest.

Heysham Nature reserve
Cuckoo - very brief visit to the office for more mist net guys produced one which seemed to fly out of the screening planting past the car park, then into the trees along the top path.  No calls. I think this is the first record this millenium from here of what used to be an almost annual visitor in the 1980s

Middleton NR 0530-0845
Spotted Flycatcher - on the same "used to be commoner" theme - one bounced out of a mist net and this is the nearest we have come to ringing one this millenium!
Redpoll spp - one northbound migrant at 0730hrs - late in the context of this year
Swift - 6 north
House Martin - 4 north
Swallow - 8 north
Grasshopper Warbler - two caught during the CES with one of these the first returning bird we have had from previous years (ringed as a juv on 12/7/10)

Outfalls early incoming tide
Kittiwake - 2CY
Med Gull - 2CY - same bird as last few days?
Common Gull - 288
Black-headed Gull - 5
No terns, but they have only recently been 'available' at low tide

Moths
Good!   Not many, but a new species for here in the form of Pale Tussock, a scarcity in Sallow Kitten and two routine year ticks; Clouded Bordered Brindle and Grey Pug

"Peaked" too early

Heysham Obs
Two probable Poms headed up the Keer and a single Arctic Skua up the Kent later in the afternoon, but the incoming tide watch around lunchtime was stunningly poor, as has been the norm recently.  However, there was a little flurry of stuff earlier in the morning in the more unsettled weather

North harbour wall 0800-0845ish
Arctic Skua - one dark morph 'in'
Gannet - 5 out
Manx Shearwater - 2 out and across
Whimbrel - 1

Outfalls area
Arctic Tern - 8 (seaward end Heysham one at low tide)
Common Tern - 1 with above
Med Gull - 2CY with above

However, an outfalls check on the later stages of the incoming tide was as unproductive as the lunchtime seawatch with nothing found other than c140 Common Gull.  The terns, Med and the Kittiwakes from recent days were not on view

Outfalls variety

Heysham Obs
North wall 0600-0630
Gannet - flock of 7 out in second low-tide channel

Outfalls mid-morning incoming tide
Arctic Tern - four seaward end of Heysham 2, then sat on railings/rocks
Arctic/Common Tern - two seen very briefly with above
Med Gull - presumably yesterdays 2CY distantly and briefly on the outfalls
Kittiwake - yesterdays scruffy adult-type Heysham 2 outfall & also the 2CY

Ocean Edge foreshore
Dunlin - 1!

Seagulls and Whimbrels save the morning

Heysham Obs
A late start (anyone seawatching earlier on the incoming tide?) saw absolutely nothing over the sea 0945-1030, despite a bit of wind and white horses.

North harbour wall 0945-1030
Whimbrel - 8 flew north close inshore

Red Nab/Ocean Edge/outfalls 1035-1100
Med Gull - 2CY new in - this one has a well defined mask, black-tipped orange bill and a grey 'cast' over the crown between the masks.  Legs not seen (c/f rings).  First for a bit in a below-par passage
Kittiwake - the 2CY still on Heysham 2 outfalls, joined by a 'new in' rather scruffy adult-type
Common Gull - 287, one adult, c5 3CY, rest 2CY
Black-headed Gull - 9
Whimbrel - 18 on  Red Nab flew south towards the Lune estuary

Dire!

Heysham Obs
However, I have just heard about 3,500 Dunlin & 400 Ringed Plover which need detailed scrutiny at Sunderland.....before some work is done!  Worth checking fresh wader habitat as well in the next day or so.  Wind dropped this morning, flattened out the sea but didnt drop quite enough for a Middleton CES effort.  The sea was mind-numbingly poor, especially the early incoming tide (often a good time for skuas) which scored zero on the 'notable' bird front, not even a passing Swallow

North harbour wall 0500-0545 & 0630ish to 0830
Arctic Skua - dark morph in at 0520hrs
Carrion Crow - two having a serious fight on the mudflats
[40 Kittiwake later at JBP]

Red Nab/Ocean Edge incoming tide
Kittiwake - 2CY stage 2 outfall
Whimbrel - 6
Common Gull - 247 (1 adult, 5 3CY, rest 2CY)
Surprisingly no small waders

Middleton NR mist net ride gardening
Reed Warbler - at least 2 singing males
Grasshopper Warbler - ditto

Waders and wheelers in the mist

Heysham Obs
Hopeless first thing with dreadful visibility but, as often happens in these conditions, a few birds flying 'out' came within visual range (just about) nearer & over high tide.  Peering into the mist undoubtedly favoured noticing the more obvious species i.e. Gannet and the single Bonxie, but I really dont think there was anything else!

North wall very intermittently to 0700-1100hrs
Gannet - 47 out, mostly 1030 onwards
Great Skua - one out 1037ish
Fulmar - one out 0730ish and probably another in the mist later
Whimbrel - 3 out
another wheeling thing in the mist may have been a Manx

Red Nab
2CY Kittiwake feeding in the surf at high tide

Ocean Edge foreshore
Sanderling - 2 in situ, joined very briefly by a flock of 5 which then flew towards Red Nab
Ringed Plover - 16
Dunlin - 18
Whimbrel - 9

Some rewards in a marginal wind

Heysham Obs
Mike B and Pete C flew the flag for the early morning seawatching today and it was mainly a bit distant with intermittent spells of poor visibility and low, rather too uniform cloud

North harbour wall 0700ish (?)-1030, 1900-1935
Arctic Skua - 5, with all but one before 0910hrs, LM in evening chasing terns
skua spp - one, thought to be a probable Pomarine, but too distant
Sandwich Tern - 2
Gannet - absolute minimum of 25 individuals
Common Scoter - 4
Red-throated Diver - 1
Arctic Tern - at least one of 4 in the evening being chased by the Arctic Skua was this spccies, the others remained unidentified as only briefly glimpsed