Sabine's stays and Ring Ouzel arrives.

The juv Sabine's Gull was feeding on Outfall 2 again and sometimes resting on the sand nearby. Here are a couple of superb photos by Mark Nightingale showing all the plumage details and comparison with Black-headed Gull:

 

Also on the Outfalls was an adult Little Gull and 2 x 1CY Mediterranean Gulls.
Two Rock Pipits and 6 Siskin passed through the Red Nab area.

It was a calm start this morning at Middleton Nature Reserve but by 10am the ESE wind was up to force 4 so ringing proceedings had to come to halt.

Pre-dawn a number of Blackbirds were chacking and shortly after dawn, 4 Redwing rose from their roost. A Cetti's Warbler gave a short burst of song and a Water Rail squealed. The 7 o'clock Grey Wagtail evaded the nets once again. A bit of excitement was afforded by the sudden arrival of a Ring Ouzel which disappeared just as quickly somewhere behind the small brick building on the north side of the reserve.

Visible migration was far more meagre than the last few days and consisted of the following:
alba wagtail 62 (largest flock = 17)
Reed Bunting 2
Swallow 3
Chaffinch 1
Goldfinch 7
Meadow Pipit 29
Song Thrush 2
Siskin 1
Skylark 4
Grey Wagtail 3
Snipe 1

Ringing consisted of:
Blackcap 2
Goldcrest 1
Blue Tit 1
Reed Bunting 3
Blackbird 1 (a fine young male continental Blackbird with long wings and a black bill)
Pied Wagtail 3
White Wagtail 1

JR

Same again minus the geese!

Outfalls/Red Nab
Med Gull - 1 x 2CY, 1 x Ad, 1 x 1CY
Sabine's Gull - juv until at least 1305 and there were birders watching it when I left, so any update?
Little Gull - ad

Thanks for the pics Jim

Middleton vis mig
Reed Bunting - 2
Meadow Pipit - 25 at least
Alba Wagtail - 39
Snipe - 1
Grey Wagtail - 9 (2 ringed)
Linnet - 2
Swallow - 2
Siskin 2 lots heard
House Martin - 1 over Heysham nr later

Grounded
Yellow-browed Warbler - TWO calling at the same time Heysham NR dipping pond area early am then one called twice in 50 minutes along the nearby golf course screening planting c1320 and c1345
Chiffchaff - one ringed Middleton
Blackcap - one ringed Middleton

Ringing at Middleton:  Grey Wagtail (2), Pied Wagtail (5), Goldcrest (2), Chiffchaff (1), Wren (1), Blackcap (1), Coal Tit (1), Robin (1) and 'some' Blue Tit!

Mink seen Middleton NR (per Dave)

Great day after a slow start

Usually migration weather is all about a dawn start on the west coast and take it from there.  A routine bit of coverage say for 2-3 hours from dawn today would have labelled the morning as 'duff' apart from the lingering Sabine's Gull.  Then the wind started to kick in a bit........  My personal day's birding included finding and seeing just two warblers - two Yellow-browed - and I even turned down the chance of seeing the Middleton bird in the hand.  How times have changed with this species! Thanks to Jean Roberts for the YBW pic and Mark Breaks for the Brents (there were seven!) and Sabines Gull pics

Highlights
Sabine's Gull - still on outfalls until at least high tide
Yellow-browed Warbler - Three in the recording area and one just to the south.  Noisy one located by HNR entrance road mid-am which flew towards dipping pond mid-morning and left messing about in the willows on the north side. It or another was seen in the same area by Gav Thomas c1715hrs.  Then decided to work Heysham Head before the wind got up (needed a cup of coffee!) and after doing the churchyard area walked back towards the car and one started calling above about 1015ish.  Incredibly hyperactive and noisy and flew across the rectory garden before flying back across to the ivy covered wall, then back up into the canopy.  After a final call from the canopy at the back of the Rectory garden one more time, it was not seen again and must have moved on avoiding the Long-tailed Tit flock.  Then at 1130 one was caught and ringed at Middleton NR and released by the 'no swimming pond' next to the model boat pond.  One was located just to the south of the recording area along the Potts Corner road late afternoon (unringed) [and one further south still by Sunderland toilet block]
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - the flock of seven located by Gav Thomas two days ago at Plover Scar appeared on Red Nab and logically yesterdays distant skeer sighting was of the only two visible birds on a skeer with a 'far side slope'
Stonechat - male near Heysham NR office then on to tank farm
Nuthatch - one Heysham Head

Others of note
Rock Pipit - one along OE foreshore at HT
Kittiwake - juv harbour area
Little Gull - usual adult around outfalls
Wheatear - two on coast
Med Gull - 2 x 2CY, 1 x Ad and 1 x 1CY seen at various time but by no means cooperative today

Routine vis mig and ringing (over to you Jean!)
Pink-footed Goose - 140 over sea (three skeins)
Redwing 127
Meadow Pipit 13
Greylag 11
Grey Wagtail 9
Skylark 1
Linnet 8
Siskin 3
Carrion Crow 5
Jackdaw 17
Alba Wagtails 16

Redwing arrive along with an unexpected calm weather Sabine's Gull!



The Sabine's Gull was presumably that seen by Stuart Sharp at the northern end of Morecambe a couple of days ago.  Thanks to Gavin for the pics:

 



 

 



 

 

 

The first Redwing of autumn 2016 arrived this morning.

 

Headline birds

A juv Sabine's Gull was found on Heysham Outfall 2 by Mike Robinson. It "showed well", down to less than 10m and was still feeding on small fish on the outfall at 17:05hrs. It could well be the bird seen recently off the Stone Jetty and Hest Bank.

A Yellow-browed Warbler was heard on and off in the small trees at the northern end of the Model Boat Pond until noon at least (Malcolm Downham)

Two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were on an offshore skear at low tide.

A Kingfisher flew past the outfalls (A.Cornall)

 

Middleton Nature Reserve

Ringing 0630-1130

Glorious blue skies (see photo above) usually mean a "clearout" of night migrants and certainly all the warblers of previous days had disappeared.

Redwing 1 (adult)

Blackbird 1

Reed Bunting 6

Meadow Pipit 12

Goldcrest 5 plus 1 retrap

Grey Wagtail 2

Robin 1 plus 1 retrap

Wren 1 plus 1 retrap

Great Tit 1

Chaffinch 2

Blue Tit 2

 

Vismig

Redwing 29 - flying fairly low and going in various directions.

Pink-footed Geese 165

Meadow Pipit 234 - still piling through

Linnet 9

Skylark 2

Swallow 7

Grey Wagtail 5 (2 ringed)

Siskin 6

alba wagtail 1

Raven 1

Buzzard 4

Kestrel 1

Sparrowhawk 2

Lesser Redpoll 1

Corvids 4 (Jackdaw and Crows)

 

Insects

A Small White was near Red Nab - a late date for this species

 

 

 



Yellow-browed Warbler arrives!

Weather: ENE F2, mainly overcast, 10C

Middleton Nature Reserve scored again, this time with a Yellow-browed Warbler.

In addition 62 other birds were ringed or processed:
Meadow Pipit 17
Goldcrest 7 new and 1 retrap
Long-tailed Tit 7 new and 1 retrap
Chiffchaff 6
Blackcap 5
Robin 4 new and 1 retrap
Reed Bunting 4
Great spotted Woodpecker 2
Blue Tit 2
Dunnock 2
Wren 1
Great Tit 1
Grey Wagtail 1

Sites checked today for birds of note or migrants:
Heysham Head - just 2 Chiffchaff. The Nuthatch was still there.
Heysham Nature Reserve - Cetti's Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrests, a Kingfisher, 1 Redwing heard
Ocean Edge - Whinchat (female or immature)
Red Nab/Outfalls - 4 Med Gulls, adult Little Gull

Visible migration was slow to get underway until 9am. The totals below are for all birds logged in the Heysham area, from Heysham Head, Heysham Nature Reserve, Ocean Edge foreshore and Middleton NR between 0630-1315hrs:
Meadow Pipit 1077
Pink-footed Goose 167 plus other flocks heard but not seen
Alba wagtail 98
Swallow 71
Linnet 39
Skylark 28
MistleThrush 22 (a flock of 21 and a singleton)
Chaffinch 6
Siskin 5 lots heard but not seen
Grey Wagtail 4
Raven 3
Jay 3
Reed Bunting 2
Lesser Redpoll 1
Teal 1

Pink foot day

Rather intermittent sea and land coverage this morning at Heysham included monitoring most of the pink feet going over.  Best birds were two light bellied Brent low over the sea heading out and across

Mainly ocean edge then Heysham head vis
Pink footed goose - 770 plus three flocks heard only
Light-bellied Brent goose - two flying west low over the sea
Gannet - adult 'grounded' by outfalls, then flew out
Haven't got small passerines figures (Jean)

Outfalls and red nab
Little gull - possibly two adults
Med gull - 4x 2cy, 2x  ad, one x 1cy

A few scraps in a squall-free zone

Not a bad seawatch by recent September standards which shows just how dire they have been!

Sea 0830ish to 1230ish - definite sightings of note
Great Skua - distant bird in at 0900, medium range bird in at 1145
Arctic Skua - one seen by visiting birdwatcher 0930ish
Gannet - juv out
Kittiwake - 2-3 adults seen
Guillemot - one out close inshore
Golden Plover - two out

Inshore stuff
Little Gull - adult Heysham 2 outfall incoming tide
Med Gull - 3-4 x 2CY, 2 x ad, 1 x 1CY

Wet fret

In other words visibility was pants.  Gave up and went home

Red Nab
One 2CY Med Gull, half a dozen Wigeon (20 yesterday) and a miserable looking Little Egret

More bird scaring antics from an individual associated with Potts Corner access

This character has been mentioned before and his clearance of a roost of over 4000 waders today involved some deliberate driving, accompanied by two greyhounds, straight at a splinter group of 250 which had the temerity to land again, .  Along with the pony and trap, an effective bird scarer but why?  What is the agenda of the people who control the access at Potts Corner and obviously know these people?  Soon after this picture was taken the vehicle turned round and it & dogs flushed the remaining waders which flew towards Pilling

Red Nab held 2 x 2CY and 1 x 1CY Med and the usual ad Little Gull

Monday sightings and Nuthatch surprise

First of all a nice sighting of one of our Grey Wagtails at Carsington Water, Derbyshire, at the end of August.  This was deemed to be passing through and, as such was a case of an adult (female) on the move (ringed autumn 2014)

Secondly all sorts of bits from today which are not in my own notebook, mainly on the small arrival of Goldcrest and Chiffchaff theme

The key sightings were probably two Nuthatch on Heysham Head along with a flushed Tawny Owl.  The latter was known to be there but certainly not Nuthatch, despite the habitat looking great.  One downer though is a plague of Grey Squirrel

The outfalls held the usual adult Little Gull, two Med Gulls and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper