Sunday 10 February 2008

Springtime at Middleton IE!

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE
Loads of territorial disputes ranging in size from Wren to Coot! Returning trilling Little Grebe and singing Skylark & Reed Bunting added to the perhaps premature spring scenario. The coverage was a little too early in the morning for butterflies:
The most unexpected record was TWO pairs of Raven in territorial dispute over the site - this represents a record daily count of Raven for the Obs recording area!

Female Pochard, 3 Snipe, 15 Teal, 7 Tufted Duck, 13 Coot, 3 Little Grebe, 2 Goldeneye, 4 Mallard

North harbour wall & sandworks
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult plus 2nd W
Twite - 11

Outfalls
No early morning sign of the 1st W Little Gull & no check made of the wooden jetty for Purple Sandpiper

Insects
Small Tortoiseshell on bank next to NR car park - first report this year & perhaps the earliest ever record (at Heysham) of one flying about outside

Elsewhere
Polish-ringed Med Gull again on Lancaster City football ground. A winter record count of 9 Little Egret on the Conder & upstream section of the Lune Estuary. 51 Twite near Waterloo Cottage, Lune Estuary. THREE Scaup and two Spotted Redshank Conder area with TWO Spotted Redshank reported off Morecambe seafront. A further Small Tortoiseshell at Bank End along with 'tidal' Water Rail