Quality time with gulls in decent light at last

Heysham Obs
No it is not a 'nice day' when it is calm, the sun is shining and you are trying to watch gulls as has been the case rather a lot recently.  Gulls at all angles and all tones of grey depending on the angle of the sun.  Today was perfect with side-on gulls in flat light on Red Nab

The Bonaparte's was located very easily compared to previous occasions when it has been sleeping with the masses.  The grey nape is beginning to be evident and the head pattern now consists of a dark slate grey/black 'ring' running from chin to chin via the rear crown where it broadens slightly.  The crown itself is lightly peppered.

Not so easy were 2CY Meds!  They seemed to appear out of the woodwork when there was a slight dread and rearrangement of gulls - so easy to overlook at this time of year when even the bill seems 'nondescript' = helpful for sorting from still recognisable 3CY with unmoulted outer primaries

Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore & scans of the outfalls
Bonaparte's Gull - sitting on Red Nab & showing very well.  No flight views so not able to judge the state of wing moult
Med Gull - at least 30! minima of 11 juvs, 12 2CY, one 3CY, 4 adult-types.  "Our" 2P96 seen and at least one of the presumed German 2CY, but most of them were at rest not showing the legs
No sign Little Gull or any terns
Whimbrel - 2

Moths
Old Lady the star

Friday 16th August. LBBG seen at Heysham Nature reserve with just one metal ring on it's leg.

   Also a Common Darters and a Brown Hawker,  on the dog walking areas of the reserve.
Photos by Janet Packham.

A trickle of warblers

Heysham Obs
Work and mist-netting by the office saw no chance of checking the outfalls & no feedback from any visiting birders

Office area
Four Whitethroat, a Blackcap and a juv Reed Warbler ringed

Moths
A decent catch included Tawny-speckled Pug and Y scabrella

More later..............

A few Whitethroat and Willow Warbler around the office but the most dramatic feature of the ringing was a juvenile female Sparrowhawk, presumably from the nest on the reserve.  More later from e.g. the outfalls hopefully

Moths
Meal Moth and a pristine Bordered Sallow were unexpected

Monday Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull seen on Heysham 2 outfall at rest on the railings then flying about for 5 minutes 1320-1325.  It appeared to have just 3 old primaries - easiest to see on the underwing views with the clear-cut black trailing edge but it always remained in 'mid stream' on the outfalls, not joining the close melee.  It then flew towards Heysham one outfall but the three of us were unable to relocate on the incoming tide (no time to check through the gulls in detail on Red Nab)

Also 4 x juv, 3 x 2CY, 1 x 3CY Meds - not the best time of the tide for these.  No obvious sign of the Little Gull or any terns, despite the stiff onshore wind

Med-fest continues and possible/probable Bonaparte's sighting

Heysham Obs
A rather frustrating morning as a small adult gull with white underwings and "quite a bit of summer head plumage"was located on the seaward end of Heysham one outfall on the incoming tide in association with adult Little Gull, at least one Med and Black-headed Gulls.  Unfortunately I was originally going to check from the north harbour wall which would have given the requisite views, but changed my mind and went to Ocean Edge -  a bit distant from Ocean Edge grass to be absolutely sure.    Any other birders around? Unfortunately, instead of switching to Heysham 2 as the tide came in, it flew along the tideline until lost, when it may have joined the wake of the incoming IOM ferry.  Had to move the car, increasing scope shake and couldnt locate.

Putative Bonaparte's Gull - see above - this sighting will not be claimed unless subsequently confirmed
Med Gull - 21 early morning at low tide, including a new darvic ring (white LC6).  This observer was concentrating on reading ring numbers, not searching for the Bonaparte's Gull.  11 adult, 2 3CY, 3 2CY and 5 juvs.  2P96 and AKRS also present.
Little Gull - ad seaward end of Heysham one outfall at least lunchtime, then fed on the sea between the two outfalls
Sandwich Tern - one

Saturday 10th August

Heysham Obs
Nothing startling in the moth trap for National Moth Night top compare with the Black Arches in the Millhouses trap!

Middleton NR
Marsh Harrier
What must have been this species was quartering the western marsh for about a minute late afternoon. Thanks for the info.
Swallow - only 40 or so in the roost late evening
Peregrine - juvenile

Juvenile Med influx

Heysham Obs 
A funny morning as regards coverage as had set several moth traps last night on the basis of the reasonable first half of the night for the national moth nights sequence (and not so clever two subsequent nights). However, it was a bit breezy this morning when I rescued the north harbour wall actinic! Just had enough time to scope the outer end of Heysham one outfall from the north wall, but unfortunately any further coverage was far too late in the tide cycle to be certain if the Bonaparte's Gull had put in one of its rather intermittent appearances

North harbour wall/Heysham one outfall Med Gull - A flock of gulls on the water off Heysham one proved to be 16 juv and 2 2CY & one 3CY Med! A further two adults were seen on the later check, giving at least 21 for the day

Moths Two traps in the recording area. The north wall trap held 12 Lime-speck Pug and 14 White Line Dart, plus a few generalists including new 10km square records in the form of Rosy Rustic and Lesser Yellow Underwing! The office trap was busy and highlighted by Agriphila latestria at this regular site and a couple of Bordered Beauty......plus a Dot Moth (rare here!)

No Bonaparte's Gull

Heysham Obs
Looking down the seawall towards the outfalls, there seemed to be reasonable coverage this morning on the incoming tide, although a 'dread' on Red Nab shifted a lot of gulls to the south before they had been really checked

Med Gull - 2 ads, 2 juvs, 1 3CY, 2 2CY
Little Gull - ad

Office area
Lesser Whitethroat - 5 ringed
Otherwise one Whitethroat and two Willow Warblers, a Robin and a few Greenfinches

Moths
Crescent in the toilet trap a very good record.  Small Wainscot new for the year, otherwise an unremarkable catch with Straw Underwing now very much taking a bow until another year and usurped in the numbers stakes by Six-striped Rustic, Flounced Rustic and Dotted Clay plus the usual hordes of Shaded Broad Bar

Wednesday 7th August

Heysham Obs
Sorry still having problems accessing this site for updates on my home computer - managed to get the HTML to work last night but it wouldn't 'allow' spacing.  I'll try fiddling about again with it tonight

Outfalls area
No sign of the Bonaparte's Gull today but observers appeared to be searching rather too near to high tide - priobably best before 1000hrs. Similarly, only three Med Gulls reported on the latter stages of the incoming tide

Middleton NR
A decent catch of Swallows yesterday evening at Middleton with the roost increasing to at least 400. Also there seemed to be rather a lot of Sedge Warblers around after all the local birds had seemingly departed - quite a lot of contact-calling around the place. Despite a clear night, the CES this morning also saw a sprinkling of new Sedge Warblers with low double-figures of new birds as was also the case with Whitethroat. Just 4-5 Willow Warblers caught - all but one moulting/moult complete adults. 95% of the 'new birds' were warblers with not a single tit species caught - the flocks are just not passing through here and there seems to be a particular dearth of Long-tailed Tits at the moment

Moths
..saw Bordered Beauty and Oblique Carpet of note in the Middleton actinics