Tuesday 11 December 2007

Belated WeBS

Heysham Obs
Most of the birding today was covering the Red Nab area pre-tide and the WeBS count, most of which was out of the recording area along Morecambe Prom.

North harbour/'waterfall' area/Heliport
Shag - Just the one juv seen in two visits either side of high tide.....but this site is at its best at low tide. Three Cormorant were also on the waterfall and one of these was noticeably smaller than the other two and perhaps accounts for the extra "possible Shag" yesterday.
Med. Gull - The usual 2nd W and Ad

No Purple Sandpiper but they have been difficult on the higher high tides
& see 'Elsewhere', quite possibly involving a NHW bird

Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore & saltmarsh
Snipe - 65, presumably reflecting the frozen overnight conditions on e.g. Middleton
Linnet 3
Ringed Plover 20
Dunlin c300
Grey Plover 25
Lapwing 103
Mistle Thrush 2
Wren 1

Med Gull - Probably the elusive 'other adult' on Red Nab
Wigeon 84
Kingfisher 1
Great Crested Grebe 2 off RN
Shelduck 9 'out' - one flock

Elsewhere
Rest of the Webs was quite productive (south to north order):
Purple Sandpiper - one roosting on the new Sunny Slopes groyne (46B)
Light-bellied Brent Goose - the Canadian colour-ringed bird was by the Battery Groyne
Rock Pipit - kleinschmitii-type on the Battery groyne
Med Gull - the Belgian-ringed adult was by the 'boats' groyne
Spotted Redshank - the veteran was roosting on the Strathmore groyne
No sign of any Yellow-legged Gulls on the Teal Bay groyne or area

Others
The male Snow Bunting was seen very briefly late afternoon at Ringstones Lane and the 'possible' location of the Shrike mentioned yesterday has been 'narrowed' down to New Barns in the middle of SD66Z

Lancashire's top Shag site

Heysham Obs
Gate 38/intake area
Late afternoon visit produced 3 juvenile Shag, 2 Cormorant and what was probably an adult Shag seen VERY briefly before being flushed by an angler out of the harbour. All associated with the 'waterfall'

North harbour wall/mound
The most surprising record was an increase of the 36V Wren population to 3 individuals! 9 Twite in the morning were welcome. Late afternoon saw a single Purple Sandpiper and the adult Mediterranean Gull along the north wall.
Also in 36V 4 Mistle Thrush on mound near feeding station.

Elsewhere
The male Snow Bunting was seen at Ringstones Lane in the afternoon and we have a secondhand report of a "shrike" in nearby SD66Z sometime in the last few days at least. Great White Egret at Leighton Moss and three Scaup still on Glasson Marina