A 5 hour sea-watch (7.15 am – 12.15 pm) – I hadn’t expected to stay that long, but every time I thought about going something would appear to maintain my interest.
7 Arctic Skua – 1 dark morph flew out at 7.21 am.
– 1 dark morph flew in, landed on the sea beyond the two buoys and floated in from 8.15 am.
– 1 light morph flew in, gaining height at 8.32 am.
– 2 dark morph flew in together, relatively close inshore and flew off over Heysham Head at 10.27 am. Presumably the same 2 dark morph then flew back from the direction of Heysham Head at 10.43 am, landed on the sea near the two buoys and gradually flew short distances / floated out on the ebbing tide.
– 2 (1 dark morph and 1 light morph) flew in together and continued past Heysham Head at 11.38 am.
2 Velvet Scoter – flew in at 8.27 am – seen while trying to keep track of the morning’s second Arctic Skua as it floated in.
480 Common Scoter – mostly flying out between 7.15 and 10.00 am, including groups of 25, 100, 89, 35, 40 and several groups of 10-20.
100+ Kittiwake – groups of 3, 38 and 35 flew into the Bay, while a group of c.100 flew out at 11.54 am. This latter group probably included an earlier very distant group of c.40 flying part way out then landing on the sea.
20 Arctic Tern – groups of 3, 15 and 2 flying in
Gannet – 2 flew across the mouth of the Bay
Manx Shearwater – 3 flew across the mouth of the Bay at 11.25 am, during a brief deterioration in visibility
Guillemot – 2 floated in separately, but no auks seen in flight
Red-throated Diver – 1 flew in, 3 flew out
Sandwich Tern – 9 regularly flying back and forth closer inshore than most of the other species
Gadwall – 4 flew in at 9.15 am – a Heysham sea-watch first for me!
House Martin – 3 flew in over the sea – the morning’s only hirundines.
Whimbrel – 2 flew in
Rock Pipit – 1 along the sea-wall
Grey Seal – 1 offshore
Pete C (with Tom Walkington from 9.30 am onwards)
