Sunday 26 April 2015

Frosty start

Heysham Obs
A few migrants this morning although could have done with being there a bit earlier - maybe some additional stuff from Pete who was seawatching early on

North wall 0845-1000
Sandwich Tern - 23 out
Whimbrel - 4+4 in
Meadow Pipit - one NE
Linnet - 16 NE
NO hirundines! - see below
Turnstone - 162 - but didn't see any Purple Sandpiper - definitely did not move across to north wall on dropping tide with vast majority of Turnstones
No sign of the Iceland Gull

Office area 0655-0840
Redpoll - 14 north including flock of 8
Linnet - 13 N
Rook - flock of three south-west - quite high and purposeful - what on earth were they doing!
Swallow - 61 NE between 0730 and 0830
Sand Martin - 2 NE as above
Willow Warbler - at least four passing through
Redstart - female showing well by the office after first turning up at 0745, last seen 0755
Grasshopper Warbler - one singing briefly tank farm (on territory?)
Whinchat - 2 males together on tank farm 0735 then flew across the non-op towards golf course
- very lucky to see these - perhaps need to look that way more often! (IOY)


Middleton NR (thanks Malcolm).
Wildfowl as yesterday plus 2 greylag & 2 shelduck.
Still lots of common whitethroat around plus there were more sedge singing. Also 2 lesser whitethroat and 2 grasshopper reeling (1 one top of hill in west section - new bird or relocation?).
3 orange tip
1 weasel

Just an update on swans. Pair on Tim Butler
still sitting. Pair nesting on Fence pond failed, but were mating again this
morning. The 6 2 cy are splitting into increasing aggressive factions.