CES moths

Heysham Obs
The CES's at Heysham and Middleton were terrible this morning as per predictions after this awful breeding season and seeming premature departure of many summer migrants, notably Sedge Warbler (shades of 2012).  Therefore a couple of moth traps were set at Middleton to provide some entertainment between empty mist net rounds and there was a reasonable catch in the Heysham hut trap.

Heysham NR
Treecreeper - juvenile ringed

Middleton NR
No obvious sign of Cetti's Warbler

No known seagull coverage today

Moths
Obscure Wainscot (late and worn) and Silky Wainscot, both at Middleton, the highlights

Funny day

Heysham Obs
All fairly routine until the evening

Outfalls/Red Nab
Redshank - c51
Curlew - c420
Oystercatcher - 1050
Med Gull - 8, including a winter adult in heavy moult (2 x 2CY, 1 x 3CY, 5 x adult)
Whimbrel - 5
Little Gull - adult seen by visiting birder on the mudflats at low tide but no sign earlier (brief visit) or later during extensive tidal watch

Middleton NR
Cettis Warbler - contact calling in evening
Grey Wagtail - sewage works

Moths
First Flounced Rustic of the 'autumn'

Superb little gulls arrive

Heysham Obs

Outfalls/Red Nab
Adult summer Little Gulls take some beating and one flew in-off with a 2CY in tow at about 1215hrs as they tide was rising and commenced feeding on Heysham 2 outfall.   Also 3 x adult and 2 x 2CY Med Gulls around but gulls seemed to be flying across to the Lune estuary very early in the tide cycle for what is not going to be a major tide.  Odd.

Moths
Included Chinese Character and the first T or N advenella for the year

Decent moth catch

Heysham Obs

Red Nab
The webs count was abandoned due to disturbance today - unusual on here these days - as usual a mutt and a ball in a sling were involved
Med Gull - 2 x ad, 1 x 3CY
Whimbrel - 1 heard fleeing

Moths
Barred Red, Elephant Hawk-moth, White Satin were all notable here in a rather large catch which should have been checked a bit earlier judging by the below par numbers on the walls in relation to the egg-packing fare

NNEW on dragonflies at Middleton other than to say we have a report of a photographer obtaining pics of a Red-veined Darter some three weeks before the first known sighting.  i.e. sometime in mid-June which is quite feasible

A better than seemed likely day

Heysham Obs
Better than seemed mid-morning with Malcolm having a decent walk around Middleton NR earlier on not rough enough for seabirds (no showers), too much sun and heat haze and too much wind for anything else

Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 7 adult, 2 3CY, 1 2CY
Whimbrel - 1
Curlew - 361
Black-headed Gull - 820
Common Gull - 6 (2 adult)
Little Gull - adult reported but no sign as the tide started coming in

Middleton NR (Malcolm)
First dragon fly was a red veined darter, sunning on path next to top carpark. Only
saw the one, but also 9 common darter,  1 emperor and 1 black tailed skimmer.
Lots of big stuff hawking on west (Lee) side of "no swimming" pond, but out of
my recognition range. Only damsel were common and blue tail.
Butterflies dominated by gatekeeper (26), mainly on east side. Also 18 meadow brown, 4 small
skipper, 1 painted lady, 3 small white.
2 mute with 2 cygnets on boat pond, 6 (presumably displaced 2CY) on fence pond. Could only locate 1 adult on Tim Butler, but second bird and cygnet could have been out of sight.
Also, 1 little grebe, 1 little egret, 2 gadwall, 2 mallard with 4 chicks, 3 moorhen.
Moths
Garden Tiger, Double Dart the best of a meagre catch

Depressed seagulls

Heysham Obs
If you are on the spit looking for Red-veined darters, why not take a small plastic bag and pull up  a few small sea buckthorn seedlings and help us with this perennial problem - not the big ones they are prickly! Thanks

Numbers of seagulls on Red Nab were perhaps surprisingly low today - will be interesting to see what tomorrows south-westerly brings in. Belated first Whimbrel of the autumn.

Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 7 adult (one with Red darvic),2 3CY, just the one 2CY and one juv
Whimbrel - 2
Only 5 Common Gulls - they have disappeared along with most of the 2CY Meds

Middleton NR
Despite the wind, one male Red-veined Darter made a brief foray over the water at 1245hrs

Moths
Just 10 moths in the trap courtesy of an easterly into the window

Hoverfly
This new insect book by Brock is great!   Spent ages yesterday on the internet and in various books trying to identify a hoverfly - straight to it in this new book.   Seen yesterday on the north harbour wall (SD36V) and the previous day on the Heysham NR butterfly census (SD45E) = Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Mixed bag

Heysham Obs
A ringing session by the office produced a handful of Greenfinch and Chaffinch, an unexpected unringed adult female Great-spotted Woodpecker (and ringed male) but very little else - just one juvenile Willow Warbler.   A bit of a bonus was continuing sunshine allowing observers to connect with Red-veined Darter and a/the Banded Demoiselle was recorded again

Middleton NR model boat pond
Red-veined Darter - 6 males, including four very close to each other
Banded Demoiselle - one
Black-tailed Skimmer - 15-20

Another visit to the model boat pond and more pics from Jackie and David Moreton.  Thanks for these

Outfalls area (thanks Pete)
Med Gull - 6
possible Great Skua seen in the harbour area but only briefly

Moths
Magpie new for the year in the trap

Flowers
Two Bee Orchid sill just about in flower by office

YESTERDAY
Remains of Hedgehog on classroom path. 

Two Brown Hawker PA way and another seen by office today

Insect day

Heysham obs
Started fairly low key with a misjudged north harbour wall actinic session in a north-westerly which was far too brisk.  A couple of silver y highlighted along with four white line dart

Middleton
A late check after the butterfly census saw three male and one female red veined darter amongst an increasingly obvious common darter presence but no red males yet

Moth trap
Scalloped oak and yellow tail new for the year

Butterfly census
Hummingbird hawk-moth ne tearing on lady's bedstraw for five minutes the highlight in a niggling north westerly rendering some of the census route a bit too windy. Not a lot of choice this week on the forecast. Dominated by small skipper and meadow brown with a few gatekeeper and large skipper with ones and twos of white spp and comma and red admiral

Thanks to Jackie and David Moreton for these pics of Red-veined and Common Darters plus Black-tailed Skimmer

Still in notebooks

Heysham Obs
Not involved in recording today other than casually noting a Large Emerald, a rare visitor here, which was passed to me - don't know what else was of interest.  Similarly a bird ringing session at Middleton

A Small Mottled Willow was found by day in the Middleton model boat pond car park (thanks Justine)

An evening visit noted 35 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin at the Middleton roost - early days

No seagull watching today

Seagulls and moths

A lengthy spell over the tide produced nothing like the number of gulls on last Wednesday's dry day with an onshore wind.  Other inland wet-weather attractions?

Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 4 x ad, 1 x 3CY, 2 x 2CY, 1 x juv

Moths
A good selection but new stuff was year tick category rather than unexpected: Antler, White Satin, Dingy Shears...............with one exception, Common Wainscot.  These are very rare here and indeed over quite a chunk of North Lancs and usually appear as by no means annual late autumn second brood individuals

Late news
The Czech-ringed Med Gull was on the north harbour wall railings on the evening of 9th July