Successful targeting

Heysham Obs
A visiting couple jammed in nicely on their target as a couple of Pomarine Skuas were located on the sea as the tide started to flow and then gave a flying display as they headed into the more murky conditions towards Grange - all after being there for just five minutes.  Sometimes seawatching can be so 'easy' - Fea's type Petrel 30 minutes into my first ever Bridges of Ross seawatch comes to mind - but a lot of the time it is like watching paint dry (e.g. the first hour this morning!).  Then just as I was about to give up and do other pressing things, my own 'target', Fulmar, meandered about for 10 minutes before slowly making its way out of the Bay.

North wall 0645-0730, 0845-0945, 1110-1120
Sandwich Tern - c8 out
Pomarine Skua - two LM adults on at 0855, then flew slowly and low towards Grange at c0905
Fulmar  - one slowly out at 0930
Kittiwake - flock of 21 in
Razorbill - one on

Half an hour mid pm after weather front (all out)
Arctic Skua - close flock of 3 dm & one lm
Manx Shearwater - 17
Gannet - c10

Outfalls
Med Gull - 2 x 2CY - one with black head
Kittiwake - 2CY
No terns

Good start then blocking low cloud in the mouth of the bay, improvement in the afternoon

Heysham Obs
Three species of skua in the first 15-20 minutes, then after about an hour conditions went a bit pear-shaped with lingering low cloud in the mouth of the bay.  Observations from the mouth of the bay suggest that an earlier start would have been a good idea!  A 1st summer Great Northern Diver on the sea was a nice bonus but an absolute pain to keep track of as it stayed under for up to 2 minutes!

North wall 0725-up to 1830 intermittently
Great Northern Diver -  1st summer on the sea, actively feeding c0800-0815hrs, then presumed to have gradually headed in with the tidal flow
Pomarine Skua -adult light morph in at 0742 and showing really well as it chased an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, another fairly close light morph in late afternoon
Arctic Skua - dark morphs in in quick succession 0731 & 0734, then one dark morph in at c0935hrs
Bonxie  one in beyond the sandbank, then on 0738
Skua spp - one very distant 0815 prob a dark Arctic, flock of 5 including at least one light morph (prob Poms), again very distant, in, then apparently on at c0830
Kittiwake - flock of 55 adults in, usual 2CY outfalls, flock of 40 adults out then on early evening
Razorbill - one out, then on
Sandwich Tern - c30 out
Arctic Tern - 2 in
Common Scoter - c15 in
Gannet - at least 30 including flock of 6
Little Gull - ad & 2CY out early afternoon (thanks Andy)
Male and female Eider this afternoon off north wall.(Janet)
Manx Shearwater - at least 33
Fulmar - 1


Outfalls
Med Gull - usual 2CY
Kittiwake - usual 2CY
Wheatear - 3 scattered along Ocean Edge
Common (1) and Arctic (2) terns on outfalls at high tide

Gulls
Loads of them on the skeers and nearby mudflats (& 650 roosting on Fisher's roof) mainly immatures and mostly 2CY Herring.  c1,250 in a single sweep off the north harbour wall at low tide this evening - the biggest concentration of large gulls I've seen in this area since the rubbish tip days

Redstart in Black Redstart 'habitat'

Heysham Obs
Thanks to the International Ornithological Association for informing us quickly about the Lesser Redpoll bearing a cagebird ring which was caught here two days ago.  It was ringed as a aviculturally-reared nestling in Chelmsford, Essex in 2011 but we don't know when it escaped.

North harbour wall
Redstart - female on the fence by the lorry park was definitely this species!  It flew across the road, re-landed and then headed towards the half moon bay cafe area
Wheatear - three making their way along the north wall
Absolutely nothing of interest offshore

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 2CY-looked like the one from previous days
Kittiwake - the long-staying 2CY
Common Gull - c210
Black-headed Gull - just 3

Pre-frontal coverage highlighted by Wood warbler

Heysham Obs
An early assessment on arrival suggested a single sheltered mist net and a bit of vis mig, followed by a quick check of the sea.  In the end, the constant threat of 'proper' rain saw the net being taken down after 30 mins and the rest of the area given a bit of coverage .

Thanks to Professor David Norman for getting back to me over yesterday's close-ringed Lesser Redpoll.  The reason David was familiar with the format on the ring can be found here  http://www.davidnorman.org.uk/MRG/Siskin%20moult%20extremes.htm 

It was ringed under the auspices of the International Ornithological Association (hence IOA on the ring).  The 11 refers to 2011 along with the deep blue base colour year-code.  The IOA were in contact today and will provide a town/village location (but obviously not the private address of the aviary) for the above bird.  If anyone wants to have a look at their website access the following link:
http://www.ioa-com-uk.org/main_page.html

The conversation with the IOA secretary included problems they have complying with the letter of the law re-Lesser Redpolls.  Their legal documentation refers to Carduelis flammea pre-split (which is now, of course, the separate species Common Redpoll) and the legislation has not caught up, therefore in theory they cannot legally exhibit Carduelis cabaret = Lesser Redpoll.  Maybe it will be sorted just as they are re-lumped! Thanks to IOA for getting back to us and setting in motion tracing the origin of this bird

They also confirmed that last year's close-ringed Lesser Redpoll (caught 25/3/12) was of French origin with the last two letters of the WOF code = ornithologiste francais (or spelling thereabouts!)...........but were not sure what the 'W' stood for.

Office area vis 0545-0615
Tree Pipit - 2 north
Lesser Redpoll - rather a lot but not possible to ring them this morning and a lot of the registrations were heard only.  At least 10 separate registrations including one flock of 5 and absolute minimum of 20 birds.
Reed Bunting - a very late individual flew high to the north
Goldfinch - 5 north
Swallow - 17 NE

Grounded
Wood Warbler - Singing male in the copse over the road from 0605-0610 only
Willow Warbler - At least 20 migrants, seemingly including at least three males (snatches of song).  Moved rapidly inland as is typical for this species at this time of year - almost certainly several/a lot passed through prior to arrival
Chiffchaff - one presumed migrant caught

North harbour wall/Ocean Edge vis intermittently 0620-0800
Yellow (flava) Wagtail - one north 0720hrs
Swallow - 117 north along the seawall 0620-0640 but much lower numbers thereafter/the flightline changed
Sand Martin - 2 north
Whimbrel - noisy flock of 16 heading north at 0640, 2 singles thereafter
Goldfinch - 6 north
No terns or any other seabirds seen in flight!

Grounded
Wheatear - 4 together by the sandworks 0620, flew inland along the seawall, just 2 on Ocean Edge.  All 'large'
Whinchat - female heliport area
Willow warbler - two on the mound in the gorse
Turnstone - c260 - very noisy and restless and may have included some incoming migrants
Guillemot - one on the sea

Cagebird migration

Heysham Obs
In a rush-more later.  An 'ultramarine' blue closed cagebird ring on a 'migrant' Lesser Redpoll today - the second cagebird ring in two springs.  This one was (white lettering) 10A (first line vertically),11 (second line vertically) then horizontally B1994.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

Office area
Trickle of swallows - c15 per hour. No other vis recorded other than ringed redpolls
Lesser Redpoll - 12 plus the above plus yet another 'proper' control, this one on the sequence starting D250
Willow Warbler - small fall first thing with 13 ringed
Blackcap - couple of unringed females may have been local at a rarely used net site

Inshore
Very poor over the sea
Arctic Tern - 7 in
Sandwich Tern - 35 or so blogging/out
Whimbrel - 1
Meadow Pipit - one north!
Swallow - steady stream from early on (figures later)

Butterflies - mass emergence!

Red Nab, 2 linnets

Seawatching persistence pays off with the first Black Terns of the year

Heysham Obs
Land-bird coverage comprising CES mist nets and the ones by the office was unremarkable in the rather adverse weather conditions (south wind and medium-height cloud|) although another Lesser Redpoll control materialised and nesting female Chaffinch on the CES section also bore a ring from elsewhere (X887 sequence).  A good spring for 'controls' making up for the lack of warblers. 

Office area dawn to 1030hrs
Circumstances did not permit any vis mig coverage whilst carrying out the ringing this morning c/f absence of Tree Pipit c/p everywhere else.  Lesser Redpoll numbers an estimate of those attracted down by a tape 
Goldcrest - very late female ringed
Grasshopper Warbler - male singing on tank farm/by the pond and another male further away very early am only - the former was caught and ringed
Lesser Redpoll - c25 through but only 6 caught (control was D191 sequence)
Swift - 2 north - first of year here
Lesser Whitethroat - 2 unringed birds caught
Once again, no discernable passage of Willow warbler with just two retraps caught
Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge
Med Gull - 2CY showing well - probably the same bird as the other day
Kittiwake - 2CY outfalls
Dunlin - 46 in summer plumage Red Nab
No visible waders along the incoming tideline looking south

Sea 0540-0640, then 0730-1015
Sandwich Tern - 102 out during the first hour, not counted thereafter but smaller numbers
Arctic Tern - flocks of 16+5+4 in early on
Common Tern - one out with Sandwich tern early on
Black Tern - 3 in (distantly) at 0830hrs
Whimbrel  - 5 in early on
Fulmar - one in
Manx Shearwater - 2+4 in
Gannet - 3 u-turning, 2 in
Pink-footed Goose - 50 in then landed on sea
Razorbill - one floated in
Guillemot - just one floated in
Little Gull - adult flew out
Red-throated Diver - s.p. bird in
Diver spp - one flew distantly in at 0615 and what was probably the same bird out at 0900hrs. Almost certainly not a

No skuas (astonishing c/p Rossall - were they flying above the observation level of the two Heysham observers by the time they passed here or did they all go through in the 'gap' between 0645 and 0730?) or Common Scoter!

Swallow - none during the first period - c280 north thereafter
Sand Martin - 1 north
No other 'landbird' vis mig recorded

Middleton NR, Snipe, Sedge Warblers.

Seawatching vigil

Heysham Obs
Thank to Pete and Pete for covering the sea this morning - unfortunately conditions not quite as good as yesterday with some low cloud and drizzle. Note complete absence of Arctic Tern.

Sea 0610-0920 then 1115-1125
Arctic Skua - dm in 0826, lm in 0843
Gannet - 17
Guillemot - 9-11
Common Scoter - 15 in, 4 out
Red-throated Diver - 4 out
Little Gull - adult out early on, then adult out 1120
Sandwich Tern - 16 blogging
Mute Swan - 2 out

Red Nab/outfalls/Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 4 'large' birds
Bar-tailed Godwit - 275 on tideline just north of cable route
Kittiwake - 2CY outfalls
No terns

Mammal
Grey Seal offshore
Fox flushed from the back of the sandworks - headed through Centrica storage area (36V)

Itsy bitsy seawatching

Heysham Obs
This unfortunately looks like being the theme for the rest of the spring seawatching season as the main protagonists are just not going to be as available as usual in the next week or so.  Help would be appreciated, especially during the incoming stages of the tide

Seawatch 0645-0700
A 50 minute journey (thanks to the two excruciatingly slow Argos trucks) and work away constricted what should have been at least 30 minutes of availability - same couldnt stay a bit longer:

Common Scoter - 2 out
Arctic Skua - lm in then on
Gannet - adult out
Manx Shearwater - one out (possibly 2 - very distant)
Kittiwake - 2CY inshore/outfalls
No terns

Sea 1015-1115
Kittiwake - flock of 90 eventually out high
Red-throated Diver - one u-turning
Common Scoter - 10 on
Sandwich Tern - 3

Office area -0705hrs
Grasshopper Warbler  -one singing by the car park

Middleton Nature reserve Canada geese passing over

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