Thursday 12 May 2016

Arctic terns

Heysham Obs
None of your touchy-feely biodiverse seawatching today - it was all about one species other than a gang of 13 Kittiwake

Arctic Tern resume
Three migratory flightlines of them today on the dropping early morning tide

Kevin picked up 80+50 off the slag tips wondering whether to go overland

The Stone Jetty produced three flocks in the Kent channel heading slowly in and feeding (110,70,50)

Heysham rather belatedly (I thought there would have been a few birders there this morning!) saw a very concentrated passage on three lines with the bigger gangs in the Kent channel and smaller flocks close in shore with the odd small flock between the two along the edge of the exposing sandbank. However, it all dried up at 0915 with only 5+4 between then and 0945

There was absolutely no evidence of any backtracking birds which might have led to duplication

Grand total between us: about 680

then a further 63 in four flocks as the tide turned at about 1130, then none for next 20 mins

Grand total, assuming no birders covering other times are not hiding somewhere:

about 743

Others
Kittiwake - flocks of 13 adults sat on the sea then headed north towards Grange
Swallow - 15 N+6 N
Sand Martin - 1 N 
Black-headed Gull - c240 in in dribs and drabs all morning - mixture of ad and 2CY
Common Sandpiper - 1 Ocean Edge

Mammal
Grey Seal