And they're off....

Lots of birds on the move now we're past the equinox and the weather is more favourable.

North Harbour Wall from 07:15hrs - 0930

Meadow Pipits 195
Alba Wagtail 38
Linnet 6
Carrion Crow 2
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 2
Little Gull 1 adult into Bay
Common Gull 31 into Bay
Black-headed Gull 22 into Bay
Red-throated Diver 18 (1 in at 0719, 1 on then N at 0726, 2 in at 0805, a further 5 in singly, 7 close together on water, a further 2 on the water)
Guillemot 1 on the water
Osprey seen distantly to south at about 0815 heading north then turned and headed in over the Lune channel.
Buzzard 1 north at 1100hrs

Middleton NR
Greylag 3 NE
Chiffchaff 11
Cetti's singing from Femce Pond

Insects
Middleton NR - Comma feeding on coltsfoot
Heysham NR - Brimstone

JR

Meadow Pipit push begins

Negative: no sign Iceland Gull

As the weather starts to improve, the Meadow Pipit passage is getting underway. Should have got to Heysham for first light though as other areas e.g. Rossall had hundreds of Mipits by 08:00

Ocean Edge 08:00

44 Meadow Pipits grounded
Wheatear - 2 males early afternoon

Visible migration

North Harbour Wall 08:15 - 09:35 

All birds heading NE into the wind. 

Meadow Pipit 152 plus 71 different over Middleton, plus 40 later 

Alba Wagtail 17

Goldfinch 2

Greenfinch 1

Linnet 2

Common Gull - 7 . All immatures. NB 25 Common Gulls on the beach in the afternoon. Mixed ages.

Black-headed Gull - 5

Red-throated Diver 4 into the Bay

Auk sp. probably Guillemot 1 into the Bay

Whooper Swan - flock of 70-75 north mid afternoon
Swallow - two north over Heysham village pm (IOY)

Peregrine 2 high. May be local.

Heysham NR 

Stonechat - female still present

Chiffchaff - at least 5 including one showing pollen from the Med!

Middleton
Total of 71 Meadow pipits over to NE. Mainly groups of 3 to 5 birds. Largest group 11. Didn't see any after 10:30, this coincides with arrival of clear weather front.
Thought I was going to be swamped with Chiffchaff, 4 around model boat pond (2 singing), but only heard one other bird singing in the rest of the circuit.
Cetti's Warbler singing loudly from middle of central marsh.
1 drake Gadwall
2 Tufted
4 Teal
1 Water rail
6 Moorhen

Butterflies

 

JR/MD/JP/PJM/PC/TW

Migrants struggle through

Two Sand Martin north this morning (IOY)

17 grounded Meadow Pipit Red Nab and three north this am

Male Wheatear Red Nab the only one despite good coastal coverage

Iceland Gull at waterfall after the tide - the grey is really coming through on the mantle now

Jean/Malcolm/Pete

Stonechat performs well

A female Stonechat gave Janet some nice pic opportunities when it appeared on Heysham NR late afternoon:

Iceland Gull - 3CY on Fishers roof and later on the south quay - almost a long enough stay to be given a name
Gannet - adult
Kittiwake - adult
Both the last two appeared as the IOM passenger ferry was coming in and may have been dragged in then headed north as the boat slowed down

Brief visit

Iceland gull 3CY on the south quay

Flock of 6 Kittiwake in then on in 30 min seawatch

Two chiffchaff singing by office

Middleton (MD)
2 Tufted
2 Mallard
2 Teal
1 Little grebe on Fence pond (first I've seen here this year)
No sightings of Goldcrest or Chiffchaff. But did hear 2 Chiffchaff singing.
Contact calls only from Cetti's in western scrape

March Moth and Common Quaker in trap

Nothing happening

The 3CY Iceland Gull was asleep on Fishers roof from at least 0805hrs to 1330hrs and nothing else stirred despite quite a bit of migrant activity elsewhere

The sea was particularly awful with a couple of hours producing some seagulls and an Eider!

Thwarted Kittiwakes

Two gangs of Kittiwake clearly did not fancy an overland crossing in todays weather and ended up flying out and across the bay

Kittiwake: flocks of 20 and c135 out/on then out
Iceland Gull: 3CY south quayside then later on Fishers roof

Gannet in the gloom

The visibility wasn't too clever today otherwise more surely on the sea?  As it was only had 30 minutes to spare and this immediately produced an outbound adult Gannet but nothing else other than a flock of 5 small gulls in the gloom which lifted off the water briefly before landing again out of sight (Common Gull or Kittiwake)

The 3CY Iceland Gull was south quayside mid afternoon just below the old Fisher's warehouse

Moths:  2 x Hebrew Character, single of Clouded Drab and Common Quaker

Bits

Iceland Gull on Fisher's roof again.

1 Goldcrest in the bushes at the corner of the South Harbour Wall.

Vis:
Meadow Pipit 2
Alba Wagtail 1
Siskin 4
Grey Wagtail 1

Spring migrant trickle

Low double figures of Goldcrest and 4-5 Chiffchaff around this am with low double figures of Meadow Pipit and alba Wagtail overhead. 1 Grey Wagtail over and headed to sewage works.

Jay- 2 by Pagoda on Reserve.

Two Raven at the heliport area welcome - scarce recently

3CY Iceland Gull at the waterfall early am

106 Eider in the low tide channel

Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler on territory Middleton

Mammals:  Roe Deer - 2 crossed Heysham NR plateau at 10.30 from marshy area below old classroom.

Small Tortoiseshell butterfly - 1 seen in Reserve car park am

Four singletons of four species in the moth trap:  Diurnea fagella, Common Quaker, Hebrew Character, March Moth