Saturday 12 January 2008

Traffic census of the Barrow-Ulverston coast road

Heysham Obs
Seawatching from the north harbour wall
A bit of long-range scoping a fairly calm incoming tide in the hope of one or two of the Walney 'goodies' from yesterday - see Links. In one hour, 234 vehicles went north and 155 south. No birds were seen during the two hour watch other than:

Common Scoter - male flew in (first of the year)
Red-throated Diver - 2 very distant in & landed on water
Eider - 2 in

There were not even any Great-crested Grebe floating in with the tide - this would have been unthinkable 15 years ago.

Closer inshore/onshore
Ad & 2nd winter Med Gulls
Single Purple Sandpiper on the rocks at the end- flew over to south side of the harbour
Twite - 10 at the sandworks entrance

Middleton IE webs
2 Pochard (male new in), one Tufted Duck, c20 Mallard, 10 Coot, 2 Mute Swan, 13 Teal, 3 Goldeneye, 18 Snipe. Also 2 Raven east and c350 Pink-footed Geese north

Elsewhere
Little Egret over the Stone Jetty early morning was unusual

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