Frustrating Day

Heysham Obs

A bit of a frustrating day bird-wise with most of the plaudits at the moment going to a significant arrival of migrant moths where last night was most definitely the last chance weather-wise.
So the Millhouses trap was emptied early at the expense of early vis mig (one Vestal) and the Sunderland trap emptied later in the morning (Delicate, Rusty Dot Pearl, sev Rush Veneer).
In between times the Heysham trap was emptied(just Rush Veneer).

The outfalls and mound were visited, but in retrospect the wrong way round.  The very distant (from Ocean Edge foreshore) seaward end of Heysham One outfall held an interesting seemingly adult gull with rather contrasting grey/white upper wing, relevant size and white underwings.  Bonaparte's?
Unfortunately a Stena Line ferry then loomed past the wooden jetty with a long pure-white side and the gulls were completely lost against this background and the bird could not be relocated as it 'probably' followed the ferry and shifting the car also meant the scope was affected by wind-shake.
Annoying - could have nailed this on way or the other if I'd been on the 'other side' looking from the north wall. So a 'no claim' but 'keep a look out'.  Interestingly it last appeared during rough seas and a westerly sector wind.  No time to check later in the tide on Red Nab.

Inshore

Med Gull - at least 4 adults, one 2CY

Grounded

Goldcrest - 2 by office
Meadow Pipit - 11 mound, 7 Ocean Edge foreshore

Vis mig

Only managed 0915-0945ish
Chaffinch - 23
Goldfinch - 7
Meadow Pipit - 1

Retrap Grey Wagtail and Scarce Bordered Straw surprise

Heysham Obs
A mundane day today with two notable exceptions, a rare moth and an unexpected retrap Grey Wagtail.  A bit of early morning ringing saw one of the presumed passage Grey Wagtail ringed on 9/9/13 retrapped and obviously the bird which has been doing the rounds in the last week or so (and obviously prior to that!)

Vis mig 0745-0930
Chaffinch - 73
Meadow Pipit - 2
Goldfinch - 8
alba Wagtail - 10
Three Bullfinch flew high to  the north

Grounded
At least one Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest

Inshore at high tide Ocean Edge
Med Gull - two adult
Little Egret- 1
Grey Heron - 2

Moths
The first record of Scarce Bordered Straw was perhaps overdue at this coastal site

Chaffinches struggle through some inclement weather

Heysham Obs
The most likely new species for here at the moment seems to be glossy ibis but a prolonged scrutiny of the coastal areas predictably failed.  The early morning routine was a bit unproductive and the nets were quickly taken down as the wind became unacceptable.  No mega migrants in the moth trap, but double-figures of Silver Y.

Vis mig office dawnish to 0900
Chaffinch - 167
Rock Pipit - 1
Meadow Pipit - 0!
alba Wagtail - 32
Grey Wagtail - 1
Song Thrush - 3+1+2
Goldfinch - 7
Reed Bunting - 1

Grounded
Chiffchaff - no more than 4-5
Goldcrest - 3
Blackbird - just one or two perceived extras

Inshore Ocean Edge area
Med Gull - 2 x 1CY, 1 x 2CY, 2 x Ad
Shelduck - 402 visible - mostly distant to south
Bar-tailed Godwit - at least 950
Grey Plover - at least 350
Rock Pipit - 1

Moths
11 Silver Y and a very late Square Spot Rustic of note

Well worth a morning visit despite unpromising weather

Heysham Obs

Not at all birdless despite the unpromising weather synopsis, notably the starry night

Vis mig
0745-0945 plus a bit of casual observation earlier and later
Steady passage of Chaffinch which continued throughout the morning and appearance of cloud cover. The following from the two hour count period:
Chaffinch - 308
Meadow Pipit - just 10
Bullfinch - 1+ 3 high to south
Goldfinch - 36 (inc flock 22)
Redwing - c200 from NE at 0650hrs which circled over power station before heading mainly SE, hen 9 dropped into bushes along the eastern side of reserve, then a ?singleton heard
Grey Heron - 1
alba Wagtail - only 10
Pink-footed Goose - 4+24
Sparrowhawk - two singletons high to south (also seen Sunderland?)
Swallow - 3 (flock)
Blackbird one high inland
Reed Bunting - 2
Greenfinch - 7
Carrion Crow - 4
Raven - 2
Linnet - 3
Jackdaw - 2 (first of autumn - rare here!)
Dunnock 2
Siskin - 2                        

 

Grounded

Chiffchaff - at least 6 and again the trapped ones (2 ) were unringed  suggesting some new arrivals

Goldcrest - at least 2

Blackbird - c20

Song Thrush - c5

Blackcap - 2

 

Ringing

33 birds, mainly Chaffinch, but including a Blackcap and two Chiffchaff

 

Inshore

Absolutely dire!  A visit to Ocean Edge did not even record any Little Egret or Meds, despite a fair number of gulls around.  Horses splashing in the incoming tide off Potts Corner/Shorefields caravan site disturbed over 10,000 waders - apparently this is to "get the horses used to walking in the sea" which is at least one better than riding them along the highly dangerous rat-run between Slyne and Halton 

Westerly fare and a few leftovers

Heysham Obs
There is a possibility that the YBW is still present - whilst clearing a mist net ride in mid-afternoon - heard a distant call which sounded the part from the tall trees fringing the golf course or just over the road in the eastern NR woodland.  The key word is 'possibility' as couldn't trace it or hear a repeat call

Vis mig dawnish until 0930hrs
Grey Wagtail - 3
Chaffinch - 133
Meadow Pipit - just 10 but a few casually noted after 0930
Pink-footed Goose - 6 and a flock of  'c300' about 0950hrs
Dunnock - 2 high-fliers
Goldfinch - 5
Greenfinch - 2
Skylark - 1!
Starling - flock of 4 high to SW

Grounded
Difficult to know what to make of the Chiffchaffs -we have not had any retraps, nor seen any ringed birds in the filed and the impression again this morning was of birds on the move with at least 4 passing through by the office
Coal Tit - 6
Goldcrest - small arrival with at least 5 although one was surprisingly a retrap from over a week ago
Wheatear - at least 2

Inshore
Little Gull - adult following ferry
Med Gull - at least 4
Little Egret - 2 Ocean Edge saltmarsh

Moths
Scarce Bordered Straw at nearby Sunderland, but just Silver Y on the migrant front in the office trap plus actinic

Song Thrush influx 4th October

This looks like being the last day for a bit for any night migrants from the east - at least we managed to tick the Yellow-browed Warbler box but more obliging individuals(s) would have been gratefully received

Vismig 0710-1010
Meadow Pipit 330 Grey Wagtail 4 Song Thrush 54 Redwing 2+9 alba wagtail 50 Siskin x1 heard Chaffinch 67 Brambling 1 Pink-footed Goose - 1 flock heard Linnet 4

A walk round the reserve 0955-1045
Chiffchaff 5, Robin 23, Blackbird 9, Song Thrush 11, Mistle Thrush 1 Long-tailed Tit 2 flocks 1x7, 1x11, Blue tit 8, Great Tit 8, Wren 6, Greenfinch 6, Goldfinch 7, Bullfinch 1, Treecreeper 1, Carrion Crow 3, Magpie 3, Moorhen 2.

September ringing totals are quite interesting. Following the lack of Willow Warblers in August, September saw a similarly rather inexplicable absence of Goldcrest. Flocks of tits were also conspicuously absent, as were passage Reed Bunting. Grey Wagtail passage, on the other hand, was very good. The following were ringed: Swallow (161), Greenfinch (84), Grey Wagtail (76), Goldfinch (40), Robin (34), Blue Tit (27), Chiffchaff (25), Meadow Pipit (18), Chaffinch (16), Blackcap (14), Dunnock (14), Whitethroat (13), Great Tit (10), Long-tailed Tit (8), Blackbird (6), Wren (6), Coal Tit (3), Goldcrest (3), Sedge Warbler (3), Bullfinch (3), Willow Warbler (2), Reed Warbler (2), Sparrowhawk (1), Reed Bunting (1) 

Heysham Head Yellow-browed Warbler

Heysham Obs
One was heard calling three times in the Sycamore canopy at the north-west end of Heysham Head at 0915hrs but the situation, as far as we know, on the reserve was limited to a single possible/probable call

Vig mig until 1215hrs (thanks Bryan)
Blackbird - 3 inland
Song Thrush - 15 inland
alba Wagtail - 63 SE
Grey Wagtail - 2 SE
Meadow Pipit - 62 SE
Chaffinch - 162 S
Goldfinch - 71 S
Swallow - 2 SE
Siskin - 3 SE
Skylark - 4 SE
Greenfinch - 7 S
Bullfinch - 2+3 S
Kestrel - 2 together high to SE

Grounded
Apart from a few thrushes, all the rest could have been leftovers with at least 10 Chiffchaff and 4 Goldcrest.  See above re-YBW

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Wigeon - 85
Med Gull - 2 x 1CY, 1 x 2CY, 4 ad - one adult later on model boat pond

Moths another zero with the wind straight into the window.  One of the two actinics had 3 x Straw Dot, one Light Brown Apple Moth and one I cannot remember!  3 Silver Y noted

Butterflies
Red Admiral - 8 (inc 4 south), Speckled Wood 10+, Large White 1 south, Small White - 2 south, Peacock 1

A gradually improving day

Heysham Obs
Awful first thing - no ringing and no vis and the latter just did not get going at all today other than a few albas.  A big fat Garden Warbler the best of the 'new' arrivals and the Yellow-browed Warbler gave occasional sequences of calls and one excellent view, but not when the visiting hordes were about at lunchtime!

Vis mig 0715-0815
alba Wagtail - 25 SE, probably a function of a nearby ex-roost but definitely on 'vis'
Meadow Pipit - 1
Chaffinch - 18

Grounded
Chiffchaff - at least 15, including 7 trailing a large tit flock
Yellow-browed Warbler - one NE corner but generally elusive - showed well late morning
Garden Warbler -one nature park
Blackcap - male nature park - pished out with the above -surprisingly no others around
Coal Tit - 5 with big tit flock
Song Thrush - at least 6

Miscellany
Linnet - 35 north wall
Med Gull - 5 adults, one 2CY
Wigeon - 77
Shelduck - 144
Rock Pipit - one OE
Kestrel (Heysham nature reserve)

Oh ye of little faith

Heysham Obs
"Progressive deterioration in migration corridor"  was todays original headline.  Straight afterwards, a circuit of the nature reserve was enthused by at least three chiffchaffs around the dipping pond and three further individuals in the NE marsh.  Then a Yellow-browed Warbler called twice as I passed through the gorse.  A backtrack revealed brief views as it moved through some hawthorn above ivy.  Then it disappeared and called further to the left.  Later it called a few times and then about 1510hrs showed in the top of a willow for a minute or so with most of the views being of underparts and the head pattern.  More vis today ahead of what looked like a band of quite organised cloud which reached here about 0830hrs.  Dawn was crystal clear with a fresh SE wind.  This depression to the SW is a pain - in many circumstances it would have filled by now and given us a decent light easterly airflow and a bit of murk.  Instead it has stayed and formed a pressure gradient and clear conditions, especially first thing this morning.  The other thing is the high is now developing into a 'ball' over southern Scandinavia, blocking stuff from north Scandinavia.  This was written prior to discovering the YBW: "Therefore we have a situation which might be ok for the odd Firecrest or Black Redstart but is increasingly looking poor for any more Yellow-browed Warbler and unfortunately sending many of the hundreds leaving the northern isles out into the Atlantic".

Vis mig dawnish to about 1030hrs
Chaffinch - 148 S
Meadow Pipit - 283 SE
alba Wagtail - 83 SE
Swallow - one gang of 11 SE
Pink-footed Goose - 2+69 SE
Grey Wagtail - 6 SE
Goldfinch - 9 S
Dunnock - 1+2 S
Siskin - 4 S
Linnet - 1 S
Raven - 2 high to the north

Grounded
Yellow-browed Warbler - NE corner of nature reserve mid/late afternoon at least but elusive in dense vegetation although calling reasonably regularly (& Pete Cook, Janet Packham, Jean Roberts).  Obviously no idea whether this was the same as two days ago but it was behaving as though it had a circuit
Wheatear - 1 north wall
Chiffchaff - at least 9 Heysham NR
Goldcrest - at least 4

Red Nab/Ocean Edge
Wigeon - 51
Med Gull - 5 adults
Little Egret - 1

Insects
Comma -  5 together NE corner
Red Admiral - at least 15, most seeming to fly south
Speckled Wood - at least 30
Small White - 5
Small Tortoiseshell - 3
Peacock - 1
Silver Y - 6

Black Redstart headlines another rather hit and miss morning with incredible variations in wind speed

Heysham Obs
A female/immature Black Redstart was on the fences between Ocean Edge and the seawall to the outfalls at 0845hrs before eventually flying into the southern end of the power station site.  Otherwise the easterly airflow flattered to deceive and was generally too clear/high-clouded

Grounded
Chiffchaff - at least 20 with a small influx apparent mid-morning (5 ringed)
Whitethroat - one Red Nab area
Black Redstart - female/immature Red Nab area at 0845hrs (Andrew Cornell and Bryan Yorke)
Goldcrest - at least 6
Wheatear - one north wall, one ocean edge

Vis mig dawnish to 1200hrs
Very intermittent with a majority of the movement early or mid-morning
alba Wagtail - 52
Meadow Pipit - 354
Chaffinch - 40
Grey Wagtail - 5
Goldfinch - 45
Siskin - 9
Linnet - 16
Pink-footed Goose - 40 (one flock)
Skylark - 2
plus small numbers of Starlings which seemed to be on the move

Miscellany
Little Egret - 4 (2 OE saltmarsh, 2 Red Nab)
Wigeon - 32 Red Nab
Med Gull - 5 Red Nab/outfalls
Rock Pipit - one OE foreshore
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2 together flew over HNR office
Shelduck - 125 off OE

Insects
At least 12 Red Admiral flying south and at least 10 Speckled Wood casually recorded along with 2 Small White

Wheatear at Ocean Edge this afternoon.

Small White on the sea wall near the outfalls this afternoon.