First Gannet and Greylags

Heysham Obs


Offshore one hour early am
Kittiwake - 16+3+3+2 out
Common Scoter - one out
Gannet - 2CY in
No small passerine vis


Model Boat Pond
Greylag - 2

Bit too north-westerly

Heysham Obs
Strong winds today but not very productive ones other than a couple of flocks earlyish morning

Offshore various times
Little Gull - at least six in a gang lifting up then dropping down on the water - all adults (c0840)
Kittiwake - flock of 21 'in' whilst watching the above
Absolute zero else of interest despite regular grillings of the large gulls soaring around the power station/on outfalls

Moth
1 Common Quaker

Kittiwakes and Tufted Ducks

Heysham Obs
Influx of both today in completely different fashions - the Kittiwakes on early morning seawatching and the Tufted Ducks doubling the recent Middleton counts

Sea early morning
Kittiwake - flock of 55+3+1
Common Scoter - 1
Med Gull - 2CY on end of Heysham one outfall lunchtime - spent most of time on water
Large Gulls - 120+ outfalls and harbour area
other bits to be added

Middleton NR
Cetti's Warbler - gave two burst of song just before 1000hrs along bank next to reedbed western marsh
Little Grebe - one on no swimming pond
Tufted Duck - 17
Gadwall - 4
Water Rail - one screaming
Teal - 2

Grounded
Goldcrest - one Middleton , 2 Heysham NR

Ocean Edge
Ringed plover - 5
Wheatear -1

Moths
3 Common Quaker

Cetti's singing in the rain

Heysham Obs
.................but not a lot else this morning other than a Rock Pipit by the 'slipway' on Ocean Edge and a couple of Red-throats offshore


Offshore
Red-throated Diver - 2 'in'


Ocean Edge
Rock Pipit - one by slipway - flew towards saltmarsh
Pied Wagtail - 10 grounded OE foreshore
Meadow Pipit - 4 as above


Middleton
Cetti's Warbler - 4 bursts of song in about 5 minutes 0840ish edge of main reedbed western marsh
Tufted Duck - 7 model boat pond
Gadwall - 2 model boat pond
Shelduck - singleton briefly model boat pond
Mute Swan - 6 imm as above


Moths
Common Quaker (7), Hebrew Character (1)

Ocean Edge foreshore coverage

Heysham Obs
A Reed Warbler 1CY ringed at Middleton at the end of July was caught by a ringer at Setubal. Portugal, in mid-October, perhaps rather later than might be expected to still be in Iberia.  A Greenfinch ringed in late autumn was found dead a few days later at Arnside, a rather odd direction

OE salt marsh (thanks Malcolm)
3 snipe
1 rock pipit (same location as
yesterday)
2 wheatear

At least 200 large gulls hanging about in the updraughts above the outfalls but nothing unusual in the area

A decent selection but minimal migration

Heysham Obs
The best bird today was the continuing presence of our singing male Cetti's Warbler on Middleton where it was quite vocal early on, then shut up after 0900hrs.  Also on Middleton, a vocal Water Rail in the main reed-bed was welcome, a trilling Little Grebe on the fence pond even more so,  but half a dozen pheasants did not bode well for the forthcoming mist netting season.

Vis mig
Meadow Pipit - 30 per hour first half of morning dropping to 15 per hour
Redpoll - at least 5
alba Wagtail - 15
Reed Bunting - 1
Carrion Crow - 3 north

Middleton NR  (Malcolm/Pete/Justine)

Water Rail - one squealing

Mute Swan - 2 pr + 6 2CY

4 coot

4 moorhen

5 mallard

10 tufted

7 gadwall

2 teal

1 little grebe on fence pond 

1 lapwing on peninsula  

6 pheasant

1 male Cetti's Warbler  (heard only)

1 chiffchaff

3 meadow pipit (1 parachuting)

1 reed bunting

1 small tortoiseshell

 

Ocean Edge   

1 rock pipit

4 meadow pipit

1 wheatear

 

Red Nab  

1 little egret

 

Red Nab bushes  

2 goldcrest

2 long tailed tit

1 bullfinch (m)

 

60+ turnstone on rocky foreshore in front of south wall roundhead.

 

More blocking weather

Heysham obs
Lots of large gulls on or around the outfalls in wind and temperature looking a decent recipe for a white-wingers rather than summer migrants.

Offshore
Kittiwake - 3 plus 2

Middleton
Gadwall - 7
Mute swan - 6 juv mod b pond, pair usual nest site
Tufted duck - 4 mod b pond
No song from Cetti's warbler in poor weather and little else singing, similarly no water rail calling

Moths
Early grey, common Quaker, Hebrew character

Bullfinch mystery

Heysham obs
Bullfinches are surprisingly unpredictable here with quite a bit of perceived migration and scattering of unringed birds even in the breeding season . Today's events were however unprecedented at this time of year

Bullfinch - three unringed 2cy caught together (one male)
Wheatear - male ocean edge
No other evidence of migration reported

Kittiwake flock

Heysham obs
Seawatch am for one hour
Kittiwake - 25 on sea
Pink footed goose - 11 north
Eider - 173 on

Butterfly
Comma Middleton

Whooper on the challenge list at last

Heysham Obs
First of all a correction - the type of netting which trapped yesterdays Wheatear was garden 'pea netting' type stuff - the mesh was too small for a monofilamant net and therefore part of the spoil used to create the small bund aloing the edge of the caravan site

Sea 0915-1015
Whooper Swan - 4+2 NW
Carrion crow - flock of 7 north

Thanks Janet

Pied Wagtail - 15 N
Meadow Pipit - 13 N
Common Gull - 92 on outfalls/harbour mouth

Moths
2 x Hebrew Character

Late news yesterday
Pink-footed Goose - c100+200+100 N
Whooper Swan -  32 N (flock)