Slack and slow

Heysham Obs
Just about worth an early start this morning in conditions with no clearly defined airflow which produced exactly as expected


Sea 0625-0800
Sandwich Tern - 9 blogging, 6 in
Arctic Tern - flock of 23 in
Black Tern - one in at 0705hrs
Swallow - 1!
Whimbrel - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 4
Redpoll - 1


Ocean Edge
Whimbrel - 1
Wheatear - 7 male, 2 female


Grounded
Four 'new' Lesser Whitethroat were caught in the office nets comprising half the new birds by 0900hrs!
The only vis noted over the office was a pre-dawn redpoll

Early morning sea passage switched off just after 0730

Heysham Obs
'Facilitation' can mean missing most things in rapid transit and this was the case for me this morning (including the Wood Warbler giving two bursts of song as it passed through).  However, the fare for the early morning sea-watchers was reasonably good, for the later ones it was an empty sea, as also happened at JBP.  Not sure where the additional 500 Arctic T passing Rossall ended up unless they were pre-0600hrs or went up the Lune 'flightline'?

Heysham North Harbour Wall (0605 - 0850 hrs) (thanks Pete C for count - the Tree Pipit were over the gate area):
Arctic Skua - 1 dark morph flew into the Bay at 0620 hrs
Black Tern - 10 - comprising a flock of 9 flew into the Bay at 0630 hrs, then 1 followed a flock of Arctic Terns into the Bay at 0705 hrs
Arctic Tern - 337 flew into the Bay, including double-figure flocks of 90, 74, 16, 41, 17, 54 and 35
Common Scoter - 13 - groups of 3 in, 2 out, 2 in and 6 out
Sandwich Tern & Red-throated Diver - None!

Also offshore: 1 Gannet, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Eider, 4 Red-breasted Merganser and 2 Whimbrel

Overhead passerines included 20 Swallow, 5 House Martin, 6 Tree Pipit, 2 Sand Martin, c20 Meadow Pipit and 1 Grey Wagtail, while grounded migrants comprised 3 Wheatear and 1 Willow Warbler

Grounded elsewhere
Wood Warbler - singing male by the dipping pond mid-morning
Wheatear - at least 19 different birds, mainly Ocean Edge
Whinchat - male Ocean Edge
Blackcap - three new birds ringed
Willow Warbler - just two new birds ringed

Middleton NR
A 'new' continuously singing male showed well to some observers, increase in Sedge Warblers to low double figures of singing males
Gadwall - 5

Belated Black Terns

Heysham Obs
You are welcome to join seawatchers on the north harbour wall tomorrow where there will be people present from 0700hrs and there is a reasonably good forecast for tern passage (although the southern Irish sea route for other seabirds is 'blocked' big-time by a Biscayan swirler!).  Please bring your own optics as sharing scopes is not an option during seawatching.  The main consideration is parking.  We share the seawall with large numbers of anglers who have been prevented from using the south side by the bass-related angling ban.  Therefore please DO NOT park along the seaward edge of the north harbour wall road as the anglers will be piling in from 7ish onwards and need to use that side of the road.  Please park appropriately on the wide section of road and walk along the narrow section and past the red gate to join other observers. Thanks.


Please remember dress-wise there might be quite a wind-chill at that time of the morning.  No young children please - not safe.  


The weather seemed to prevent migration this morning with key observations in the 'blogging'/going the wrong way categories


Coastal areas 0730-0845
Black Tern - distant flock of 3 flew in at 0810hrs
Meadow Pipit - one grounded
Redpoll spp - 1+1 north (the only perceived 'vis')
Wheatear - 10 Ocean Edge foreshore
Whimbrel - flock of 7 close inshore OE, then flew south, 1+1 south north harbour wall
Arctic Skua - 2 dark morph out together at 0750, dark morph out at 0820
Red-throated Diver - distant one out, close one in
Tern spp, presumed Sandwich - 2 very distant!
Common Scoter - flock of 6 out


No sign of yesterday Black Redstart Red Nab area

Reasonable variety but no great numbers, other than perhaps Wheatear

Heysham Obs
Another dawn start with the persistent and irritating moon still a prominent feature in yet another clear sky - we have been very unlucky this week

Grounded highlights
Wheatear - max of 21 Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Black Redstart - rather abraded female-type Red Nab early morning at least
Sedge Warbler - one singing briefly by HNR office and increase to 7 on Middleton
Reed Warbler - increase to 7 singing males Middleton
Willow Warbler - a trickle of migrants, mainly presumed females (7 ringed)

Vis mig and sea
Lesser Redpoll - just 3
Meadow Pipit - just 4
alba Wagtail - just 5
Swallow - very few early morning - just 8 seen!
Sand Martin - on north
Carrion Crow - flock of 5 north
Whimbrel - 5+3+H+1+1 north
Sandwich Tern - 6 blogging
Gannet - adult out
Arctic Tern - 7+12+3 in
Red-throated Diver - 2 sp birds out together
Common Scoter - pair in

Full Middleton list from Malcolm & Pete:

Mute 4 (including two sitting)

1 Stock Dove
8 tufted

7 gadwall

1 female mallard with 12 new chicks

2 shelduck

2 greylag

5 coot + 3 chicks

4 moorhen

2 little grebe

1 pheasant

5 linnet

5 reed bunting

1 wheatear

5 swallow

1 stoat

The reeds and scrub was awash with warblers. The following is just a list of individual birds heard in song.

10 Willow warbler

4 Chiffchaff

2 lesser whitethroat

11+ common whitethroat

7 sedge

7 reed

1 grasshopper (only heard on return trip)

 

Ocean Edge miscellany

2 little egret

28 Linnet feeding in short grass early am

285 Dunlin along the saltmarsh creek or on red nab

 

Crow mystery

Heysham Obs
Went through the motions this early morning, despite the wind being a bit too southerly for here, and, unlike yesterday, where we were a bit of a migrant-free oasis under the dawn clear slot by all accounts, the early fare was better than expected. 




A corvid headed high to the north at 0745hrs - probably higher than I've ever seen one fly here!  It certainly had a grey belly but no more detail could be seen.    One Lesser Redpoll was caught early on and it was a control - D287 sequence. 




The nets were furled for a bit of a run-round as the sun was shining directly on to them (0700-0740), most of which was spent staring at an empty sea, but did include a gang of 16 Wheatear on Ocean Edge, a few looking really wet and bedraggled and the first Whimbrel of the year




A mixture of work/net-checking/listening for gull alarm calls beckons but I cannot see anything dramatic happening..................and it didn't.... but a few odds and ends added since the first post




Seawatch - 0700-0800
Gannet - 1
Sandwich Tern - 14 in 6 blogging
Arctic Tern - 9+3+5 in
Common Scoter - 5 (f) in


Seawatch 1000-1015
Arctic Skua (dark morph) - 1 harrying Sandwich Terns
Common Scoter - 5m, 1f on sea offshore
Sandwich Tern - 16 (8 on yellow buoy, 8 out)

Gannet - adult fishing close inshore!


Grounded
Wheatear - 16 Ocean Edge, one mound, 4 Middleton
Whimbrel - one Red Nab (IOY)


Vis mig
Pretty non-existent with the only two Lesser Redpolls registered both caught and one was ringed elsewhere
Meadow Pipit - c15
Swallow - just 10 seen


Miscellany
Gadwall - pair and single male Middleton
Little Grebe - definitely pair on no swimming pond
Grasshopper Warbler - 3 singing male (as yesterday)


Insects
First (12) Large Red Damselfly at Middleton (IOY)
Orange Tip - c40 Middleton
Brown Silver Line - one by office (IOY)

Potentially decent morning spoilt by extensive clear skies at dawn

Heysham Obs
Unlucky this morning as dawn saw a great big clear slot complete with the lingering moon after travelling from home thorough some tasty 'fall' weather.  It was also too windy for the office nets


Vis mig, including an hour on the sea
Tree Pipit - 4
Meadow Pipit - 18
Grey Wagtail - 1 (very late)
Marsh Harrier - dark bird north and inland over Middleton 1100ish (missed it c/f patch challenge!!)
alba Wagtail - 6 NE
Swallow - relatively few with just 25 noticed
Sandwich Tern - 13
Gannet - adult in
Siskin - 1+ NE
Redpoll - 2 NE
Auk spp - one out
Carrion Crow - flock of 5 north


Grounded/newly arrived territorial birds
Wheatear - 14 scattered around, including 6 on Red Nab
Redstart - 1 female
Reed Warbler - 3 singing males Middleton
Sedge Warbler - increase to 6 singing males Middleton
Common Sandpiper - 1
Willow Warbler - no great evidence of arrival - far less than yesterday in clear conditions - 3 ringed during very short mist netting session
Grasshopper Warbler - additional singing male by office/obs tower pond (as well as tank farm bird)


Miscellany
Turnstone - 187
Gadwall - still at least one pair Middleton

Todays photos from Red Nab and the Harbour

Early morning sampling

Heysham Obs
Could do with another early morning birder this week as we are a bit short-handed if I'm tied down by mist net supervision.  Grasshopper Warbler retrap by the office of last year's territorial male the highlight




Vis mig on and off plus two sessions on the sea
Arctic Tern - 3+14 'in'
Kittiwake - one adult in
Swallow - early movement with 92 between 0600-0700, fewer later with blocking cloud to the south
alba Wagtail - 17 NE
Meadow Pipit - 4 NE
Tree Pipit - one NE
Carrion Crow - flock of 4 NE
Redpoll - just the one NE
Sparrowhawk - possible migrant high and purposeful but to the south!




Grounded
Willow Warbler - probably about 30 grounded by office
Whitethroat - at least two extras by the office
Grasshopper Warbler - migrant singing male by classroom briefly early am
Whinchat - male Middleton afternoon (IOY)
Common Sandpiper - one model boat pond shore afternoon (IOY)
House Martin - one Middleton pm (IOY)
Snipe - late one central marsh Middleton

Retrieval of sorts highlighted by another Osprey

Heysham Obs
Another early morning no-show due to other commitments, but, even if the bulk of a promising morning was missed in a mixture of tasty cloud cover and light easterly (contra forecast), some decent odds and ends were seen later


Grounded
Arrival at 0900hrs saw the last 15 minute or so of the cloudy murky light winds and a couple of hastily-erected nets caught a couple of Willow Warbler.  Then, as often happens as soon as (especially late) nets are set, the conditions suddenly went 'mid-morningish' with bright sunlight, a developing breeze and melting away migrants


Redstart - female by office 0910 at least, probably another at south end of tank farm 1200hrs
Whitethroat - at least 3 moved quickly through 0900-0920
Willow Warbler - c6 migrants by office in the first half-hour
Grasshopper Warbler - singing male in the tank farm to mid-morning only


Vis mig
Very little post 0900 other than hirundines and a trickle of Meadow Pipit (no redpoll recorded)


Arctic Tern - 3+2+1 'in' 0845-0900 but no others seen
Arctic Skua - dark morph on then in at c1030
Osprey - one high up the Bay chased by gulls at 1125
Meadow Pipit - c15 north
Swallow - reached 120/hr north by late morning
Siskin - one NE

Middleton NR
Grasshopper Warbler - four singing males this evening
Reed Warbler - singing male this evening -first of year

 A very difficult to photograph ringed grasshopper warbler at MNR

Two hour window missed

Heysham Obs
Decided to enter the national Patchwork Challenge.  This reflects the activities of several people who extensively cover Middleton NR and Heysham EDF Energy land on a regular basis, notably Malcolm and Janet.  The challenge is limited to 3km square or a shape equating to 3KM square or less.  Bearing in mind the design includes any possible vantage point for offshore 'seen-froms', the remainder reflects the likely hot-spots which are visited as part of a circuit.  

A frosty start at home was accompanied by redpoll flying overhead but unfortunately as soon as the single mist net was set at Heysham at 0700 (with a flock of 5 Redpoll passing over), the forecasted cloud cover arrived, the wind got up and nothing happened.  The net was soon taken down






In the meantime a text received from Janet re-two singing male Grasshopper Warbler on Heysham Moss following yesterday's male Pied Flycatcher passing through there.   This prompted a circuit of both Middleton and Heysham NR and the results indicated that there was a significant male Willow Warbler passage, in contrast to yesterday, and also Middleton hosted two singing male Grasshopper Warbler




Another seawatch prior to midday as a heavy cloud was approaching from the south produced a flock of 7 Arctic Tern, which appeared to drop out of the sky before heading up the Bay


An osprey was seen heading past Heysham low over the sea at about 1635hrs





Vis mig on and off from 0700
Redpoll spp - flock of 5 NE at 0700 and no more
Meadow Pipit - 11
Swallow - 41
Sand Martin- 2
Arctic Tern - 7 in about 1140hrs
Osprey - one watched flying low over the sea towards Heysham along the west side of Middleton saltmarsh c1630hrs



Grounded
Willow Warbler - two quick circuits revealed 11 singing males on Heysham NR and 15 singing males on Middleton, way above the local breeding population
Common Whitethroat - one singing by HNR office new in
Wheatear - one north wall
Grasshopper Warbler - two presumed territorial birds arrived at Middleton


Misc
Guillemot - one harbour mouth
Common Gull - 115 outfalls

Red-lister back from the dead

Heysham Obs
Following a second-hand report last year, two Grey Partridge were discovered in the recording area on Middleton this morning.  Hopefully they will nest successfully.  A male Yellow Wagtail also flew over Middleton but the downside this morning was almost unbelievably bad fortune intercepting the Lesser Redpoll passage, but at least one of the three already bore a ring from elsewhere = Rishton Bird Observatory near Blackburn!  It was ringed on 16/2 and retrapped there on 19/3 and 10/4




Vis mig (from three sites with no duplication (also low tide)) 0700-1000
Lesser Redpoll - c35 NE
Meadow Pipit - 37 NE
alba Wagtail - 11 NE
Goldfinch - 3 NE
Swallow - 8 NE
Sand Martin - 2 NE
Yellow Wagtail - male N
Sandwich Tern - 6
Red-throated Diver - one
Linnet - 6 NE


Middleton NR (thanks Malcolm and Pete)
Whitethroat - 5 singing males
Sedge Warbler - 2 singing males (neither of them early morning arrivals/songsters)
Lesser Whitethroat - 3 singing males
Little Grebe - 2
Greylag - up to 11 blogging
Grey Partridge -  two at the south-western end


Grounded migrants
No evidence of anything other than a surprising 6 'new' Blackcap Heysham NR.  Migrant Willow Warbler 'non-existent' with just territorial birds seen and it is very unusual to get Blackcap moving without simultaneous larger Willow Warbler movements