Reply To: Whatsapp roundup w/c 13/5/2024

[andrewmccafferty]

#8835

[15/05/2024, 05:54:27] Various: Sea so far Heysham: common scoter 1125 in, dm Arctic in

[15/05/2024, 06:30:21] Various: Two lm pom heading in now q distant

[15/05/2024, 08:08:01] Various: Heysham north wall Sea 0535-0800: in unless stated: 1433 Common Scoter, two LM Pom Skua, 6 arctic Skua (one out very close; 4 LM, 2 DM), 70 Sandwich tern, 8 Arctic tern, 1 Little Tern, 9 Gannet, one sp Red throat, 27 Kittiwake (3 flocks out), 26 Guillemot, 14 raz/guill, flock of 3 drake Goosander, 29 swallow, 3 house Martin and an in off spotted flycatcher which landed on railing before quickly heading in over the road. Most of the scoter before 0600 and only two distant flocks seen coming out. In addition three very distant outbound probable skuas together with the rear one looking smaller but too far for any id

[15/05/2024, 12:05:13] Ian Hartley: Osprey currently circling over Lancaster University campus.

[15/05/2024, 12:13:53] Matthew Powell: Is it looking for a uni plaice?

[15/05/2024, 14:21:07] Phil Byle: Full summer plumage White-winged Black Tern showing really well from Causeway

[15/05/2024, 14:22:16] Colin Barnes Leighton Moss: White winged black tern over causeway pool at Leighton Moss this afternoon. Confirmed

[15/05/2024, 16:15:23] Josh Hedley: Wwbt now over Lillians pool

[15/05/2024, 16:18:29] Josh Hedley: And back over the causeway

[15/05/2024, 17:25:57] Andrew McCafferty: WWBT has flown in the direction of the shore pools (we’re looking from sky tower, had good views before it disappeared)

[15/05/2024, 17:37:31] Matthew Powell: Still that way or heading back? Just on Causeway now.

[15/05/2024, 17:46:53] Josh Hedley: Over Em pool now #traintick

[15/05/2024, 17:48:26] Alan Physick: Just lost it

[15/05/2024, 17:48:47] Alan Physick: By Eric Morecambe

[15/05/2024, 17:52:54] Chris Piner: White winged black tern back over Lilians pool from Skytower now

[15/05/2024, 17:53:22] Matthew Powell: At Lilian’s now

[15/05/2024, 17:55:25] Matthew Powell: Now at causeway

[15/05/2024, 17:56:29] Andrew McCafferty: Haven’t seen it head back, but we’ve left now, Chris Piner’s just popped up there now. Going to check from Bride’s Seat on the way somewhere else

[15/05/2024, 18:00:12] Matthew Powell: At lower Hide now (from skytower)

[15/05/2024, 18:22:29] Matthew Powell: It’s getting mobbed by black heads. Seems to be down lower end now and doing a lot of diving.

[15/05/2024, 18:24:42] Alan Physick: Gone back towards Lillian’s

[15/05/2024, 19:51:27] Garry: Negative from sky tower the last hour…scanning lower/ causeway etc

[15/05/2024, 19:53:07] Alan Physick: I’m trying to locate it on the marshes, I’ve just had it quite far out from Eric Mbe but took my eye off it to open the window and can’t find it.

[16/05/2024, 14:14:28] Various: Sea heysham 0525-1130 with Mark Prestwood; in unless stated:
Kittiwake – 147 in 15 flocks- many high flying and some could have been missed
Red throated Diver – perhaps the same three sp seen close inshore on three occasions
Arctic skua 1, 2, 1 then one got off sea and chased terns (2LM, 3 DM)
Sandwich tern at least 50, Arctic Tern – single and flock of 30
Little Tern – one
Black Tern – one
Gannet – c35
Aythya spp prob Tufted distant flock of three
Common Scoter – just 40
Fulmar – 2
Little Gull – 1st summer
Bottle-nosed Dolphin – 4-5 chasing ?tuna

[17/05/2024, 10:02:36] Craig Bell: Spoonbill down in R Keer area, c40 Knot, 20 Bar-tails, LRP, 6 Dunlin and a prob Curlew Sand but all flushed by RSPB staff on marsh. 3 seoerate Osprey sightings, 2 GWE best from dawn-9.

[17/05/2024, 16:10:30] Various: Sea heysham 0600-0930 (MP, JR, TW, PM). All about second day of late adult Kittiwake passage – are these high Arctic eg Svalbard-bound? Just half a dozen or so 2cy. A bit murky for overlanding though:

Kittiwake – 312 in (85 largest flock), 92 out – not necessarily same based on flock sizes
Common scoter – 153 in, 40 out
Red throated diver – 5 in, 4 out
Sandwich tern – 16 in, c25 blogging
Manx Shearwater – 3 plus 7 in – first of year for heysham and year tick
Gannet – just 2
Common Tern – one out
Arctic Skua – lm and dm together with another dm trailing 300m behind – in at c0910
One swift and about 5 swallow
Just a grey seal mammal wise ‎<This message was edited>

[17/05/2024, 17:10:54] Various: 2cy little gull causeway/lower now (per Craig)

[18/05/2024, 07:30:02] Various: Fulmar in Heyshsm – just the job 😊

[18/05/2024, 08:34:48] Various: 560 kittiwake in/climbing and others heard but not seen overhead (!) in last 20 mins Heysham – awesome!

[18/05/2024, 11:12:06] Various: Sea Heysham (MP, JR, PM). Headwind today with no easterly element. Large chunks of watching paint dry but this all changed 20 mins before HT with massive Kittiwake movement. 606 were counted heading in and up and judging by all the calls two significant north-east bound flocks couldn’t be picked up overhead in the blue sky. Amazing how far the sound carried from these flocks. All but handful passed through in a 35 minute period up to and over HT
Others:
Fulmar 1
Gannet – 12
Common scoter 10 plus 7
Guillemot – 10
Sandwich Tern – 33 in, 16 out – no blogging today
(Probable v distant little tern)
I would suspect any skuas or arctic terns today would have been way up out of sight before reaching heysham based on the behaviour of the usually more reluctant to overland Kitts ‎<This message was edited>

[18/05/2024, 11:19:42] Various: Osprey fishing around heysham two outfall before heading east c0930

[18/05/2024, 11:50:41] Various: Another 83 kitts on the sea to the south of the outfalls which hadn’t made a move before we left so different birds (per Malcolm). ‎<This message was edited>

[18/05/2024, 12:53:25] Various: Two hobbies over Crookhey Hall

[18/05/2024, 16:25:05] Various: Little gull pres 2cy Allen Pool

[18/05/2024, 17:55:45] Jarrod Sneyd: Garganey 1m @ NT Parkend (Brigsteer)

[18/05/2024, 20:05:08] Jarrod Sneyd: Cuckoo very vocal at Foulshaw Moss this evening

[19/05/2024, 07:39:34] Andrew McCafferty: Gannet in and 25 Common Scoters in so far at Heysham from S Harbour Walk

[19/05/2024, 07:48:30] Various: Best off Heysham north wall lm and dm arctic skuas in then on at 0645

[19/05/2024, 09:00:58] Ian Hartley: 5 Little Gulls Conder Green pool

[19/05/2024, 17:18:45] Various: Just trying to summarise todays seawatching from Stone jetty and Heysham:
Arctic skua – dark morph in SJ at 0629, dm and lm dropped from height then landed on sea drifting in off Heysham at 0645. Typical behaviour before heading up and overland so not surprised not seen at SJ
Kittiwake – 121 in at SJ just one flock of 37 flying out at Heysham – SJ birds clearly on sea to north of Heysham before watch started
Arctic Tern – latish flock of 14 past SJ – not seen Heysham – pres through before watch started
Red throated Diver – 3 in, one floating in Heysham
Gannet – about 12 in total
Sandwich Tern – just two seen at both locations
Guillemot – three floating in, one in, one out
Common Scoter – c70 in three gangs off Heysham – none reached SJ
Goosander – male in Heysham ‎<This message was edited>