A Gannet!

Heysham Obs

SSW F5,  4/8 cloud, occasional heavy shower. High tide: 10:53hrs 9.1m

North Harbour Wall  0845hrs
Gannet - 1 well offshore, feeding.
Wheatear - 1
Pied Wagtail - 4
Linnet - 8

Wooden jetty
Cormorant - 57
Turnstone - 72

Red Nab 0925 hrs
Mediterranean Gull - 2 ads, unringed.
Ringed Plover - 14
Oystercatcher - didn't count, but 2000+
and the usual Curlew, Redshank, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Ocean Edge
Linnet - flock of 70 feeding on weeds
Starling - flock of 35
Pied Wagtail - 2

Butterfly
Fresh Painted Lady on office buddleia

Moths
An otherwise poor catch held five Agriphila latistria and (unusual for here) two Gold Spot

More high tide coverage

Heysham Obs
Moth trapping at various VC60 sites is still taking precedent over early morning migration coverage but that will be changing this weekend as the night temperatures take a dip.  In the meantime, the only Heysham activity was work, a high tide check and a rather poor moth catch

Red Nab just before high tide
As you were:
Little Gull - ad
Sandwich Tern - 2 ad, one fishing offshore
Med Gull - 4 x 2CY, 1 x juv, 4 x adult
Redshank - 110
Curlew - 62
Oystercatcher - 2550
Black-headed Gull - 485

Didn't have time to check down the tideline towards Middleton

Moths
The only one of note was a Copper Underwing

Minibeast from the east

Heysham Obs
What started as a routine count of Red Nab from 0645 onwards changed tack slightly as a small wader flew over my head i.e. from inland and spiralled down to join five Dunlin on the remaining bit of mudflat - a juvenile Little Stint and an incentive to update the Patchwork challenge

Red Nab 0645-1045
Sandwich Tern - one adult
Little Gull - usual moulting adult
Med Gull - 4 x 2CY, 2 x 1CY, 2 x Ad
Little Stint - one juvenile as above
Gannet - two adults far offshore but not really seawatching

Quick coastal check

Heysham obs

A second brood holly blue in the north east corner was an unusual record from here - most of the sparse sightings are spring brood

The outfalls held the moulting adult little gull but nothing else of note other than a couple of Meds (ad and 2cy) but way before high tide and gulls were strewn all over the mudflats

Migratory bits and bobs

Heysham obs
An early morning ringing session next to the office saw five willow warbler, two garden warbler, two Whitethroat, and the first grey wagtail in the nets this autumn

The moulting adult little gull was on the outfalls late afternoon with five adult and one 2cy med gull on red nab

The evening saw about 130 swallow in the roost of which a high proportion (55) were ringed.  A water rail squealed from the western marsh reed bed

Butterflies
24 common blue by office, painted lady Middleton and five peacock and brimstone on the office buddleia

Sunday

Heysham Obs
Wheatear - three Half Moon Bay, one Ocean Ede

Moths
Included two Agriphila latistria

Saturday

Heysham Obs

Middleton NR
150 Swallow in the overnight roost plus  56 south in two main gangs
Raven - one flew over - scarce this year

Tidal vigil

Heysham obs
The tidal vigil mainly concentrated on red nab but checks were also made along the tide line towards Potts  corner. No disturbance down there this time.

Outfalls to Potts corner
Sanderling - one with Dunlin
Dunlin - 168
Grey plover - 230
Common sandpiper - 1
Med gull - 5 adult, 4 1cy. No 2cy

A quiet rather wet day

Thanks Janet

Middleton NR pre-dog
Warer Rail - 1
Teal - 5

Toadflax pug new for the year

Heysham obs
The most sensational news was a white-letter hairstreak photographed below the classroom nectaring on water mint last Sunday afternoon about 4pm. More details tomorrow

A pre high tide check of red nab and ocean edge produced:

Greenshank - one juv
Med gull - just two adult
Little egret - 1
Oystercatcher - 2100
Curlew - 278
Redshank - 156

Moths
Toadflax pug highlighted a nice mixed catch which also included 3 white-line dart and ypsophola scabrella