Adult Meds appear - autumn is with us

Heysham Obs

Outfalls/Red Nab and area
Little Egret - 2
Grey Heron - one - unusual this time of year
Med Gull - 2 x adult, 3 x 2CY
Grey Seal - one

Moths
Figure of Eighty the highlight - scarce here - quite a way from the poplars.  5 x Double Dart nice and a Snout might possibly be the first of the year!  Micros led by Tinea semifulvella

Hearts and darts

Heysham Obs
Moths first, outfalls check later

The moth trap held a few nice odds and ends but was dominated by "count fodder" notably 71 Heart and Dart.   Heart and Club has colonised this last two years after just odd ones previously and there were 10 this morning and other odds and ends new for year/local specialities included Sallow Kitten, 6 Double Dart, Buff Arches, Rivulet, 2 Eyed Hawk-moth, Small Fan-foot and a relatively unusual (!) midsummer Light-brown Apple Moth

Outfalls and area
Med Gull - 3 x 2CY
Grey Seal - one harbour mouth
Curlew - 110 Red Nab
Eider - 4 females out (thanks for pic Janet)

Swirling seagulls and Manxies in the murk

Heysham Obs
Getting used to having to use left eye wearing glasses for scope work (previously right eye without glasses)!  Todays swirling seagulls and Manxies in the murk were a bit of a challenge.

Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge
Kittiwake - grotty adult type
Arctic Tern - two adults on seaward end Heysham one outfall as tide turned
Med Gull - just 4 x 2CY but different one from yesterday - could easily have missed one or two, but definitely none of older age classes
Black-headed Gull - c850
Common Gull - c60
Manx Shearwater - gang of 3 distantly out (at last!)
Gannet - two distant adults out

Only 20 minutes spent actually seawatching ie until Manx shearwater appeared!  

Productive gulls and moths coverage

Heysham Obs
If you scrutinise gull flocks for long enough you keep picking up extra 2CY Meds!  That was certainly the case this morning although a maximum of just three were visible at any one time on the uneven ground on Red Nab with quite a bit of turnover and early departure to high tide roosting areas to the south.  The key lies in the wide variety of head patterns varying from a full hood to complete 'winter plumage', backed up by the intensity or lack of any red/orange on the bill.  No need to mess about e.g. counting old primaries in flight to separate this gang of five - they were all distinctively different 

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
No counts made of the commoner species as they were very scattered but at least 450 Black-headed.

Black-headed Gull - the first 3 juvs and a runt 2CY of note
Common Gull - one adult, c30 2CY
Med Gull - FIVE different 2CY, just possibly a sixth bird in very distant flight on Heysham One outfalls which may or may not have been located on Red Nab as some birds appeared to head north on the incoming tide
Little Egret - the first blank for some time!

Moths
A decent haul but the composition of the flighty stuff on the wall suggested some of the eg micros might have flown out during the intermittent sunlight early on
Notable (new for year/unusual here/local specialities) were:  2 x Shaded Pug, 1 x Barred Red, 1 x Heart and Club, 2 x Blackneck, 3 x Double Dart, 3 x Light Arches, 1 x Common Emerald and just a singleton Diamond-back Moth

Nothing yet

Heysham Obs
Nothing in yet from at least two observers, suggesting an unremarkable morning.  What is remarkable is the complete lack of Manx Shearwater from the year list, reflecting a sharp downturn (and in two cases availability) of birders in this area who at least include some sea-watching on the agenda and also the predominantly northerly and easterly airflow this last few weeks

This should change on Monday morning when there is also a long-shot for Storm Petrel - best at low tide off the outfalls around the red buoy

Influx of small seagulls

Heysham Obs
The Black-headed Gulls hit the 350 mark today with a fair chunk on the mudflats just off Ocean Edge saltmarsh.  With them were 2 x 2CY Meds and 23 2CY Common Gulls

Must do better with phone-scoping - I can't see very well but at least you can just about make something out here - the two different 2CY Meds - one with very dull bare parts, the other with e.g. quite a bright reddish bill

Belated roof-top gull breeding survey

Heysham Obs

Numbers refer to birds still sitting or with broods i.e. active breeding pairs

Ocean Edge south:  LBBG x 5
Ocean Edge north LBBG x 2

Harbour south:   LBBG x 30
                           HG x 33
                           GBBG x 1
Harbour north:  LBBG x 27
                          HG x 20
Centrica:           LBBG x 6
Middleton:        LBBG x 21
                          HG x 12
Grey and turbine stores:   LBBG x 20
                                          GBBG x 1

also c8 Herring and c6 LBBG territories noted at the S end of the PS operational land - usually scared from here

Ghostly seagull

Heysham Obs
Scraping the barrel today with the worst pic ever taken of a bird which I wont trouble you with - a leucistic Black-headed Gull on the mudflats by Ocean Edge with 330 ordinary ones for company (but no Meds).  One Little Egret Red Nab and nothing of interest in the moth trap

Otherwise the Seacat was watched coming into port and going out again and the male Cetti's Warbler on territory within the CES ringing area was recorded again!

The Burnet finds its Companion

Heysham Obs
Burnet Companion and Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet rarely overlap here with the former pretty well done and dusted before the latter emerge.  Not so today - also one of a small migrant influx of Silver Y.  Thanks Janet.

Spring and autumn cross paths

Heysham Obs
A routine seawatch by Ian at Rossall led to a text whilst I was still in bed recovering from the National Moth unsocial hours - a flock of three Pomarine Skua heading for Heysham.  Thanks Ian - I should have been nearer the cutting edge. 

In the opposite mode - the first stages of "autumnal" gulls saw a single 2CY Mediteranean amongst the increasing numbers of Black-headed Gulls (320) around the outfalls - Heysham 2 looking favoured

Help with these gulls greatly appreciated this late summer/autumn as my eyes might not be up to detailed scrutiny, so we need some more birders around.  Thanks