Ringlet premiere

Heysham Obs
Highlight today was a detailed search by Janet of where Arthur recorded the Ringlet on 30th June and two were found (both photographed below)

Sunny breezy north-westerly so the gulls were at an awkward angle and heat-hazy - only 1 x ad and 1 x 2CY Med were immediately visible

Moth trap highlight was yet another fleabane eater - Ebulea crocealis plus a Blackneck was seen by day on Middleton NR

Some nice pics by Janet - thanks very much:

Two novelties

Heysham Obs
Nothing posted by the ringers, so the only thing I am aware of is the first conclusive proof of successful Cetti's Warbler breeding with a single recently fledged juvenile, but, given one territory was within the CES area, we were really expecting this before now and it suggests a first brood failure.  Arthur recorded a Ringlet on the Middleton butterfly transect on 30th June and this is the first fully-confirmed record after a previous second hand report from an otherwise well-recorded part of the site.  This one was from the corridor of EDF energy land with the underground cables running east-west alongside the golf course and is not often checked for butterflies

Outfalls/Red Nab
Late check of seagulls which were already wheeling their way towards Middleton spring tide roost.  Single adult and two 2CY Meds remained

Moths
Two of a Heysham micro specialist Phtheochroa inopiana (spelling correct from memory?) - a larval fleabane eater not very common in the north

More adult Meds and the first Whimbrel

Heysham Obs
A reasonable number of gulls on the outfalls/Red Nab for early July and a few more Meds after a bit of a lull after the multiple 2CYs moved on and few older-age birds had appeared

Red Nab and area
Curlew - 220
Whimbrel - one
Little Egret - 2
Med Gull - 4 x ad, 1 x 3CY, 1 x 2CY (with very peppered head).   Unringed apart from two of the adults where legs could not be seen

   4/6 of the Meds

Guillotined seabirds

Heysham Obs
A reasonable fare when I arrived but then zero

Sea until about 0820, nothing at all after this 0830-0915
Gannet - 16, including 1 x 2CY, 2 x 3CY very close - all out
Manx Shearwater - distant gang of 5 out
Fulmar - I out

Outfalls 0820-0830
Med Gull - adult and 2Cy - more large gulls today but small gulls still in low numbers

Just off for a low tide check -hopefully some editing to do

Moths
Nothing notable

Reasonable midsummer selection

Heysham Obs

Tree Sparrow on office feeders

Gannet far offshore

Adult and 2CY Med Gull on Red Nab but again not many gulls

White Satin and Campion new for the year in the moth trap

Thanks Janet for these pics from Middleton today which also indicate why it was no good for seawatching contra forecast a few days ago!

Eiders use ocean edge saltmarsh

Heysham Obs
Scraping the barrel for novelties but four female Eider lounging on Ocean Edge saltmarsh was a new one for me

One ad Med Gull on quick scan of much reduced gulls.  Why?  Outage?

The moth trap catch was a bit mundane but did hold a Silver Y and, unusually for here, both Plum and Marbled Orchard Tortrix together  

Whistle stop

Heysham Obs
Nothing of interest today although 6 Double Dart was nice

More odds and ends

Heysham Obs
A pre-rain ringing session by the office saw the two juvenile Great-spotted Woodpeckers, presumably from the successful nest on the reserve, being ringed along with a scattering of warblers and finches

New moths for the year were Yellow Shell, Anania coronata and Common Footman

No time for any birding eg gull checks

Pics from Janet and Tom over the last few days.  Thanks.  Bad news with Red-veined Darters.  I would have expected them before the weather broke and, even if any do appear,  they are going to be harder to sort out amongst the by then reddish Common Darters which emerged over the weekend.  No foreseeable suitable weather for Red-veined Darter and the shallow ovipositing area was continuously disturbed by splashing dogs at the back end of last summer - whether a continuous suspension of silt - it takes ages to settle - is good or bad for this species is not known.  We'll see as there was a lot of RVD ovipositing observed last year and no sign of any late autumn emergence. The caddis is Mystacides longicornis (thanks Steve)

Bits of interest

Heysham obs
Thanks to peel ports for addressing the heliport area problem straight away

Pics from Janet and Tom will be added tomorrow

Info recently of a pair of little owl within recording area pontins waste ground and hancocks area

Common darter out Middleton but no red veins or the weather for then coming up

3x ad med, just one 2cy med outfalls area

Dead hedgehog moneyclose lane

Heysham Heliport mitigation fails at the first hurdle

Heysham Obs
It has been a long road to try and exclude dog walkers and other people from the old heliport site, leading to lack of disturbance of the wader roost along the seawall.  Re-fencing was a mitigation measure for Peel Energy's single wind turbine and this was carried out about a fortnight ago.   It was stressed time and again the the roost on the seawall would only be undisturbed if either the fencing measures were secure or the exclusion notices were being enforced by security or both.  The fencing at the Half moon bay café end is fine, but the south end saw just an extra gate and a lock and was clearly still easy to access, albeit only a matters of a few metres from the security base.   

Wondering why the small summering Oystercatcher flock was not using the newly secured seawall, spent a bit of time today observing what was happening and sure enough the regular dog walkers who park and access from the Near Naze are just having the inconvenience of hurdling or climbing over the gate,  otherwise it is business as usual

Went to have a polite chat to security as one of these dog walkers also parked on the double yellow lines to see what their take was and I was informed that they had received no instructions to apprehend anyone  entering the old heliport site

Please can this be sorted out, Peel Ports?  Thanks

Red Nab and area
Med Gull - just adult in head moult, full summer adult and single 2CY in a much-reduced gull presence.  Again there did not seem to be a lot of food on Heysham One outfall
Grey Heron - 1

Moths
Nothing startling with Celypha striana new of the year