Tuesday 23 April 2013

Manx Shearwater day

Heysham Obs
Fulmar used to be 'bread and butter' on spring-autumn seawatches, but are now scarcer than Manx Shearwater and missing the solitary individual this morning could indeed be costly in the local year-list stakes.  How things have changed.

North harbour wall 0600-0930
Manx Shearwater - 179 out
Razorbill - at least 18 in/out
Guillemot - 24 out
Auk spp - at least 25 in/out
Gannet - 11 in, 8 out
Sandwich Tern - 32 out
Arctic Tern - 23 in/out/blogging, 70 out in a wadge heading for the outfalls at c1030hrs
Little Gull - 2 adult out
Kittiwake - 2+7+4+43+4 'in' and low singles (of these?) out
Red-throated Diver - 5 in, 8 out
Fulmar - one out
Common Scoter - 4 in
Whimbrel - 4 in
Bar-tailed Godwit - 15 out
Common Sandpiper - 1

Red Nab/outfalls
Common Gull - 165
Arctic Tern - 25, 6 of these flew inland over Ocean Edge

Heysham NR office area
Lesser Whitethroat - 2 singing males
Grasshopper Warbler - singing male in tank farm

Moth
Single Early Grey - not common here

Mammal
Harbour Porpoise offshore