Saturday 11 April 2009

Osprey at last & first Grasshopper Warbler!

Heysham Obs
The Rossall Osprey was actually at 0710hrs, not 0610hrs therefore obviously the same bird as that seen at Heysham. The male Black Guillemot returned inshore at 1020hrs.

North wall 0700-1100hrs
Osprey - one north along the Kent channel line at 0725hrs (one NE over Rossall Point at 0710hrs)
Shag - a juv on the pager as being on the wooden jetty around 1000hrs but not before 0945 or after 1025
Black Guillemot - the ad male returned inshore about 1020hrs and remained alongside the wooden jetty to at least 1100hrs
Gannet - 6 in then out, 1 out
Med Gull - 2 x 2CY - one with stand-alone 'masks' , one where obviously joined over the rear crown - generally messing about offshore with Black-headed & Common Gulls
Sandwich tern - at least four, two latterly sitting on buoy
Swallow - one north!
Meadow Pipit - just 17 north
Linnet - 8 north
alba Wagtail - 5 north
Goldeneye - ad male on the sea
Red-breasted Merganser - 12 on sea
Great-crested Grebe - 5 on sea
Purple Sandpiper - a least one below the wooden jetty

Red Nab
Kittiwake - 36 inland over the caravan site at 0830hrs

Outfalls
Ad Little Gull
Ad Kittiwake (high tide)

Middleton IE
Canada Goose - 2
Greylag - 2
Both these pairs on the model boat pond

Evening visit Middleton IE
Grasshopper Warbler 1 in song
Goosander pair North
Great Spotted Woodpecker over
1 Fox

Moths
Good catch for here (32 moths of 10 species): Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet very early. Shoulder Stripe not common here. Chestnut exceptionally rare here & quite late for this hibernating species which re-emerges at the first hint of warmth! Agonopterix propinquella - first record for here? 13 Early Thorn a record one-night catch

Elsewhere
Tree Pipit Warton Crag. Redstarts Freeman's Pool and upper Hindburndale (but no Pied Flycatcher upper Hindburn). Willow Warblers everywhere after yesterday afternoon's dramatic major arrival during the short but sharp rain belt, including 3 singing males within earshot of Leck View Cottage at High Tatham. Bittern almost certainly left Leighton Moss to the south this evening.