Friday 30 April 2010

A few Cumbrian-range seabirds, a Swift and a Flame Shoulder

Heysham Obs
Pretty dire this morning so far in a 'nothing' southwesterly and high fluffy clouds, unlike the more promising sharp rain showers inland at High Tatham.

North wall 0800-1030
Arctic Skua - dark morph in at 0915hrs
Sandwich Tern - 2 out
Gannet - 4 out
Common Scoter - flock of 6 in
Common Gull - 61 blogging
Black-headed Gull - 23 blogging
Swift - first of the year in
Swallow - 3 in

Moths in the hut trap
Pretty decent catch, as usual in lightish westerly winds, including the first Flame Shoulder of the year, a late Shoulder Stripe, yet another Herald and a good total of 10 Powdered Quaker

Elsewhere
Two female Dotterel at Abbeystead Lane until flushed by birder(s) at 0720hrs.  Please stay in your car until you have assessed the range of the flock - the range of the Golden Plovers being as/more important than the 'target'.