Thursday, 28th June 2012

Offshore
An evening seawatch produced 21 Manx Shearwater west, 6 Gannet, 12 Common Scoter, 1 Auk sp., 5 Sandwich Tern and 2 Curlew west.

 

Others

1 Pochard, 3 Sanderling and 19 Turnstones.

 

Ringing

1 Reed Warbler, 4 Sedge Warbler, 3 Whitethroat, 3 Greenfinch, 1 Dunnock and 1 Great Tit.

 

Sedge and Reed Warbler  

Wednesday, 27th June 2012

Offshore
11 Gannet, 5 Manx Shearwter west, 10 Common Scoter, 4 Sandwich Tern and 1 Arctic Tern west.

 

Others

1 Sanderling, 13 Turnstone, 8 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard and 1 male Wheatear; several sightings during the month relate to the same summering male.

 

Ringing

1 Reed Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Dunnock and 1 Great Tit.

 

 Whitethroat

 

Tuesday, 26th June 2012

An early returning Wigeon was observed today as well as three Siskins heading east!

Offshore
3 Gannet, 23 Common Scoter, 4 Sandwich Tern and 3 Common Tern.

Visible Migration
3 Siskin flew east at 18:55! 

Others
1 male Wigeon, 6 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard, 1 Sanderling, 47 Curlew and 12 Turnstones.

Ringing
1 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler and 2 Wren. 

 Willow Warbler

Monday, 25th June 2012

Offshore
5 Gannet, 3 Sandwich Tern and 3 Common Scoters.

Others
1 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin, 11 Turnstone and 1 Sand Martin.

Ringing
3 Reed Warbler, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Bunting and 1 Blue Tit.  

Sedge Warbler 

Sunday, 24th June 2012

Offshore
2 Gannet, 2 Sandwich Tern, 1 Common Tern and 45 Common Scoter.

A further watch in the evening produced 20 Gannet, 1 Fulmar, 12 Sandwich Tern, 1 dark morph Arctic Skua west and 2 Manx Shearwaters west.

 

Others

7 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin, 31 Curlew, 25 Turnstone, 1st summer Yellow-legged Gull and 9 Whitethroats (family party).

 

Ringing

1 Reed Warbler.

 

Reed Warbler

 

Saturday, 23rd June 2012

A cracking 8 hour seawatch produced some excellent June records.

Offshore
13 Storm Petrel west, 31 Fulmar west, 49 Manx Shearwater west, 274 Gannet west, 2 Great Skua west, 1 Arctic Skua east, 10 Kittiwake west, 6 Sandwich Tern, 3 Common Tern west, 3 Guillemot, 2 Auk sp., 2 Great Crested Grebe, 14 Common Scoter, 35 Knot west and 2 Curlews west.

 

Others

7 Sanderling, 11 Dunlin and 46 Turnstones.

 

Record shot of one of the 'Stormies'! 

Friday, 22nd June 2012

Torrential rain all day meant that coverage at the obs was limited.

Offshore
6 Common Scoters, 3 Gannets and 4 Manx Shearwaters.

Others
2 Pochard, 3 Sanderling, 4 Dunlin and 11 Turnstones.   

Thursday, 21st June 2012

Offshore
5 Gannet, 250 Common Scoter, 4 Sandwich Tern and 1 Great Crested Grebe.

Others
2 Pochard, 5 Sanderling, 21 Dunlin and 19 Turnstone.

Ringing
1 Reed Warbler and 1 Sedge Warbler.    

Wednesday 20th June 2012

Offshore
8 Gannet, 1 Fulmar east, 250 Common Scoter, 1 2nd summer Med. Gull east and
2 Sandwich Tern.

Others
7 Sanderling, 27 Dunlin, 24 Turnstone, 4 Stock Dove and 1 Redpoll.

Ringing
1 Whitethroat, 1 Reed  Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Bunting, 5 Wren and 
1 Great Tit.

                                                            Sedge Warbler

Tuesday 19th June 2012

Offshore
18 Gannet, 8 Common Scoter and 6 Sandwich Tern.

Others
12 Lapwing, 34 Curlew, 28 Sanderling, 57 Dunlin and 14 Turnstone.

                                                                      Turnstone

Monday 18th June 2012

Offshore
3 Gannet, 2 Great Crested Grebe east, 11 Common Scoter and 2 Sandwich Tern.

Others
1 Knot, 15 Dunlin, 18 Sanderling and 12 Turnstone.

Ringing
1 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Reed Warbler, 2 Wren, 1 Dunnock and 3 Robin.

     Reed Warbler

                                                                   Lesser Whitethroat

Sunday 17th June 2012

Offshore
3 dark morph Arctic Skuas (1 low west & 2 high east), 8 Manx Shearwater west, 1 Fulmar east, 25 Gannet, 7 Common Scoter, 2 Kittiwake west, 7 Sandwich Tern east and 3 Common Tern east.

Others
4 Knot, 19 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin and 51 Turnstone.

       Knot, Sanderling and Turnstone. Still unusually high numbers of 

waders  present  for mid June.               

        Knot

                         

Saturday 16th June

Offshore
42 Manx Shearwater east, 1 Fulmar east, 25 Gannet west, 1 dark morph Arctic Skua east,
4 Sandwich Tern, 13 Arctic Tern west, 2 Guillemot, 13 Common Scoter, 2 Harbour Porpoise and 4 Atlantic Grey Seals.

Grounded Migrants
1 male Wheatear on the beach.

Others
1 Knot, 9 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin and 31 Turnstones.  

Friday 15th June 2012

Offshore
8 Gannet, 7 Common Scoter, 5 Sandwich Tern and 1 Common Tern.

Other
1 Knot, 7 Sanderling and 16 Turnstone.  

Thursday , 14th June 2012

Offshore
9 Gannet east, 17 Common Scoter east, 2 Razorbill east, 1Guillemot east, 6 Auk sp. east, 8 Sandwich Tern, 2 Kittiwake west and 1 Manx Shearwater east. 

Others
1 Whimbrel, 18 Sanderling, 18 Turnstone and 3 Knot.  

Wednesday, 13th June 2012

Offshore
14 Gannet east, 5 Sandwich Tern, 33 Common Scoter east, 17 Manx Shearwater west and 3 Atlantic Grey Seals.

A further sea watch in the evening produced 10 Gannet, 45 Common Scoter east, 10 Sandwich Tern east, 2 Common Tern east and 1 Manx Shearwater east.

Others
46 Sanderling, 1 Knot and 24 Turnstones.

Turnstone

Tuesday, 12th June 2012

Offshore
16 Gannet, 11 Manx Shearwater west, 2 Sandwich Tern and 3 Common Scoters.

Others
29 Turnstone, 69 Sanderling and 2 Knot.

 Knot

Monday, 11th June 2012

Offshore
9 Gannet, 2 Common Tern, 6 Sandwich Tern, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Shelduck and 2 Manx Shearwater.

A further sea watch in the evening produced 7 Kittiwake east, 33 Common Scoter east, 10 Gannet west, 1 Great Crested Grebe west, 14 Sandwich Tern east and 8 Manx Shearwaters west.

Others

15 Turnstone and 14 Sanderling.

 Male Common Blue

Sunday, 10th June 2012

Offshore
5 Gannet, 14 Common Scoters and 1 Auk sp.

Others
34 Sanderling, 15 Turnstone, 4 Dunlin and 5 Ringed Plovers.

Male Comon Blue Damselfly

  

Saturday, 9th June

Offshore
48 Manx Shearwater west, 21 Gannet west, 1 Guillemot, 2 Kittiwake west, 1 Fulmar west, 4 Sandwich Tern, 5 Common Scoter, 2 Auk sp. and 11 Knot east.

 

Grounded Migrants

1 male Wheatear still present.

 

Others

16 Turnstone, 45 Sanderling, 3 Dunlin and 7 Ringed Plovers.

 

Turnstones and Ringed Plover 

Friday, 8th June 2012

Offshore (am)
7 Gannet west, 41 Manx Shearwater west, 1 Red-breasted merganser west, 2 Common Scoter and 1 Fulmar east.

Offshore (pm)

20 Gannet west, 1 dark morph Arctic Skua east, 47 Manx Shearwater west, 3 Common Scoter, 1 Guillemot, 2 Auk sp. and 1 Fulmar east.

 

Grounded Migrants

1 Wheatear; male still present.

 

Visible Migration

1 Swallow NE.

 

Others

44 Sanderling, 23 Dunlin, 11 Turnstone and 8 Ringed Plover. 

 

 Turnstone

Thursday, 7th June 2012

A few records from a very wet obs!

Ringing
1 Reed Warbler, 2 Sedge Warbler, 2 Wren, 1 Blackbird and 4 Kestrel pulli.

 Kestrel

Offshore
3 Sandwich Tern and 2 Common Scoter.

Grounded Migrants
1 Wheatear - very late date!

 The late Wheatear

Others
29 Sanderling, 6 Turnstone, 47 Curlew, 22 Ringed Plover and 65 Dunlin. 

Dunlin and Sanderling

 

Wednesday, 6th June 2012

Offshore
4 Gannet, 5 Kittiwake west, 4 Sandwich Tern, 2 Auk sp. and 35 Common Scoters.

Ringing
4 Dunnock pulli.

Others
85 Sanderling, 3 Turnstone, 110 Ringed Plover, 130 Dunlin, 1 Little Stint and 1 Sand Martin.

 

 Dunlin

   

Tuesday, 5th June 2012

Offshore
3 Gannet, 1 Auk sp, 18 Common Scoter, 12 Manx Shearwater west and 4 Sandwich Terns.

 

Ringing 

1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Wren and 1 Robin.

 

Others

53 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone, 80 Dunlin, 53 Ringed Plover and 1 Little Stint.

 

   Sanderling

Monday, 4th June 2012

Offshore
6 Gannets, 4 Common Scoter and 3 Sandwich Tern.

Visible Migration
3 Swallow NE and 1 House Martin NE.

Ringing
4 Sedge Warblers, 2 Dunnock, Reed Bunting, 6 Reed Warblers, Great Tit, Blackcap, Goldfinch, Wren, Song Thrush, 4 Greenfinch, 2 Lesser Whitethroat (including a recently fledged bird), Blackbird and 13 pulli Willow Warblers.

 Reed Warbler

Others
128 Sanderling, 21 Dunlin and 2 Turnstone.

The leg flagged Sanderling that Ian sighted yesterday was amazingly another bird from Mauritania. Just to remind you where Mauritania is, see the Google Earth image below.

 This bird was ringed in Mauritania on 02/12/2008 and has been recorded wintering there in every winter since. Unlike the bird we reported about on 1st June, this bird has been observed outside Mauritania in addition to Fleetwood Bird Observatory. It was observed in Somerset on 06/08/2009 and Tyninghame Bay, Scotland on 05/06/2010. An incredible series of sightings of this bird occurred in 2009 as follows:

- 08/05/2009 - Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania
- 06/08/2009 - Berrow, Somerset, England

So, between 8th May and 6th August this female Sanderling had travelled from Africa to Greenland/Iceland, nested on the Tundra and was recorded heading back south through the UK. Increible! 

A record shot of the bird in question can be found below.  

   

Sunday, 3rd June 2012

A few records from a very wet obs!

Offshore
5 Gannet, 7 Manx Shearwater west, 6 Common Scoter and 2 Sandwich Terns.

Visible Migration
7 Swift flew east offshore and 2 Siskin flew east in the rain, a very late record!

Others
52 Sanderling (including another colour ringed individual; details to follow), 3 Dunlin, 10 Turnstone, 7 Ringed Plover. Over the pools were 15 Swallow, 25 House Martin and 12 Swifts.

 

 Ringed Plover

 

Saturday, 2nd June 2012

Offshore
19 Gannet east, 6 Manx Shearwater west, 1 Fulmar west, 12 Common Scoter, 4 Sandwich Tern, 1 Guillemot and 3 Atlantic Grey Seal.

 

Visible Migration

1 Redpoll east and 11 Swallow NE.

 

Others

40 Knot, 27 Sanderling, 6 Dunlin, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 Turnstone.

 

Ringing

5 Meadow Pipit pulli, 10 Great Tit pulli and 15 Blue Tit pulli.

 

Meadow Pipit nest  

 

 Meadow Pipit pulli

Friday, 1st June 2012

Offshore

26 Gannet east, 278 Manx Shearwaters west, 1 dark morph Arctic Skua east, 9 Kittiwakes west, 2 Guillemot east, 1 Razorbill west, 14 Sandwich Terns east, 2 Arctic Terns east and 89 Common Scoter west.

Visible Migration

2 Swallows NE.

Grounded Migrants
1 Wheatear. 

Others

83 Sanderling, 11 Dunlin, 1 Knot, 2 Turnstone, 4 Ringed Plovers, 58 Curlew, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit and 1 late Sand Martin over the pools.

Ian observed another leg-flagged Sanderling at the obs this morning. Thanks to a quick response from Jeroen in Holland we found out that this bird was ringed at  Banc d' Arguin, Mauritania on 23rd November 2008 and this was the first time that this bird has been reported outside of Mauritania! It has been observed wintering in Mauritania in 2009 and 2011. See Google Earth image below.

    

 The Sanderling in question!