Friday 15 May 2009

What else is around in the atrocious/fall conditions?

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 0745-0815, 1215-1245
Spotted Flycatcher - one near the Twite feeding station
Whinchat - one by the heliport
Wheatear - 4
Zero offshore early am

LBB Gulls starting to nest build on the Centrica offices! A full count is planned of roofnesting gulls. Any Power Station workers with some height to overlook the harbour able to help here, please? The south side of the old Fishers roof is especially difficult (perhaps from by Duke of Rothesay traffic lights?)

Ocean Edge 0820-0845, 1245-1315
After the above, reasonable expectations but the rain was becoming torrential and only the following were seen during short attempts to see what was on the rocks:
Wheatear - 3
Whimbrel - 2

Lunchtime produced:
Arctic tern - 9 at seaward end of Heysham 2 - all sitting on railings
Sandwich tern - 2 off Heysham 2

Rain-soaked check around the office/Obs tower pond 0850-0900
This was prompted by a Spotted Flycatcher on the Obs Tower pond fence
Spotted Flycatcher - just the one
Sedge Warbler - a least 5

Lunchtime vis mig
Swallow - 33 NE (inc. loose flock of 19)
Swift - 4 NE

Elsewhere
Dockacres complex (Pine Lake etc etc) 'dead' mid-afternoon apart from c250 hirundines of the common varieties.