Saturday 25 October 2008

A little window prior to the rain

Heysham Obs
Try NHW seawatching first thing tomorrow & hope there is already stuff in the bay before the wind heads NW - a few coastal Leach's to the north of here

Wind completely useless for seawatching - far too far to the south - but a bit of effort produced a reasonable selection, albeit nothing definitely 'new in' apart from perhaps the 2nd W Little Gull. Another landmark achieved this autumn - the only coastal migration site with daily coverage in the whole country not to have received Yellow-browed Warbler......... or more accurately, didnt find what must have been (based on mid/late autumn Chiffchaff numbers) at least one somewhere (Walney "fell" yesterday - so they are still around at this latitude)?!

North Harbour Wall seawatch 0930-1030 hrs (Rain from 1010)
Shelduck 2+5+5 'out'
Eider 1 'out'
Med Gull - 3 adult
Shag - 1 juv wooden jetty
Great-Crested Grebe 3 close in to seawall
Ringed Plover 11 Helipad

Quick check NHW area 1115hrs
Shag - 2 at the waterfall in harbour (& at least one Cormorant)
'Twinnet' - flock of 16 in flight only over the mound - both sp. calling

Stage 2 Outfall in atrocious conditions, viewed through the murk from O Edge
Arctic Tern - ad & juv
"Commic Tern" - only seen briefly but presumably the juv Common seen yesterday
Little Gull - one 2nd W

Late afternoon glimpse of S2O in even worse conditions
Arctic Tern - juv the only tern seen
Little Gull - adult (definitely not the morning bird)

Office -area
Chaffinch 6 SW - one flock

Elsewhere
Dead as regards new arrivals apart from a female Scaup on Freeman's Pools. Mass transfer of Black-tailed Godwits etc. to Warton Floods - scope & high-powered wide angle lens from Warton Crag road layby. Still two Curlew Sandpiper Allen/EM Pools before the rain - getting late for these.