Cold clear Coal Tit irruption

Heysham Obs
The largest Coal Tit irruptive movement since 1985 took place during the first 2 hours of the day with a significant trickle for the rest of the morning.  The count is likely to be an underestimate as I had to leave the vis mig operation to help with mist net extractions at the key time

Vis mig by the office dawn to c1030hrs
Coal Tit - 164 logged flying south, largest flocks being 32 & c40.  Only small numbers after 0830hrs
Long-tailed Tit - one unringed flock of c11
Blue Tit - single figures of unringed birds - more than usual this autumn!
Great Tit - no sign of any movement as usual here
Dunnock - at least two southbound migrants
Skylark - 12 SE
Reed Bunting - 2 SE
Chaffinch - 108 SW, but significant underestimate as they were very high and not 'casually' recorded during mist net rounds
Goldfinch - 15 & comment as above
Jackdaw - 11+16+1 south - really high!
Pink-footed Goose - 60+39 SE, second flock stratospherically high
alba Wagtail - just 4 SE
Jay - 3+2 south
Carrion Crow - 6+2+1 high to south
Sparrowhawk - one south
Bullfinch - 3 high to south & c5 others moving through bushes
Raven - 2 south
Meadow Pipit - just 11 noticed, comment as Chaffinch
Mistle Thrush - 5+1+1 SW
Greylag - 2 south together c1130hrs
Peregrine - large pale bird flew ESE with quite slow wingbeats at c1145hrs (!!) - no fine detail seen

Grounded
Wren - 5
Robin - 13
Chiffchaff - singing male, the first for a few days
Blackcap - 1 female
Goldcrest - 2
Jay - 2
Bullfinch - 7
Mistle Thrush - 1
Coal Tit - 13 (including a flock of 7) seen on a walk round the reserve at 1030am

North harbour wall
Rock Pipit - 1-2
possible single twite on the food but silent in bad light and flew off

Ringing
Coal Tit (39), Greenfinch (4), Blue Tit (9), Long-tailed Tit (10), Wren (4), Chaffinch (2), Great Tit (1), Robin (4), Goldcrest (2), Blackbird (1), Bullfinch (1), Goldfinch (1), Dunnock (2), Lesser Redpoll (9)

A Coal Tit morning

Heysham Obs
Nothing startling this morning in conditions where the weather didn't seem to know what to do.  Initially northerly at low level and south-west at cloud level, this then turned easterly and south-south east respectively.  The first Redwing(s) of the year were heard overhead but not seen and there was a sprinkling of grounded continental Song Thrush.  Vis consisted of the usual suspects and was very slow to get going, in contrast to yesterdays clear dawn 'rush'

Vis mig dawn to 0930hrs (all flying between SE and SW) & supplementary odds and ends
Grey Wagtail - 1
Pink-footed Goose - flock of 125
Goldfinch - 62
Chaffinch - 91
Meadow Pipit - 43, including flock of 17
alba Wagtail - 63
Collared Dove - 1
Woodpigeon - 11
Kestrel - 1
Siskin - 8 (& 2 later with the Coal Tit flock in the eastern woodland)
Linnet - 2
Coal Tit - 7, later another 8 and a flock of 29 in the HNR eastern woodland which moved inland
Redwing - high flying calls just after dawn but bird(s) could not be located!
Skylark - at least one SE c1030hrs

Grounded
Song Thrush - c15, 5 flying inland and 4 ringed
Blackcap - 4
Goldcrest - c8
Bullfinch - flock of three unringed birds caught
Robin - one unringed bird
Kingfisher - one in marsh
Treecreeper - one with the Coal Tit flock in the HNR eastern woodland

Cold clear corvids

Heysham Obs
The sort of cold and clear conditions which kick-start corvid movements, render small bird vis rather tricky at a low-level site and produce a dearth of night migrants.  A few Mistle Thrushes on the move

Vis mig on and off dawn to about 1000hrs
Siskin - 3
Carrion Crow - 17 (max flock 6)
Chaffinch - 105 SW
Grey Wagtail - 4 SE, possibly 6 but one appeared to be off-passage
Goldfinch - at least 19 migrants S
Coal Tit - at least 17 migrants, mainly heading south (7 ringed) and one of yesterday's birds ringed at Heysham NR retrapped at Middleton this morning
Jackdaw - 54 SW (max flock 24)
Meadow Pipit - just 12 seen SE
Mistle Thrush - 2+3+11 SW
alba Wagtail - at least 35 SE
Bullfinch - 1 S & others heard in bushes which may have been on the move
Skylark - at least 8 SE
Blue Tit - 3 flying high to the south & another two unringed birds caught together, a further 3 ringed at Middleton - multiple movement at last!
Jay - one to south & it or another over Middleton
Greenfinch - as in other recent days, ignored but some of the trickle may have been on the move
Reed Bunting - 1 SE & 4 ringed at Middleton & 2 on north wall
Pink-footed Goose - four flocks of c100 (3) and 72 SE
Lesser Redpoll - 5 ringed (Middleton) but none heard arriving!

Grounded
Blackcap - 4 (3 ringed) - all high fat/high weight off-passage birds, one ringed Middleton
Chiffchaff - just the one encountered at Middleton, none Heysham NR
Goldcrest - just 2 unringed birds encountered at HNR
Snipe - 11 Middleton
Song Thrush - at least 4 dawn migrants round HNR office (one ringed)
Wren - 7 ringed, obviously some movement
Dunnock - no evidence of any migrants
Robin - no evidence of any migrants at Heysham NR (locals singing from dawn), but 3 ringed on Middleton

Ringing recovery
A colour-ringed adult female Ringed Plover on the heliport at the high tide roost on 17/9/12 (only) was ringed at nearby Arkholme in the Lune valley on 17/6/99 (as nesting adult female)

Ringing at Middleton/Heysham NR
New birds, indicating the lack of 'night' migrants: Goldcrest (2), Wren (7), Chaffinch (3), Song Thrush (1), Coal Tit (7), Blue Tit (6), Great Tit (1), Greenfinch (6), Goldfinch (3) Robin (3), Long-tailed Tit (1), Grey Wagtail (1), Lesser Redpoll (5), Reed Bunting (4), Blackcap (4), Chiffchaff (1)  

North wall
Reed Bunting - 2 on seed along with c12 each of Linnet and Goldfinch

Outfalls
Predictably, in the conditions, no sign of any terns left in late afternoon.  Ad Little Gull and 9 Med Gulls

Moths
Not too bad, but routine with Feathered Ranunculus the best

Par for the course in a north-westerly

Heysham Obs
The leftovers were still in place on the outfalls, but precious little of any interest overhead or in the bushes with top billing the Rusty Dot Pearl in the moth trap and two flyover House Sparrow!

Outfalls
Quick check revealed
Black Tern - juv
Common Tern - 2 juv
Little Gull - ad
Med Gull - 5 1CY, at least one 2CY, one adult

Office area vis mig dawn(ish) to 0915hrs
Chaffinch - 43 SW
Meadow Pipit - 17 SE but high and the harbour very noisy
Grey Wagtail - 2-3 (two ringed)
House Sparrow - 2 SW
Goldfinch - c25 S
Reed Bunting - 2 SE (1 ringed)
Coal Tit - at least 16 passed through to the south
alba Wagtail - 26 SE

Grounded
One unringed Goldcrest the only evidence of new stuff.  Blackcap of unknown status calling by the office

Moths
Highlighted by Rusty Dot Pearl and Feathered Ranunculus

Selection remains on the outfalls

Heysham Obs
No landbird coverage this morning after a late night in the Hill Inn, Chapel-le-Dale, although there appeared to be a small influx of Goldcrest around the office area.  Quick check of the outfalls produced the goods in the space of about 6 seconds scanning from Ocean Edge!

Outfalls 0900hrs
Black Tern - juv
Common Tern - 2 juvs

Thanks to Janet and Pete for these

Little Gull - ad
Med Gull at least 3 1CY and one 2CY

Reasonable by this autumn's standards

Nice action shot taken today.  Thanks Janet

Heysham Obs
A good variety of clear still morning visible migration although the absence of jay (and corvids generally) or any hirundines was perhaps unexpected.  Interest included quite a number of Coal Tits, 'obvious' Bullfinch movement, high-flying Dunnock.  As is usual when multi-tasking in clear weather, some of the vis was missed.  A single Blue Tit descended noisily from the sky Falsterbo-fashion, the first such behaviour from this species noted this autumn.  Very early on we had to be very careful as the last of the showers passed over at dawn and this, combined with the ultra-stillness, led to the extremely humid air in the mist-net rides causing some problems with condensation on the nets

Vis mig dawn to about 1030hrs 
Meadow Pipit - 182 SE
Chaffinch - 110 S
Goldfinch - 28 S (underestimate)
Grey Wagtail - just two singles
alba Wagtail - 37 SE
Siskin - 3 SE
Carrion Crow - 1+3 high to south
Reed Bunting - 1 SE
Common Buzzard - 1 SE at 0815hrs, may have come 'in-off'
Pink-footed Goose - flock of 680 north-east (!) and 230 SE
Coal Tit - 27 south in flocks of up to 5
Dunnock - 2+1+1 high to the south
Blue Tit - one descended from the north, then headed off south
Mistle Thrush - 2 SE
Skylark - heard twice
Bullfinch - 8 S

Grounded
Chiffchaff - 2 (ringed)
Goldcrest - just 2 new ones ringed
Blackbird - a flock of 5 early long-winged migrants which eventually headed  inland
Song Thrush - 3 grounded migrants headed inland singly
Blackcap - one male and one calling from tank farm
Robin - certainly some new birds with four ringed and others being chased off

Inshore/outfalls
Common Tern - 2 juv and an additional juv tern spp reported by others which may be Arctic (waiting to see photos)
Black Tern - juv
Little Gull - adult

Thanks Janet

Med Gull - at least 5 1CY, 2 adults and 1 2CY
Red-throated Diver - imm or winter adult close inshore early morning
Grey Heron - one red nab area

Mound/north wall
Linnet - c20
Goldfinch - c20
Lesser Redpoll, one, possibly 2
Rock Pipit - 2 (1OA)

Insects
Red Admiral (SD46A), Migrant Hawker by the office and about 7 Common Darter seen, mainly SD45E.  2-3 Speckled Wood Nature park area.  Just two Pink-barred Sallow in the moth trap but at least one Nettle Tap moth still surviving in the mist-net ride by the office

Same again?

Heysham Obs
Nadine confusion was resolved today!  Apparently the version at the beginning of last week, referred to at the time as being 'Nadine' was actually "Child of Nadine" which developed into the nasty rain-filled depression which 'sat on us'.  The name is still being mentioned on weather forecasts because the original Nadine is still spinning around rather aimlessly near the Azores.  A Lesser Redpoll on the north harbour wall was new in, but a semi-promising wind failed to deliver anything extra unless the IOM ferry produces in about half an hour = one adult Kittiwake which carried on into the bay

Thanks Janet - great pic for determining racial identity

....................and a summary of large chunks of today's weather

Outfalls/Red Nab area, quick check
Black Tern - juv, still there 1545hrs
Common Tern - juv, TWO juveniles late afternoon
Little Gull - ad
Med Gull - at least 8 (5+ 1CY)

North wall
8 Linnet, 3 Goldfinch and Lesser Redpoll on seed
Kittiwake ad flew into the bay just after IOM ferry
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult

Moths
Late Flounced Rustic a surprise

Stop and start vis mig

Heysham Obs
The absence of Blue Tits, with no flocks at all seen this autumn and only 21 ringed (all singles) in August/September contrasts with 87,400 passing thought Falsterbo yesterday!  Disruptive weather produced disrupted vis mig this morning and seemed to close the corridor across the Bay with observations limited to:

Thanks for these, Janet, there were up to 14 Meds on Ocean Edge grass at high tide, 3 of them on the lower pic.  Top pic = the long-staying Common Tern

0745-0815hrs office area
Chaffinch - 38 SW
Goldfinch - 19 SW
Siskin - 2 S
alba Wagtail - 13 SE
Meadow Pipit - 7 SE

Outfalls area low tide, then lunchtime high tide visit
Med Gull - 8 1CY (one metal-ringed above tarsus, top line starting with letter 'S'), 2 Ad, 5 2CY (one ringed below tarsus on right leg), almost all initially on seaward end of Heysham one outfall, then 14 roosting on Ocean Edge grassy foreshore at high tide
Little Gull - ad heysham 2 outfall
Black Tern - juv still on seaward end of heysham one outfall, then heysham 2 at high tide
Common Tern - juv outfalls at least high tide

Moths
A late Treble Bar was the first for a few days and probably the last of the year

Late afternoon walk round reserve perimeter
Goldcrest - 2
Song Thrush - 2 presumed migrants
Speckled Wood - 6
Nettle Tap Moth - 2 in mist net ride next to office (45E), one north end (46A)
Migrant Hawker - one NE corner (5 in the nature park yesterday along with ovipositing pair of Common Darter and a single male Common Darter)

Irish/Manx drift?

Heysham Obs

Thanks Janet 

One of those mornings where you hear a few Goldcrests, but don't get too excited as the fare is surely from across the Irish Sea or the parts of Scotland (most of it) west of Carlisle.  This is because the wind was firmly in the south-west and the accompanying grounded migrants appeared to comprise a few Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks and a single female Blackcap.

Office area with a birthday-delayed start at 0745hrs
Goldcrest - 15-20, but soon melted away (2 belatedly ringed)
Blackcap - one female
Wren - two unringed birds caught as nets being set
Robin - at least 2 unringed birds being chased
Dunnock - 3 'fidgety' birds emerged from brambles and flew south together
Song Thrush - one grounded in tank farm, flew inland

Vis by the office 0745-0930ish
Pink-footed Goose - flock heard but not seen, then 95 north
Meadow Pipit - 66 SE. mostly in the first 15 mins, therefore a lot presumably missed
Chaffinch - 39 S/SW, mostly in first 15 mins
Goldfinch - 14 SE
alba Wagtail - 7 SE
Woodpigeon - 3 high to SE
Siskin - 7 SE

Outfalls and harbour area
Black Tern - juv
Common Tern - juv
Med Gull - 8+ 1CY, 2 ad, 2-3 2CY (7 1CY behind IOM ferry)
Grey Wagtail - 1 SE
Guillemot - rather sad looking bird close inshore by Red Nab
Little Gull - adult

An unexpected weather window of quality

Heysham Obs
Apologies, but there was no way I could predict the clear slot and swing to SW between about 1000 and 1115hrs before it closed in again.  This would have been a superb mini-event (c/f the cancellation of the migration event schedule for today) watching in the latter stages of the incoming tide on the outfalls

Outfalls area via Gate 38 and Red Nab (two observers) 1000-1115hrs
Leach's Petrel - Re-assessing the situation, it appears that there may just have been two, possibly three birds this morning (not 3-4), including two fairly close together flying out off the end of the outfalls at about 1045hrs.  No further sightings as the wind swung back to just S of SW and the visibility seriously reduced in heavy rain
Black Tern - Juvenile on outfalls (definitely not American, but prompting the walk out there to check!)
Common Tern - juvenile outfalls
Little Gull - adult outfalls
Med Gull - 12 on outfalls (commonest gull near high tide!) - 7 1CY, 2 2CY and 2 adult-types, one probably a 3CY - also two 1CY north harbour wall
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - one on the sea by the wooden jetty, then 'disappeared' - probably flying low to the south whilst scanning for Leach's
Pink-footed Goose - 15 south
Shag - juvenile in the harbour mouth - appeared to fly out to sea, certainly round the wooden jetty, not landing on it
Unlike more sheltered sites, there was no Meadow Pipit movement during 1000-1115hrs

North harbour wall
Just occasional visits from the wide ranging Black Tern and 8 Pintail out, the vast majority of the observations unfortunately after the weather had closed in again 1115hrs onwards
One man and his dog flushed all the Oystercatchers off the heliport at high tide, apart from about 300 re-settling at the cafe end

Outfalls late afternoon
Ringed Plover - 27 on shore by Red Nab
Black Tern - still present on Heysham 2 outfalls 1550hrs

Moths
One each of Black Rustic, Pink-barred Sallow, Green-brindled Crescent and Red-line Quaker