What was missed?

Heysham Obs
A real struggle this morning as under the weather and didn't arrive until 0900hrs to be greeted by Willow warbler contact calls and later two Tree Pipit taking off from around the pond and heading inland over the gold course.  What was here earlier?


A couple of hastily erected mist nets confirmed what seemed to be happening, the remnants of an early morning arrival in the process of disappearing inland.  Four unringed Whitethroat and two migrant Robins were caught immediately, then nothing migrant-wise for the next hour and the nets were brought in


Office area 0900-1030
Tree Pipit - two together headed ESE, having been grounded, at 0915hrs
Grey Wagtail - one SE
Swallow - c10 SE
Willow  warbler - at least five calling at 0900hrs, soon melted away
Whitethroat - 4 unringed and one ringed bird caught - no others seen/heard
Dunnock - unringed bird caught
Robin -  two unringed birds caught


Moths
Not bad with Yellow-barred Brindle notable for here, with other stuff including Bordered Beauty, Agriphila latistria and Rusty Dot Pearl,

Wet and windy seagulls

Heysham Obs
Outfalls and area
Med Gull - 10 x 1CY, one x each of 2CY, 3CY and Ad
Little Egret  1


Middleton NR
Goldfinch - flock of 80




Moths
Much better including White-line Dart again, two Lime-speck Pug, 3 Agriphila latistria, Rusty Dot Pearl, Treble Bar, Agriphila geniculea, Ypsophola sequella and Oidematophorus lithodactyla

Early morning Middleton coverage

Heysham Obs
The calm weather windows at Middleton may have been few and far between recently but they have provided high quality mist-netting conditions, with bits of cloud knocking the sun on the head and no sea breezes kicking in.  Not exactly fall conditions (too clear) but a fair number of warblers ringed


Middleton NR 0545 to late morning
Lesser Redpoll - one SE (very unseasonal)
Meadow Pipit - 3 SE and a  juvenile, perhaps local, ringed
House Martin - 2 SE
Grey Wagtail - 4 SE (one ringed)
Willow Warbler - 9 ringed
Whitethroat - 17 ringed 
Lesser Whitethroat - three ringed
Blackcap- 6 ringed
Chiffchaff - no new ones
Reed Warbler - none
Grasshopper Warbler - as above
Sedge Warbler - the only ones seen/heard/caught were a family party of at least four birds (ringed adult and one young caught) which appeared on site late morning
Swallow - also scarce with just 3-4 casual sightings of at least one adult


The remainder of the newly ringed birds comprised 2 Blue Tit, one Reed Bunting, 2 Linnet, 4 Goldfinch, one Greenfinch, one Bullfinch, 2 Robin, 4 Dunnock, 2 Blackbird, 2 Long-tailed Tit


Insects
Another Agriphila latistria in the moth trap along with two late White-line Dart.  Single Clouded Yellow & Panted Lady casually noted at Middleton

More odds and ends of migrants

Heysham Obs
Clear this morning and cool with a touch more northerly in the wind.  The autumnal feel was enhanced by a calling Goldcrest by the office - early for this 'migrant only' species here


The dead animal at Middleton model boat pond has been variously identified as a horse, a colt, a goat and a deer - the latter seems about right and presumably a Roe.  Thanks to all for reporting this unfortunate beastie.  It was a foal!


Office area
Whitethroat - 10+ (just one ringed in rather windy conditions, most of them feeding in tank farm)
Willow Warbler - one ringed
Blackcap - 6-10 office/tank farm (four ringed)
Goldcrest - one (IOA)
Robin - seemed to be quite a few ticking birds (5+) early on
Chiffchaff - at least two
Swallow - 16 purposefully south


Red Nab/Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 4






Insects
Decent number of butterflies around, including a single Painted Lady - thanks to Janet for the pics which will appear soon


The localised Agriphila latistria made its autumnal debut in the trap

Small fall

Heysham Obs
A late start revealed the wind was far less than forecasted, a few warblers were about and it seemed worth putting up a belated net or two (until it became too windy).  Then almost immediately visited by a couple of contractors who indicated our main ringing area was going to be out of commission due to fence replacement and vegetation removal................starting in September.  I don't think a plea to leave it until the end of October will be possible but we'll see. Unfortunate after just spending a considerable amount of time doing the kind of gardening familiar to many people operating mist-net rides


Office area
Whitethroat - at least 10-15 (8 ringed)
Blackcap - one ringed
Chiffchaff - 2
Robin - 1 migrant ringed

Outfalls
Little Gull - 2 adult type
Med Gull - at least 15 around, probably many more - a Catherine Tate attitude to windswept gulls all facing away in a slight 'heat' haze as of 4pm


A late Straw Underwing and Grey Chi were the best of a meagre moth catch

Manx Shearwater caught up in line..

Sunday 17th August

Med Gull - c10 juv, at least one adult but conditions awful!

Absolutely nothing on the sea other than 6 Sandwich Terns at low tide just to the north of Heysham Head

1cy med fest 16th August

Heysham obs
Large numbers of Meds around today including 21 1cy and about 10 of older age classes.

Moths included agriphila geniculea

Bits and bobs of early autumnal migration

Heysham Obs


Middleton NR
Bird Fair or CES?  Had to be the CES as there isn't any more suitable weather during the 10 day period for the likes of Middleton on the horizon - no shelter from north-westerlies which are often spiced up over and above the forecasted strength as they come straight in off the sea.  Conditions were well-nigh perfect for mist-netting with no sun until after the CES period and no wind


Mainly due to being dragged around by tit flocks, a fair chunk of the warbler presence at Middleton seemed to end up in the mist nets.  This vast majority of the captures comprised three 'collections', including tits, in a single net on three separate occasions.  The nets were otherwise empty with virtually no resident warblers and implicitly very few 'acros'.  New-ringed birds at Middleton included the following:


Sedge Warbler - only two seen/heard/caught
Reed Warbler - conspicuous by absence - a juv ringed near the end of the session the only evidence
Garden Warbler - one ringed (do not breed here)
Blackcap - 7 ringed
Whitethroat - 6 ringed
Lesser Whitethroat - one ringed
Willow Warbler - 10 ringed
Chiffchaff - 4 ringed
Robin - one post-moult 1CY and one late brood speckled bird


Heysham NR
The Heysham Nature reserve CES produced the star bird of the morning - a Grasshopper Warbler in probably the driest habitat in the area and obviously a migrant


Also notable there was a newly fledged brood of Chiffchaff still in the '1J' stage and four presumed migrant post-juv-moult Robin


Outfalls/Red Nab
Wheatear - 4
Med Gull - 16, mainly 1CY
Little Gull - one adult


Vis mig
Meadow Pipit - one
Grey Wagtail - 3 very early on




Moths
Middleton actinic produced very little but included Brown China Mark and the Heysham NR trap saw a lot of Flounced Ructic and a couple of t.b.i.micros which night be of interest!

Gulls at high tide on the outfalls

Med Gull late afternoon on the outfalls
 

Outfalls minima

Heysham Obs


Outfalls
Med Gull - 7 juvs, 3 ad, 1 2CY, 2 3CY
Little Gull - one ad
Whimbrel - 1


Moth trap
Rusty Dot Pearl x 1

No distractions in a strong north-westerly

Heysham Obs
A cursory glance at the outfalls early on before the useless sunny north-westerly kicked in produced:

Common Tern - ad
Little Gull - at least one, prob two ads
Tern spp - briefly seen very distantly in the main channel, almost certainly juv Arctic but not sure (NOT yesterdays Little without a size c/p)
Med Gull - at least 8 casually noted

Moth trap
An invasion of Agriphila tristella but a bit more interesting was the first Grey Chi of the year.  Amazingly up to date with MapMate records and synches with Graham, our county 'hub', despite running into the thousands of records so far this year.  Don't leave it too late - too much to do all at once at the end of the year if you are an active moth-er, then Christmas intervenes and the wheels come off the documentation - been there done it in previous years.  This would be a shame during the current three year Macro Moth Atlas (2014= year one)