Heysham Bird Observatory

The observatory was set up in 1980. It involves ringing,'vis mig' counts (including seabirds) and general monitoring in the Heysham Nature reserve/power stations/harbour area. The statutory moth trap is in place and also a daily log for butterflies, dragonflies etc. We share an office, kindly provided by EDF Energy, with the County Wildlife Trust. This is located next to the Nature Reserve car park. Do call in. Please leave sightings in the letterbox, ESPECIALLY 'fly-by' seabirds.

Friday, 24 May 2013

Brief run-round

Heysham Obs

Outfalls/Red Nab
Kittiwake - usual 2CY
Common Gull - 91 2CY
Bar-tailed Godwit - 32
Wheatear - nice bright large male

North wall
30 mins produced a single 2CY Kittiwake

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Little Egret deja-vu

Heysham Obs
The adult male Black Redstart has perhaps mysteriously disappeared - maybe it was just a one-day migrant.

Non-op land
Wheatear - 2

Outfalls/Red Nab
Kittiwake - 2CY
Bar-tailed Godwit - 32

Offshore
An attempt to reap similar rewards to the unexpected skua movement in at least the north Irish Sea last night with a lengthy early morning seawatch failed miserably, but at least it produced a record flock of Little Egret - rather similar to last year's spring gang which also headed north
Little Egret - flock of 10 north-westish towards Barrow
Sandwich tern - 1

Recent pics from Sandra and John Truran
As well as the above Wheatear, these were taken (thanks for these):

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

brief bits

Heysham obs
Most of the day seemed to be spent driving too and from Millom on so-called 'A' roads. A bit of coverage this afternoon but not including the Black Redstart in strong winds

Non-op land
Wheatear - two 'leggy' females

Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher still sitting
Common Sandpiper briefly

Outfalls
2CY Kittiwake

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

Breeding bird survey surprises

Heysham Obs

Power station non-operational land and area
Spotted Flycatcher - one on fence by office 0830ish
Wheatear - at least two in the non-op area
Black Redstart - superb adult male found by Reuben and watched by the three of us feeding in a flat gravelly area before seeming to fly towards the Power Station/storage yard
Oystercatcher - on 3 eggs
Ringed Plover - on 4 eggs
Grasshopper Warbler - confirmation of two territories on the tank farm

North wall
Sandwich Tern - 6 blogging offshore

Monday, 20 May 2013

Night migrant free zone

Heysham Obs
75 minutes of seagulls/sea and an hour of migrant searching left a clean page still in the notebook. Nothing left from yesterday after a clear early night.

Heysham NR
Lesser Redpoll - 5+3 north, the latter flock refusing to enter a belatedly set mist net which was a pity one bore a left-leg ring
Common Blue

Swallow - 3 north

Moths
"Highlighted" by White shouldered House Moth and Brown House Moth on the same night!

Sunday, 19 May 2013

A nice late spring migration morning

Heysham Obs
First decent numbers of Spotted Flycatcher this millenium!

Heysham NR & area
Spotted Flycatcher - c9 (2 ringed)
Garden Warbler - one ringed
Sedge Warbler - 5 ringed plus another migrant
Reed Warbler - 1 migrant ringed, singing male marsh
Whitethroat - 6 migrants ringed
Robin - two unringed birds unexpected
Lesser Redpoll - 3 late vis mig birds ringed

North harbour wall
Spotted Flycatcher - one mound
Willow Warbler - one sandworks

Wheatear - 4 large birds mound - not there early am
Arctic Skua - 5 dark morph in
Gannet - 5
Sandwich Tern - c10
Arctic Tern - one outfalls
Common Sandpiper - one around all morning
Common Scoter - c50 raft offshore
Kittiwake - flock of 6 in
Pink-footed Goose - c75 north
Swallow - c200 per hour 0800-0900, fewer later
House Martin - 10 north

Red Nab area
Grey Plover - 61
Bar-tailed Godwit - 15 (75 yesterday)
Dunlin - c120
Kittiwake - 2CY outfalls
Med Gull - 2CY off Ocean Edge

Saturday, 18 May 2013

Work, rain and no proper coverage or trips to Margate

Heysham Obs
Not even a moth trap this morning as the light fitting was faulty

Outfalls
Med Gull - 2CY
Kittiwake - 2CY
Swallow - one north!

Access details

Newcomers to this area: Please visit the map at the base of this page and print it off, along with the following access instructions. It is very easy to take wrong turnings here, especially when accessing the coastal areas, and alerting the various security staff around the harbour/power stations

Anyone birdwatching and photographing in the harbour area is likely to attract the attention of the harbour police (and you will be on a security camera at all times). You will be expected to provide details on request and any refusal could jeopardise future access.

North Harbour Wall
Please note that pedestrian access to the harbour mouth, beyond the 'red gate' is possible but inadvisable with young children. On 'busy' days at high tide, please avoid parking alongside the seawall as this restricts the room available to anglers. Thanks.

South harbour area/Power Station outfalls
The old "Gate 38 (39 on the map)" to the west quay of the harbour is now open again but may, of course, be locked at any time and therefore access to view the 'harbour waterfall' and thence the wooden jetty/outfalls area IS CURRENTLY POSSIBLE via this route. You could also use the traditional walk from the tall mast/nature park/seawall past the outfalls. Park by the tall mast about 120 metres before the entrance to Ocean Edge and take the path to the shore via the Nature Park. Alternatively park in Heysham Nature reserve and access via the Landscape Strip/dog-walk track, then through the Nature Park

Please do not enter Ocean Edge caravan park without calling in at reception. If anything turns up along the shore at the southern end of Ocean Edge properties, you can access this along the shoreline from Red Nab, not by walking through the caravan site. Thanks

Middleton NR

Take the Middleton/Overton road from the roundabout at the end of the by pass for about 1.5km, then turn right and park by the 'model boat pond' at SD418591. We recommend that all access here is limited to the concrete roads and formal footpaths as there are serious hazards e.g. a narrow 3 metre-deep hole was recently located, covered by a thin layer of grass, during reserve management work. The perils of brownfield sites!

Contacts for Heysham Nature Reserve & Bird Observatory

REUBEN NEVILLE: Any enquiries relating to Heysham Nature Reserve or Heysham Moss e.g. help with working parties or organising a visit. You can also phone/text 07979652138, the Nature reserve office landline 01524 855030 or e-mail rneville@lancswt.org.uk during normal working hours.

STEVE RYDER: Please contact Steve on Middleton NR issues or if Reuben is not available on 07717366817 or 01524 855030

EMMA GARSTON: Please contact Emma re-any events being organised by the Wildlife Trust, including those in partnership with other organisations. egarston@lancswt.org.uk or 01524 855030

ALAN DRAPER: Please contact Alan if you are interested in observing, helping with or indeed wish to become a ringer. Observers/helpers are very welcome; there is absolutely no 'obligation' to train to be a ringer - we appreciate many people are not able to commit themselves to this time-consuming process. Please phone/text 07929899834 or e-mail alanjdraper@fsmail.net

PETE MARSH: Please e-mail or text Pete with any interesting sightings from the Heysham area (or post them to the LDBWS site). Also please contact Pete with any general enquiries concerning the observatory. Text/phone = 07532433043 or e-mail PMrsh123@aol.com

JEAN ROBERTS: ....... is the BTO rep for North Lancashire and anyone wanting to get involved with BTO activities should contact Jean. It would be useful to 'cc' Jean if you are contacting Pete Marsh re-the observatory/any sightings. Text/phone = 07815979856 or e-mail jeanrbrts6@aol.com

Please note that two of the team (Pete Marsh and Jean Roberts) are full time ornithological consultants. Contact details above.

Twite information and request

Twite are tricky creatures to check for colour rings with their short legs often concealed. If you do get a chance to view any of the coastal Lancashire flocks, please try and concentrate on a quick check of ringed to unringed ratios and then the SINGLE-COLOUR rings, not spending time on the split TWO-COLOUR rings.

Most birds will have a metal ring on the right leg and two colour rings on the left, one a single colour, the other a split two-colours. The SINGLE-COLOUR ring is the SITE ring and for Heysham this is PALE BLUE.

There are plenty of Twite with Pale Blue site rings wandering around between Knott End and Heysham and, whilst we are interested in especially ratios of ringed/unringed birds in flocks away from Heysham, the priority along the Lancashire coast is to try and find birds with SINGLE-COLOUR rings on the right leg which are NOT Pale Blue!

The most regular is YELLOW from Askam in Furness There are at least five combinations of Heysham split-colour rings still in existence, denoting the year/season code and these are mainly for the benefit of the ringers and we urge you not to spend time on these, but try and see what site rings are showing in the flock before they rapidly clear off, as they are apt to do!

If your bird has colour rings on BOTH legs (also a metal on the left leg) and these are split green/white, this will be from the 500 or so ringed at Machrihanish Bird Observatory during late summer 2010. If it has split green/white & metal on the left leg and split red/white on the right leg, this is a 2011 Machrihanish bird. Please send any sightings to Alan (see contacts above). Thanks very much

A colour-ringing programme has been commenced to try and elicit some information on destination, passage routes and origin of the large number of Grey Wagtail passing through north Lancashire in autumn.

76 were ringed at Heysham Obs in autumn 2008, 75 in autumn 2009 and 41 in 2010, when there appeared to be fewer passage birds, possibly an effect of the 2009/10 winter.

One has been seen on passage, at Seaforth Nature reserve, one from the nearby River Leven, near Heversham, a wintering bird in Wiltshire, but a disappointing lack of reports so far from distant breeding sites.