Awkward Firecrest and wandering tern

Heysham Obs
Some seriously good pics from Janet - thanks:

 

Today saw a little more vis mig during the morning session but fewer grounded night migrants.  Coal Tits were in evidence and the vis mig highlights also included a flock of 8 Tree Sparrow, a flock of 7 Jay and a Collared Dove!  

 

Office area vis mig (S/SE unless stated)

Goldfinch - 24

Coal Tit - 25

Meadow Pipit - 196

Song Thrush - 1 flew west calling

Carrion Crow - flock of 4 S

Chaffinch - 21

Grey wagtail - 1

Jay - flock of 7 S, 1 S, 2 S 

Raven - flock of 3 NE

Dunnock - two singleton highflyers S

Collared Dove - 1 S - scarce of late on passage

Siskin - c5 S

Tree Sparrow - flock of 8 east, landing briefly

Bullfinch - 2 S - the first high-flying birds noted this autumn

Jackdaw - 15 N

Swallow - 4

 

Ringing Middleton and Heysham combined (new birds)

Wren (3), Chiffchaff (5), Goldfinch (1), Coal Tit (10), Great Tit (1), Greenfinch (2), Goldcrest (5), Meadow Pipit (2), Blackbird (2), Lesser Redpoll (2), Dunnock (1), Reed Bunting (2), Robin (1)

 

Heysham Head late afternoon 

Firecrest

Following up a strong claim of a Yellow-browed Warbler call from someone very familiar with the species, widening the search produced a series of 'insistent' calls in the canopy directly overhead on the Barrows.  This was followed over the next 25 minutes by two glimpses, one seeming to show some 'rust' on the shoulders but on neither of these views was the head visible.  Then another series of firm insistent calls, about 20 minutes after the first ones.  Then finally a brief glimpse which included the head and white supercilium.   To my horror, then realised my phone was dead - too many 'thank yous' to birthday wishes!  So sorry the news was a bit late being put out

 

Coastal

Cormorant - 151 wooden jetty

White-winged Black Tern - very mobile today including roosting amongst the juxtaposed sleepers on the wooden jetty amongst Turnstone/Redshank/large gulls

 

 

Butterflies

Amazing today with Red Admiral between 70 and 100, Small Tortoiseshell also all over the place including along the seawall by the wooden jetty and a few Painted Lady & Peacock, Comma with slightly worse for wear Speckled Wood all over the place.  A few whites and two worn Common Blue also seen.  Silver Y were also all over the place with eg 25-30 on the yellow buddleia by the office and many along the seawall

 

 

 

 

                                                             *******

So after all the xxxx of the summer/early autumn with awful local breeding success, dreadful ringing totals and complete lack of seabirds, what a month (with apologies to Leach's Petrel)!  A decent rarity, Firecrest and Yellow-browed Warbler already in the autumnal bag and really good numbers of migrants, especially Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and Blackcap, but also including well-above average numbers of out of habitat Reed Warbler and a decent sample of colour-ringed Grey Wagtail, despite incessantly sunny mornings shining on part of the catching net.  Latterly a minor Coal Tit irruption, with more ringed in the last week than the last two years put together 

Yellow-browed Warbler, White-winged Black tern and restless Coal Tits

Heysham Obs
Highlighted by a very early morning Yellow-browed Warbler and continuing presence of the White-winged Black Tern (although it appeared to fly north past the wooden jetty mid-afternoon - updates appreciated).  The circumstances were a bit bizarre.  I was setting a line of three nets by moonlight (plenty of it) with an MP3 in my pocket with Yellow-browed Warbler playing quietly, ready to raise the volume and stick on a branch next to the net when I had finished setting.  Then, whilst it was still virtually dark (pre-ticking Robin etc time), what sounded very much like a nearby response, then again!   The volume on the MP3 in my pocket was minimal, so there is no way this was a bird pulled down from the pre-dawn stratosphere.  A couple of shapes also flew into the nets as it they were being set (Blackcap and (long distance night migrant?!) unringed fat-less Dunnock).   Went back to ring these and the next round of the net saw a/the Yellow-browed Warbler neatly pocketed.

Then the agenda rapidly changed with clearing skies and the rest of the morning was very night-migrant free apart from three Chiffchaff (similar at Middleton) but a bit of vis mig kept the interest going, notably a minor Coal Tit irruption and a huge flock of migrant corvids.   So very, very fortunate to score with YBW on what was essentially a clear, moonlit early morning with just a few wisps of high cloud.  Focused on rather more why we need a new office building than the Yellow-browed Warbler, but you get the idea on the pic below.  Having real problems getting the pic to go right way round (photo Jean Roberts - sorry it isn't sharp, I-phone pic)     

 

 

Office area grounded

Blackcap - 3

Chiffchaff - 3-4

Yellow-browed warbler - 1

Dunnock - 1

 

Vis mig (tricky because of incessant harbour noise and the blue sky) HNR to 1030hrs

Meadow Pipit - 38

Grey Wagtail - 8 (5 of them after 1000 hours)

alba Wagtail - 72

Chaffinch - 33

Coal Tit - 44 S, largest group 11

Siskin - heard once

Jackdaw - 69 north

Rook - 30 north with above

Swallow - 2

Linnet - 5

 

Coastal

Little Gull - ad

White-winged Black Tern - ad until at least mid-afternoon

Med Gull - at least 6

 

Ringing combined Middleton/Heysham

Coal Tit (7), Yellow-browed Warbler (1), Blackcap (5), Chiffchaff (5), Goldcrest (3), Grey Wagtail (2), Wren (2), Blue Tit (5), Chaffinch (1), Dunnock (2), Reed Bunting (1), Meadow Pipit (3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Routine migrants in clear conditions plus the White-winged Black Tern for its third day

Heysham Obs
Nice flight shots taken by Janet this afternoon - thanks Janet

Not a bad day for ringing, but too clear to raise expectations of any Yellow-brows. Indeed the night migrants were almost all early on in rapid transit.  Vis mig was its usual tricky self in the clear blue sky, not helped by a lot of traffic noise and the figures are an indication of ratios rather than anything definitive.  There was clearly a decent movement of alba wagtails and more noisy high-flying southbound Coal Tit.

Vis mig (mostly by the office)
Meadow Pipit - 64
Skylark - 3
alba Wagtail - 59
Woodpigeon - 14
Chaffinch - 28
Grey Wagtail - 9
Dunnock - 2 set off high to south
Mistle Thrush - 1 east
Coal Tit - 14 logged, probably more
Siskin - 3
Swallow - 2
Pink-footed Goose - c300 south just before dawn, no diurnal movement in morning

Outfalls/Red Nab
White-winged Black tern - reappeared on the outfalls mid-morning as the tide came in
Med Gull - at least 6 (5 x 2CY, 1 x Ad)
Little Gull - adult seen early on

Grounded
In addition to ringing totals, at least 4 Goldcrest by the office, 4 Blackbirds behaving like (early) migrants and two Song Thrush descending from height into bushes also appearing to be migrants
Reed Warbler - the most notable grounded passerine, given time of year, was trapped/ringed by the office

Ringing Middleton and Heysham NR (new birds)
Grey Wagtail (4), Blackcap (10), Chiffchaff  (7), Goldcrest (6), Robin (2), Wren (3), Reed Warbler (1), Reed Bunting (4), Coal Tit (6), Lesser Redpoll (1), Great Tit (2), Blue Tit (2), Meadow Pipit (1)

White winged black, dodgy falcon and Goosander

Heysham obs
A bit slow first thing in the almost, but not quite, first light frost. Then things got going and produced some interesting sightings, none more so that that very tricky Heysham Patchwork species, Goosander. The White-winged Black Tern reappeared mid morning and subsequently on and off into the afternoon and just prior to that a large sandyish falcon with 'pale around the head' was chased east by one of the local peregrines - seemingly a saker or similar crossbreed.  Ringing at the Heysham NR was predictably slow but Middleton was surprisingly good for a clear morning with a huge reddish moon!

Thanks to Colin Davies for two more pics from yesterday

Coastal
White-winged Black Tern - appeared about 0950 and showed on and off until at least 1330 at least including roosting on the wooden jetty and feeding on Heysham 2 outfall
Saker-type falcon - not as far as we know one of the gull-scaring birds from the Power Station - flew SE prompted by a bit of noisy aggro with the local Peregrine.  A "large sandy bird with a pale head"
Goosander - two female types on the sea at the southern end of Ocean Edge
Little Gull - usual adult seen
Med Gull - 12 Red Nab

Office area
Grounded
Chiffchaff x 3, Goldcrest x 3, Blackcap x 1, Whitethroat x 1

Vis mig
Notable was a southbound flock of 14 Coal Tit and at least 27 southbound Red Admiral
alba Wagtail - 38
Chaffinch - 28
Grey Wagtail - 8
Siskin - heard 5 times!
Pink-footed Goose - at least 1870 (c1000 in one afternoon flock0
Swallow - 8
Redpoll spp - 2
Meadow Pipit - just 36
Coal Tit - 2+14
Mistle Thrush - flock of 6
Carrion Crow - 3+2
Linnet - 1
Skylark - 4
presumed escape Falcon spp - headed off SE 0940

Ringing office area
Whitethroat (1), Blackcap (1), Chiffchaff (3), Goldcrest (3), Grey Wagtail (1), Great Tit (2)

Middleton
Blackcap (13), Goldcrest (9), Wren (5), Chiffchaff (6), Reed Bunting (3), Lesser Redpoll (3), Grey Wagtail (2), Blue Tit (2), Dunnock (2), Robin (2), Willow Warbler (1), Great Tit (1), Chaffinch (1)

Butterflies
A really good number around included a single worn Wall Brown by the slipway on Ocean Edge and at least 27 Red Admiral south - also a suggestion that Small Tortoiseshell were on the move with 2-3 flying past the outfalls along the seawall.  Worn Common Blue by the office

Moulting adult White-winged Black Tern!

Heysham Obs
A long, long overdue first for Heysham following a distant claim in the offshore channel in about 1974 which was rejected!  Kingfisher was a nice bonus on Red Nab late morning and a first of the year - perhaps also the one ringed earlier in the morning at Middleton

Thanks to Chris Batty for these afternoon pics and see below with further thanks for Colin Davies shots in the morning:

Outfalls/Red Nab
White-winged Black Tern - moulting adult Heysham 2 outfall on the incoming tide, first seen about 0830 a mile away on Heysham one outfall looking from Ocean Edge (and misidentified as a juv on the brief upperside views) but not able to stay and follow up.  Later views were still distant but closer on Heysham 2 outfall and underwing views clearly indicated a moulting ad (which is why, in retrospect, I mistook it for the regular Little Gull when initially glimpsed it banking at very long range with binoculars).  Showing well in flight and at rest (on Red Nab) late morning before returning to the region of Heysham two outfall where it alternated periods of feeding with resting on mudflats or, at one time, on seaweed covered rock until at least 1730hrs
Med Gull - up to 6 reported
Kingfisher - one appeared late morning on Red Nab

Vis mig office/offshore
Pink-footed Goose - approximately 1250 S/SE (but see below)
Grey Wagtail - 6
Chaffinch - 15
Meadow Pipit - none early on then a trickle

Grounded office area
Chiffchaff - 2
Goldcrest - 6

Ringing
Ringing curtailed by discovery of the Tern, therefore only the following trapped:
Goldcrest (3), Chiffchaff (2), Robin (1+1R), Grey Wagtail (1), Wren (1).

Thanks to Colin Davies for the pics

Middleton NR

Pink-footed Goose - parties of 90+80+40+90 seen well to the east of the reserve, flying south

Ringing

Blackcap (6), Chiffchaff (5), Robin (7), Wren (1), Goldcrest (8), Reed Bunting (5), 

Grey Wagtail (4), Goldfinch (2), Long-tailed Tit (3+4R), Coal Tit (1), Blue Tit (5+3R), Dunnock (3), Kingfisher (1), Greenfinch (1).   (ajd/jm/jb)

Below par coastal check

Heysham Obs
Saved by a Red-throated Diver.   The rest of the coastal check was very unproductive with Meds seemingly having taken a nosedive

Offshore/Red Nab/outfalls
Red-throated Diver - one out - ad with at least some summer plumage visible but distant (IOA)
Cormorant - 103 wooden jetty
Med Gull - just one 2CY Red Nab, and 2CY & ad following ferry out
Little Gull - adult
Curlew - 170 Red Nab
Oystercatcher - 2950 Red Nab and still arriving from north
Redshank - 135 Red Nab
Wigeon - 6 Red Nab - the calculator suggests this is twice as many present last week
Knot - 93 Red Nab
Bar-tailed Godwit - 6 Red Nab

Stuff down the tideline towards Potts Corner was too distant in poor light

Afternoon Pinks
Pink-footed Goose - 135+18+37 south pre-1530 hrs, more later by all accounts

Day off

Heysham Obs
Attritional seawatching, mediocre vis mig or a lie in?  The latter, gearing up for a whole series of early morning starts from Saturday for at least a week? Nothing new on the outfalls

Red Nab/outfalls
Little Gull - adult
Med Gull - at least 10 Red Nab but many of the gulls down in the dips
Wigeon - still only three (present since last Friday)

Butterflies
Painted Lady by office

Moths
Two Copper Underwing unusual for this 'occasional singletons' species

Exclusively Mediterranean

Heysham Obs
A post-tide scan of the remaining gulls on Red Nab was started at the outer end, usually favoured by Meds.   Not usually the first 14 gulls though, followed by Black-headed/Med/rest Black-headed!

A gusty wind from the WNW put paid to any Grey Wagtail ringing, with Middleton unfortunately being hopeless as the vast majority of the passage was over there via the south side of the power station.  A few odds and ends were ringed at the more sheltered Heysham NR site by the office

Outfalls/Red Nab post-neap tide
Med Gull - 12 2CY, 3 adult-type Red Nab.  Once again no 1CY which have been conspicuous by their absence this year.  Last autumn saw a decent number of unringed 1CY, this year a decent number of unringed 2CY - same birds?
Little Gull - adult dip-feeding off seaward end Heysham one outfall, on Heysham 2 late afternoon

Migration over Middleton/Heysham N Reserve
Goldcrest - at least 10 Middleton (high count for there), four ringed Heysham NR
Chiffchaff - conspicuous by their absence at both sites
Blackcap - at least three Middleton, one ringed HNR
Meadow Pipit - c35 SE over Middleton
Grey Wagtail - 2+2+1+1+1 over Middleton only one over HNR
Goldfinch - c20 SE Middleton.
alba Wagtail - 14 SE Middleton, 2 HNR
Common Buzzard - one seen to the east of Middleton - seemed to land towards Heysham Moss
Tufted Duck - 9 model boat pond

Ringing: 
Blackbird (1-wow - see yesterdays comment), Goldcrest (4), Blackcap (1), Wren (1), Great Tit (2), Bullfinch (2), Coal Tit (1), Greenfinch (1)

Moths
2 Black Rustic and rather late were two pristine Small Square Spot.  Everything is now up to date on MapMate!

One confirmation off a decent morning

Heysham Obs
Due to mist net responsibilities, wasn't able to immediately follow up two Yellow-brow-like calls from the top path at 0705hrs and that was it, no further calls or sightings in a search ten minutes later.  Nice combination of rain just before civil twilight, then the sun covered up for the next hour before the sky cleared and a decent vis mig passage by recent standards was just about low enough to sort out.  The first hour produced some Chiffchaffs, yet more Reed Warblers and an unringed off-passage Blackcap (but only one Goldcrest), then grounded migrants dried up after 0800hrs

Office area 0635-1100
Common Buzzard - one south at 1033hrs
Tree Sparrow - one south
Skylark - one SE (first of autumn)
Jay - 2 south
Coal Tit - 6+2+3+4 south
Mistle Thrush - 3 NE high
Grey Wagtail - 17 SE, 6 of these on a flightline way to the east
Meadow Pipit - 202 SE
alba Wagtail - 39 SE
Chaffinch - 53 S
Goldfinch - c20 S
Raven  1 NW

Grounded
Chiffchaff - 10+ first thing only
Goldcrest - just one
Blackcap - on female with F2
Reed Warbler - 2

Ringing
Grey Wagtail (6), Chiffchaff (8), Blackcap (1), Reed Warbler (2), Great Tit (1), Wren (1), Song Thrush (1).  Incidentally I have not taken a Blackbird out of a mist net for 1.5 months - really low numbers

Middleton NR
0640-1200hrs
Meadow Pipit - 110 SE
Swallow - 6
Skylark - 4 SE
Grey Wagtail - 3 SE
alba Wagtail - 2 SE

Ringing
Grey Wagtail (1), Chiffchaff (8 - 1 retrap, 7 new), Blackcap (9), Reed Warbler (1), Great Tit (1), Robin (2), Reed Bunting (3 - 1 retrap, 2 new), Meadow Pipit (13), Dunnock (1).

After only one previous record of an adult, three (out of a total of 65) non-breeding season plumage adults have been caught this autumn, sticking out like 'sore thumbs'.  Three features to note here are the uniform fresh e.g. greater coverts, fully 'developed' supercilium and yellow extending to and forming a clearly defined border with the white throat.  Yellow on the juvenile becomes increasingly buffish and dirty with no clear contrast with the throat, the supercilium is not fully formed and the e.g. greater coverts are worn and tipped white (more obvious in some than others)

Would have posted pics hours ago but couldn't get them to 'stay' landscaped uploading from the laptop!!

Wet minima

Heysham Obs
More effort tomorrow - honest

Outfalls/Red Nab
Med Gull - 8 x 2CY, 2 x Ad

Moths
Black Rustic new for the year