Thursday 22 January 2009

Coastal coverage

Heysham Obs
Just in time for the IOM ferry

Heysham north wall lunchtime
Kittiwake - 13 behind the IOM ferry - flew into bay in two lots (7+4) whilst the other two flew out with Common Gulls. All ads.
Med Gull - 2 adults
Purple Sandpiper - one on the rocks below the inner end of the wooden jetty
Twite - 39 - 5 unringed, one metal-ringed (possibly the bird we forgot to colour-ring!), one ringed at Askam-in-Furness in late October 2008 & the rest all Heysham autumn 2008-ringed
Still no Guillemot for the year list.

Very brief OE visit late morning
Ad Little Gull stage 2 outfall

Elsewhere
2 Bewick's Swan (remembered to stop & look this time!) Sand Villa, later 5 plus some Whoopers. 1st W Dark-bellied Brent Lane Ends. At least 3 European Whitefront and at least one Pink-foot with partially obscured Greylag geese just north of Bulbeck (between Caton and Claughton) on the Lune valley floodplain. Park at Bulbeck and walk north. Note: mobile speed trap at Claughton this afternoon - is this the start of a blitz = quite right on this stretch?