Cuckoo a very welcome addition to year list

Heysham Obs
Very few recent records of Cuckoo from here. One calling male lingering on Middleton NR and adjoining golf course until at least midday

Three migrant Willow warbler ringed this morning, but the only other morning migrant evidence was three Wheatear on Middleton and a 'possible' with respect to at least one of the three Blackcaps ringed

Some murk came in late morning prompting a thrash round:
Spotted Flycatcher - two on fence at southern end of tank farm near the big tree and one 'behind' the dipping pond on hnr
Reed Warbler - one HNR NE corner - new arrival or migrant?
Willow Warbler - one presumed migrant tank farm
Wheatear - 5 power station non-op land
Great Black-back Gull - nesting pair on grey store

Small Copper new for the year and 2-3 4-spotted Chaser seen Middleton

A plague of micros around the gorse on the 'tank farm' proved to be Cydia ulicetana - at least 200 seen!

No known coastal coverage today!

Common Blue at MNR

Drizzle drop

Heysham Obs
This post keeps self-deleting so I'll cut the waffle and:

Ocean Edge/outfalls
Wheatear - 21 including at least 8 small males
Med Gull - 2CY
Whimbrel - 4
Little Egret - 2

Middleton NR
Blackcap - one presumed migrant
Grasshopper Warbler - at least 3
Gadwall - 2 males and one female

Moths
A fair selection including the first Heart and Dart, Coxcomb and Pebble Prominents

Insects to the fore

Heysham Obs
There are nine cygnets on Middleton and a pair of Gadwall with 10 young.  This is seriously the birding highlight today with zero obvious migrants in a crystal clear full-moon north-westerly - what a waste of space this month has been so far compared to what it could have been like!  


Moths
Crambus lathoniellus kicked off its year in the company of Latticed Heath alongside the HNR entrance road


The trap held a tricky highflyer spp which might well be Ruddy (confirmed track record here) - it needs a really good look.  Also new for the year in the trap were Clouded Bordered Brindle & Brimstone.


Dragonflies
Four spotted Chaser seen yesterday at Middleton NR

Photos of Damselfly and Swans taken at Middleton NR

 

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New moth and a swan hatch

Heysham Obs
Early morning CES at Middleton characterised by a virtual lack of grounded migrants and a trickle birds, including returning summer migrants, already bearing rings.  This is exactly what CES should be about, but a little bit more excitement in the form of a few migrants would have made the early start a bit more interesting


The most popular topic for the vast majority of Middleton residents is the progress of the Mute Swan pair which bring their young on to the model boat pond.  Good news - they hatched at 0845hrs this morning after the female had been sitting tight during the whole of the early morning. 


Justine found a new moth for the area in the form of the small but distinctive Grapholita jungiella
in the grassland on Middleton. 


Otherwise it was rather frustrating.  A "very large bird" spooked the gulls at exactly the wrong moment when I was tied up with vehicle movement to let a tanker into the sewage works.  A dog walker said it was "big with a long neck and wings like an eagle" (splayed), but it had gone east over the crown of the hill and was not visible by the time.  Number two was an almost certain Hobby sighting by Pete C as it targeted northbound Swallows over Middleton (as seen from the model boat pond area), but not in the direction I was looking at the time.


Middleton NR
Grasshopper Warbler - intermittent very early song from three sites
Whimbrel - two north
Swift - three north
Grey Heron - one high and purposefully north
Kestrel - one high and purposefully from the south-west, then heading east (quite a bit later than the abovementioned falcon)
Swallow - 54 NE
Sedge Warbler - no evidence of any females arriving, with seemingly all the males in continuous song, including regular song-flight.  One female (on wing length) was caught at the end of the CES session , presumably (the only?) newly arrived migrant of the morning
Greylag - 2
Mute Swan - see above; didn't see how many young but 5+


Sea 0600-0700
Sandwich Tern - flock of 6 out


Heysham NR
Presumed migrant Willow Warbler ringed


Moth
See above


















   

Blank?

Heysham Obs
Did anyone cover the sea this early morning, please?


Moths
Two Small Square Spot were new for the year

A day to get on with some paperwork

Heysham Obs
Early morning seawatcher(s) produced a meagre selection with at least a bit of variety in conditions which were too clear and a wind which was 'too far round' to the west north west

Sea
05:15-08:30 (thanks Mark)

Arctic Skua - 1 dark in at 06:20
Gannet - 2 in, 4 out
Kittiwake - 5 in, 1 out
Red-throated Diver - 3 in, 1 out
Guillemot - 1 in
Razorbill - 2 in
Common Scoter - c30
Eider - 6 in, 2 out
Grey Plover - 2 out
Dunlin - 6 in
Swift - 1 in
Swallow 7 in

Red Nab - Whimbrel 4, Wheatear 1

Subsequently just two extra Gannet


Middleton NR
Lesser Redpoll - one flying about, but not display flight calls
Reed Warbler - at least 4 singing males
Gadwall - 3
Little Ringed Plover - pair


Moths
Common Wave and Flame Shoulder in Heysham toilet.  Muslin Moth and Poplar Hawk-moth in Middleton actinic

Fifteen minute cameo

Heysham Obs
About an hour was spent watching the sea just after high tide as per the forecasted change in wind to SW.  It appeared, however, to have hanged a bit earlier than that and some stuff may have been missed as the action was all in the first 15 minutes.  In order of appearance 0915-0930:


Sea 0912-1010 intermittently
Black Tern - singleton slowly but rather distantly 'in'
Common Scoter - flock of 9 'out'
Gannet - flock of 7 'in' at the same time as two more distant birds 'out'
Great Skua - one out at a rapid rate of knots low over the sea down the 'shipping lane'


Outfalls area/Red Nab
LOTS of large gulls but nothing of interest
Little Egret - 3 around
Whimbrel - 4 Red Nab


Moth
Brown House Moth

Routine seabirds

Heysham Obs
The early morning sea-watch was quite entertaining if you like going to Bempton Cliffs, but not a lot of cutting edge fare


Sea 0700  (too late?)-0820
Gannet - 57 out plus at least 5 others heading in which had not u-turned - some very close views of all ages
Arctic Skua - two dark morph together messing about just beyond the red buoy but either went in behind the wave troughs or didn't pass during the 45 mins subsequent to sighting
Fulmar - one out
Shag - 2CY on the water then flew in and across in the direction of Grange - most unusual this time of year
Razorbill - 2 together in
Guillemot - one in
Auk spp - 4 distant together in
Kittiwake - one 2CY in
Arctic Tern - 3 out together

Evening sea watch
Manx shearwater - 35 out
Great skua - 2 out
Little gull - ad out
Whimbrel - 1

Young Coots on MNR

Effort produced minor rewards

Heysham Obs
With the sea it was a case of 'better have a look just in case' and the answer, after an early Arctic Skua, was negative until the inevitable decent record per four-five hours of dross (for the third observer-shift) materialised in our second Dark-bellied Brent Goose flock of the spring - presumably SW Furness departees.  Thanks Andrew.


The other 'decent' record involved a rather large and grey Willow Warbler.  This was caught during some guying-up of mist net rides at Middleton which had been flooded out during the winter.  Unfortunately the mobile phone pic did not come out (three hands needed!).    


Sea
Dark-bellied Brent Goose - flock of 7 NE into the Bay (thanks Andrew)
Whimbrel - 3 NE
Arctic Skua - dark morph on, then in
Swallow passage - virtually zilch - 5/hr


Grounded
Wheatear - 6 Ocean Edge and area
Whinchat - female Middleton NR late am
Willow Warbler - large grey bird ringed along with two other presumed migrants
Sedge Warbler - 'impression' of migrants at Middleton with four ringed in a short time

Evening skuas enhance the day

Heysham Obs
Managed to negotiate the outfalls seawall barrier to be moved back to Heysham 2 outfall (thanks to Mark for most of the work here), therefore viewing from the region of Heysham 2 outfall will now be possible.  There will be no access, however from Gate 38 (see sidebar) or any further along the seawall as this is a construction site as they repair Heysham One outfall (which might also send all the birds on to Heysham 2 !)


A bit of poor-quality "windy weather" seawatching this morning in conditions which were too clear, better later on


Sea 0630-1030 on and off, on and off during the day then 1745-1845
Gannet - at least 40
Manx Shearwater - 3 (IOY)
Sandwich Tern - 3
Fulmar - 1
Sanderling - 2 heading south accompanying about 35 Dunlin (IOY)
Swallow - 4 NE
Great Skua - 2 out then perhaps on 1835 hrs
Arctic Skua - dm in 1825hrs


Ocean Edge/non-op land
Wheatear - 8
Little Egret - 3 on Red Nab

Middleton NR
Little Ringed Plover - no sign of yesterdays mating pair in poor weather