May 2009
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Highlights: A Whiskered Tern briefly entered Cumbrian waters at Bowness-on-Solway (10th) and a Rose-coloured Starling was reported at Arnside (19th). Bassenthwaite Lake: The Ospreys successfully hatched all three young Furness: Two drake Garganey appeared at Sandscale Haws (25th).
Hodbarrow:
Inner Solway:
A
Spoonbill (intermittently from 18th) and a Kent Estuary: Up to three Little Egrets and three Garganey, two drakes and a duck, graced Ulpha Meadows while both Osprey (10th & 29th) and a male Marsh Harrier were also seen. Two Avocets at Halforth (22nd) were the pick of the waders while a first-summer Mediterranean Gull was at Arnside (18th). Outer Solway: Two Black Guillemots graced Whitehaven harbour and singles were also seen at nearby Parton and Workington. Soddy Gap hosted up to 55 Whimbrel and a Hooded Crow was at Distington (4th).
Walney
Bird Observatory:
Highlights from over the sea involved totals of 42 Arctic Skuas,
12
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(10th). Waders included a Ruff and a Spotted Redshank
while up to four first-summer Little Gulls
were present, with a Great Skua seen offshore (20th).
Sightings at nearby locations included 20 Red-throated Divers,
100 Gannets, two Arctic Skuas, and a Marsh Harrier
(10th) at Silecroft plus a Little Egret on the Esk south of
Ravenglass (31st).
Little Egret visited Campfield/North Plain. Wildfowl included a
dark-bellied Brent Goose and 37 Scaup at Grune (2nd)
and a drake Garganey at Carr Beds (4th) while pick of the
waders were single Little Ringed Plovers
at North Plain
and
Wedholme Flow, a Ruff at Grune (2nd) and a Spotted
Redshank at Wedholme Flow (1st). Spells of southwesterly winds
prompted a revival of the skua passage with totals of 424
Pomarine, 117 Arctic, 26 Great and 24
Long-tailed logged by the month end. Also noted at Bowness-on-Solway
were Red-throated Divers (max. 33), a summer-plumage Great
Northern Diver (9th-10th), Manx Shearwaters (max. 20),
three Little Gulls, Kittiwakes (max. 220), Arctic
Terns (max. 50) and modest numbers of Fulmars, Gannets,
Common Scoters, Common and Sandwich Terns.
Pomarine Skuas, four Shags,
two Great Skuas and two Velvet Scoters (16th), two
Puffins (16th) and single Black Guillemot (7th & 26th).
Also seen were good numbers of Gannets (max. 685 on 8th),
Manx Shearwaters (max. 300 on 27th), Common Scoters (max.
270 on 19th), Sandwich Terns (max. 222 on 10th),
Kittiwakes (max. 165 on 7th) and Guillemots (max. 105 on
8th) along with peaks of 22 Fulmars (27th), 20
Red-throated Divers (10th), 10 Little Terns (10th) and
smaller numbers of Common Terns and Arctic Terns. Up
to two Little Egrets continued to linger (to 10th) and a
Water Rail was still present in suitable breeding habitat. The
Tawny Owl remained and two late Short-eared Owls were
recorded (11th). The last Merlin departed (2nd) and a
Marsh Harrier flew through (10th). Lingering wildfowl included
Gadwall (to 2nd), Scaup (to 10th) and Wigeon
(all month) while a female Velvet Scoter consorted with
Eiders (30th). Waders were highlighted by a summer plumage
Curlew Sandpiper (16th) along with up to 47 Whimbrel
(9th), 18 Black-tailed Godwits (3rd) and single Ruff
(13th-15th) and Purple Sandpiper (10th). Diurnal migration
included 140 Swallows (10th) 100 House Martins (11th)
and totals of 14 Lesser Redpolls and three Siskins.
Grounded migrants were in the main scarce but included 24
Wheatears (2nd), 21 Spotted Flycatchers (14th), two
Whinchats (1st) and a handful of White Wagtails (to
10th).