Monday 25 February 2008

First Woodcock, grounded Skylark & more late afternoon Little Gulls

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall/IOM passenger ferry
Ad Med behind ferry and two ad Kittiwake which peeled off very early [wind too far to south for a decent entourage].
2nd W Med patrolling the north wall. Turnstone roost not clearly visible enough on top of wooden jetty to sort any Purps out.

Heysham Nature Reserve
The first Woodcock of the year flushed from the scrub below the observation tower

Ocean Edge/outfalls
Little Gull - 1st W Stage 2 as usual - a check just before dusk saw 3 adults joining the 1st winter
Shelduck - 38 - significant reduction on recent weeks
Skylark - one grounded Ocean Edge - first of the year in obs recording area
Wigeon - 97
Mute Swan - 2 close inshore along the seawall heading north, one south from nature reserve marsh
Lesser Black-backed Gull - influx with 41 along Red Nab


Vis mig
Pink-footed Goose - 70 north & 18 east & 5 'grey' geese east in the morning. Right at dusk, c1000 flew south over Half-Moon Bay


Middleton IE
Two Stonechat

Elsewhere
Chough emerged from the Warton Crag quarry roost at 0730hrs and flew WSW towards the EM pools. It returned to the roost at 1600hrs. [Flight shots on LDBWS site]. 18 Twite on the slagtips (2 ringed on Duddon estuary). Pale-bellied Brent Goose sunny slopes groyne at HT [& record 442 Redshank, 15 Ringed Plover]