A few early morning migrants

Heysham Obs
A quick check of the north wall and the outfalls on the dropping mid-morning tide was thoroughly unproductive but there were a few early morning migrants around the office area

Outfalls
Kittiwake - 1 2CY
Arctic Tern - zero
Sandwich Tern - none offshore or sitting on buoys

Office area
6 Lesser Redpolls ringed & another 6 seen, single out of habitat migrant Sedge Warbler and single Whitethroat ringed in the early morning before the wind got up

Middleton NR
Wheatear - 1

Clear moonlit frosty dross saved by the French

Heysham Obs
A look out of the window at a clearly outlined Ingleborough, courtesy of the moon, at 0400hrs nearly sent me back to bed.  Definitely not the conditions for land-falling night migrants contra some forecasts.  However, the lure of the early morning Lesser Redpoll passage and the incredibly high ratio of birds ringed elsewhere.................

Due to problems with the CD, this was a disaster with a concentrated passage between 0515 and sunrise completely missed.  Plan B - a presumed Common Redpoll on a 'foreign' CD also failed to impress and it was only when Lesser Redpoll was played on the MP3 that half a dozen belated birds were ringed

Then it was Middleton CES time and this was an excellent little three hour/four net session for so early in the year with a French-ringed Sedge Warbler highlighting.

Needless to say there were few night migrants this morning although two, possibly three singing male Reed Warblers seemed to 'drift in' and establish their territories during the morning and the CES indicated a trickle of presumed migrant Willow and Sedge Warbler

Odds and ends mainly very early morning
Sandwich Tern - 17 offshore
Arctic Tern - just one seen this morning, 15 on the outfalls later
Little Gull - adult outfalls late afternoon
Kittiwake - 2CY outfalls late afternoon
Guillemot - c5 late afternoon
Bar-tailed Godwit - 329 on tideline off Ocean Edge
Grasshopper Warbler -singing before dawn on the tank farm, but just once thereafter - presumably paired and nesting
Green Woodpecker -one by the office first thing
Canada Goose - two casing out the pond near the office
Tree Pipit - one north
Lesser Redpoll - 35-40 north
Linnet - 16 north
Goldfinch - 20 north
Swallow - one north! - too early for them?

Middleton
Reed Warbler - up to 3 singing males by mid-morning, following none for the first two hours or so
Ringing: 8 Sedge Warbler (including French bird), 5 Willow Warbler plus retrap, one Chiffchaff, 3 Reed Bunting plus 2 retraps, one Goldfinch, one retrap Blue Tit

Mammals
Harbour Porpoise seen very early morning and then late afternoon, presumably the same beastie

April ringing
This was the worst in the 30-odd year history of the Obs for phylloscopus warblers, especially Willow Warbler.  Whilst this was partly due to observer unavailability, it was also due to the big fall day being just too wet to risk operating mist nets as the birds piled in  (Thursday 25th).  Only 237 birds were ringed of which 110 were Meadow Pipit, 33 Goldcrest, 32 Lesser Redpoll, 13 Chiffchaff (c/f internet postings on much reduced numbers on territory) and just 9 Willow Warbler

Early morning vis mig

Heysham Obs
As usual, didn't get here quite early enough this morning to completely monitor a decent vis mig corridor before the weather came in from the west and wind increased

Probably getting on for 100 Lesser Redpoll over since I arrived at the late hour of 0545hrs along with a really decent count for here of 9 Tree Pipit with the first three as soon as I arrived

Managed to belatedly retrieve the situation ringing-wise a little with 20 Lesser Redpoll including the second bird ringed elsewhere this spring from the same ring string Y794701-800. 

A late flock of Pink-footed Geese headed north as is often the case in early May

More later...but the weather is deteriorating into mediocrity

This late Snipe was photographed by Janet this afternoon

Skylark highlight

Heysham Obs
Rather different coverage an usual today with no attempt to seawatch after the recent paint-drying experiences.  A bit of unproductive early-morning ringing, breeding bird survey of Middleton and a visit to the outfalls near high tide

Outfalls near high tide
Kittiwake - two 2CY
Arctic Tern - just 30-35

Middleton NR
Skylark - singing male
Grasshopper Warbler - 3 singing males

Lesser Whitethroat - 4-5 singing males
Tree Pipit - one grounded.  Linnet

Heysham NR
Lesser Whitethroat - at least 3 singing males. 2 Male Blackcaps 1 female

Butterflies
Speckled Wood - 2 along road
Brimstone - male
Plenty of Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell

Maximum work, minimum birding

Heysham Obs
An 0700 start but straight to the computer rather than being tempted by the sea.  A short check at lunchtime revealed fractionally more than yesterday's zero, courtesy of some auks. Good numbers of Arctic Tern still 'off passage'.  Purple Sandpiper still around, or a migrant joining the Turnstones

Sea 1145-1215
Auk spp - 11 out
Razorbill - one out
Guillemot - one on
Turnstone - 140
Purple Sandpiper - one
Redshank - 45 on wooden jetty

Outfalls
Arctic Tern - 165

Moth
White-shouldered House Moth was an exciting addition to the year list

Med Gull, Bonxie and three figures of Arctic Tern but not a lot else

Heysham Obs
North wall 0600 intermittently to 1315hrs
Bonxie (Great Skua) - blogging, then flew in along Kent Channel c0625
Arctic Tern - 6 purposefully in before outfalls checked
Guillemot - one floated in
Managed one hour of seawatching (1015-1115hrs) without a single notable entry over and above Lesser Black-backed Gull, despite decent visibility

Outfalls/Red Nab
Mediterranean Gull - a 2CY was new in - winter plumaged head with a strong mask
Arctic Tern - 105, mainly seaward end Heysham 2
Common Gull - 175
Black-headed Gull - 15
Kittiwake - 1 2CY

Moths
Muslin Moth a surprise, also Herald of note

Saved by the Grasshopper Warbler

Heysham Obs
You don't normally organise a seawatching event in order to obtain excellent views of Grasshopper Warbler, the only grounded migrant on the mound/sandworks!

 

Thanks to Peter Last for these

The rest of it was dire with a northerly blocking wind not displaying any easterly element early in the morning.  The old saying - 'you should have been here (pick any other say this last week other than yesterday)..........or even tomorrow where there is a decent wind, plus a even more promising howling gale on Monday for a few displaced Manxies etc. We've had a really bad run of weather for events over the last twelve months.

North harbour wall
Grasshopper Warbler - present for at least two hours in the region of the 'gap' between the mound and sandworks, last seen in/under the sea buckthorn along the south-eastern corner of the sandworks
Swallow - 16 north
Arctic Tern - 96 accumulated on the outfalls but no movement until 1250 when 48 flew purposefully north
Sandwich Tern - 30 in
Auk spp - one out
Greylag - one in
Guillemot - 3 on
Willow Warbler - one late morning
Red-throated Diver - 4 out, one on
Kittiwake - adult behind the ferry
Little Gull - 2
Turnstone - 81
Siskin - 1
Linnet - at least 15 north
alba Wagtail - 2 north
Reed Bunting - late migrant north

Mammals
Harbour Porpoise - 1
Grey Seal - 1

Swallows

Middleton NR
A few left-overs from yesterdays fall plus newly-arrived residents including 2 singing male Grasshopper Warbler, 5 Common Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 30+ Willow Warbler
Gadwall - 2 males and female
Tufted Duck - 9
Little Grebe - 3

Outfalls
Kittiwake - 2 2CY

North harbour wall 0715-0830
Vis:
Swallow 64 - following the channel in
House Martin - 3 on the same line as the swallows
Meadow Pipit - 3 north
Linnet 1 - north
Goldfinch 1 north
Siskin - 2 north
Whimbrel - 1 heard, 3 heading towards Red Nab later

Seawatching:
Arctic Tern - 34 blogging

On the mound:
Dunnock - 1
Linnet - 5

Large fall finally documented!

Heysham Obs
Sorry for the late postings for today - not able to access the site Thurs pm or Friday

Clearly a few migrants around first thing prompting a mist net to be set.  Rain at this stage was very intermittent and virtually indiscernible.  This changed about 0930 with the wind turning westerly and some heavy drizzle and poor visibility heading in off the sea.  This dropped a further wadge of migrants on the north harbour wall and later to other places, including large numbers of Willow Warbler on Middleton.  A bit of seabird movement in the clearer weather first thing

Sea 0700-0725
Arctic Tern - 65 in
Sandwich Tern - minimum of 45 blogging/flying out - quite a contrast with yesterday
Arctic Skua - dark morph in at 0720hrs - another species absent yesterday
Razorbill - one on the sea

Heysham NR office area
Yellow Wagtail - male flavissima north
Tree Pipit - one north
Meadow Pipit - 3north
alba Wagtail - 6 north
Goldfinch - 15 north
Lesser Redpoll -at least 10 north (2 ringed)
Ring Ouzel - female around the office, then into the tank farm, then presumably the same high inland at 0735hrs
Willow Warbler - at least 40 migrants
Sedge Warbler - migrant ringed
Common Whitethroat - singing male passed rapidly through
The tank farm Grasshopper Warbler not heard, despite good conditions (heard two days ago).  Perhaps there isn't one in residence and two passage birds have been recorded

North harbour wall/south harbour wall
Wheatear - 18 on mound/sandworks, 6 south harbour, 11 Ocean Edge
Blackcap - female on mound, male and female near the 'wheel (thanks for the pics Janet)
Phyllosc - at least 15 scattered along the coast

Red Nab/Ocean Edge/outfalls
Arctic Tern - 34 roosting on Red Nab at high tide & another 6 on outfalls

Middleton NR
Grasshopper Warbler - at least 2 singing males
Sedge Warbler - ditto
Whinchat - at least one, probably 2 males by no swimming pond
Willow Warbler - 40+, including at least 15 around the CES area in central marsh
Blackcap - 5+
Gadwall - pair on model boat pond
Tufted Duck - at least 5
Swallow - 45 over ponds
House Martin - 3 over ponds

Thanks to the Ben My Chree

Heysham Obs
A decision to check the incoming ferry led to another bit of seawatching and the closest adult Pomarine Skua seen off Heysham.  The sighting also encapsulated the current theme.  The last two  days have seen a mixture of slightly displaced birds such as Gannet and Manx Shearwater plus migratory species such as Arctic Tern and Little Gull (and two skuas today) making no effort to head 'up and overland', other than perhaps one flock of Arctic this morning during a brighter sunnier spell.  Therefore 98% of the registrations today and yesterday were birds heading 'out' or 'blogging'.  Thanks to Matthew for assistance documenting this lot - hope you saw the Pom from the outfalls side!

Seawatching 0715-1130, 1200-1230
Bonxie (Great Skua) - one out at 1025hrs
Pomarine Skua - light morph adult out at 1208hrs - 50m from the seawall!
Manx Shearwater - 140 out
Red-throated Diver - 2 in, 2 out
Little Gull - 3 adult and 1 2CY out
Arctic Tern - after very few early on, the latter half of the seawatch saw a sustained passage of outbound birds, mainly in small flocks (305 counted).  Just one flock of c20 appeared to gain height and head inland and there were no sightings of birds flying into the bay in tightly cohesive flocks in 'migratory mode'  A very different year so far with this species and we have no idea how many of the recent birds are the same ones 'hanging about in the bay'.  In this respect, upto 100 were on the outfalls and area at lunchtime, following just 15 there early on
Gannet - still low numbers with just 8 seen
Kittiwake - 9 out, 4 in
Razorbill - 8 out
Guillemot - 7 out
Auk spp - 9 out
Amazingly, not one Sandwich Tern , unless the early morning observers forgot to give me the info!

Other north harbour wall sightings
Twite - one appeared to come in-off heading for the feeding station at 1110hrs.  The only one seen today (after none yesterday we are aware of)
Linnet - 6 on the remains of the seed
Goldfinch - 2 as above
No other vis mig as such

Mammals
One Harbour Porpoise early afternoon and a cetacean which may have been too large for this seen briefly in mid-morning

Moths
Emmelina monodactyla and (very belated) Double-striped Pug first for the year