After Plan A (sea-watching from Heysham North Harbour Wall) and Plan B (butterfly watching at Gait Barrows and Warton Crag) were junked due to a lack of SW wind (Plan A) and a lack of sunshine (Plan B), it was on to Plan C:
Eric Morecambe Pools (from Crag Road viewpoint)
2 Mediterranean Gull – 1 1st summer flew south, 1 2nd summer on the Eric Morecambe Pool North
35 Avocet – 2 on The Flood, 17 on Eric Morecambe Pool North, 16 on the Allen Pool
135 Black-tailed Godwit – on The Flood
4 Pintail – 3 males & 1 female on Eric Morecambe Pool South
2 Great Black-backed Gull – pair nesting on Eric Morecambe Pool North
3 Pochard – 2 males on the Allen Pool, 1 female on Barrow Scout Fields
1 Great White Egret – Eric Morecambe Pool South
Jenny Brown’s Point
45 Bar-tailed Godwit – roosting on shoreline at high tide
14 Eider – 8 males, 4 females
Leighton Moss
465 Black-tailed Godwit – roosting on cut area adjacent Skytower
1 Knot – with the godwit flock
6 Marsh Harrier – 3 males, 3 females, including 4 seen from Skytower stood on posts or perched in bushes in different parts of the reed-bed at the same time
4 Bittern – 3 booming males heard – at Barrow Scout, south of the Causeway and north of the Causeway – plus 1 flew over Causeway Mere and landed near Island Mere
11 Cetti’s Warbler – singing at 11 widely spaced locations across the reserve
7+ Pochard – 1 male from Lilian’s Hide, 1 male from Lower Hide, 4 male & 1 female with 7 small young from Grisedale Hide
6 Great Black-backed Gull – 3 pairs at nests from Causeway Hide, Lower Hide and Grisedale Hide (on the Osprey platform)
Male Cinnamon Teal x Shoveler – from Jackson Hide then flew into reedbed
2 Water Rail – 1 below Skytower, 1 from Lower Hide
Reported by others:
3 Garganey – 2 (male, female) from Lower Hide, 1 male from Grisedale Hide
Pete C
