A thick sea mist this morning rolled inland. The sun didn't really break through till almost lunchtime, but even then the mist only thinned on the sea. Calm in the morning, but a west breeze developing in the afternoon.
The mist made seawatching impractical this morning
South shore 09:15 - 10:45 (Malcolm)
It was still impossible to see out to sea when I set off.
Meadow Pipit 3 on Ocean Edge grass.
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One of the Meadow Pipits. I was tempted to say "another dry day" as it
didn't rain. Mist isn't classed as precipitation, but it certainly wets everything! |
Linnet 13 at least, 9 around the saltmarsh and foreshore, 2 along the sea wall and 6 between the lighthouse and waterfall, which could have included the 2 from the sea wall. This female on the saltmarsh was very fastidiously searching for nesting material. Temporarily interrupted by the haunting call of a Curlew.
Wheatear 1
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It was clearly reluctant to fly into the mist and didn't move as I walked by.
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Rock Pipit 3
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| The sea wall Rock Pipit was joined by another |
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| The lighthouse female was still furnishing her nest |
Robin 2 between the lighthouse and waterfall
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| Robin, looking slightly the worse for wear |
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| Lesser Black-backed gulls bonding |
By the time I'd reached the roundhead the inland mist was clearing, and the sea mist becoming more patchy. I could hear Sandwich Terns but could not see any. Then the buoys out from north wall emerged out of the mist and there were at least 5 Sandwich Terns on/around them.
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| Sandwich Terns |
By the time I was back at Red Nab the inshore waters were virtually mist free, still no chance looking out to sea. 4 Pale-bellied Brent were feeding.
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| Pale-bellied Brent geese |
Lesser Whitethroat singing in the bushes along the track to the Nature Park from Red Nab
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This Mallard pair seem quite settled on the newt pond in the Nature
Park, despite this being a busy and often noisy area |
Heliport (Malcolm)
I just called in on my way back, really just to see what visibility was like. It was fine close in but no more than 200m looking out to sea.
Oystercatcher 1,500
Sandwich Tern 2 feeding.
Not much happening here, except a wagon passing behind me, but you can still hear the Sandwich Tern's calls.
Heysham Head - high water 11:30 (Jarrod Sneyd)
Sandwich tern - 25 came in on high tide at Heysham head today - flew south towards the port on the ebbing tide
Heysham skear 14:30 - 16:00 (Malcolm)
The sea was much clearer by this time, but it still wasn't possible to see the other side of the bay when I started. The South Lakes hills were just showing over the mist by the time I'd finished.
Eider 17 - mainly males in search of any unattached females.
Little Egret 3
Sandwich Tern 5
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Sandwich Tern with the far side of the bay just coming into view,
largely as there was little sea left to be misty on. |
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This Herring gull was ringed as a nestling at the Ribble estuary July 2019
It has only been read once since and that was at Heysham in August 2023 |
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Perhaps one of the reasons that it has so few records is that it isn't an easy
one to read. N:01E, but the 1 and E are so close together that they are hard
to separate in the field. |
Oystercatcher 800, but more were arriving all the time
Curlew 4
Bar-Tailed Godwit 3
Redshank 400
Knot 12 - a flock of 11 plus 1 with Turnstones
Turnstone 103 - 86 flew to SW in 3 flocks. The only ones seen on the ground was a flock of 17 with a single Knot. Likely the groups that flew to the wooden jetty yesterday.
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| Grounded Turnstone with a Knot |
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| But they soon left to the SW, likely bound for the wooden jetty |
Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)
Common Snipe 1
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| Male Blackcap near the main pond |
