Flying ants and wandering dragonflies

Med Gull
Ant-chasing juv, ad and 2CY over the office this am but ants soon disappeared as the easterly wind kicked in and there seemed to be a decent attendance by gulls at the outfalls by late afternoon with c6 Meds seen in the less heat-hazed gangs, but the main reason, to see if any terns or Little Gulls were on, drew a blank

Ringing
Took place at all sites this am but rather below par, especially on Middleton where there were fewer warblers than expected.  Of note were a juvenile Grasshopper Warbler and especially an adult Garden Warbler  - suggesting local breeding.  A few young Greenfinch were welcome in the office nets but no sign of (the?) Marsh Tit there this am

Heysham skeer
No Black Guillemot and no terns this am at low tide

Middleton
Banded Demoiselle - a male was seen well but briefly before flying across the model boat pond
Black Darter - I think this is probably an imm male but stand to be corrected - thanks for the pics Janet in difficult windy conditions
No sign of any Red-veined Darter - c/f a new influx in southern Britain and SE Ireland

 

Summer plumage Black Guillemot

Black Guillemot
This flew along the low tide channel alongside Heysham skeer as Malcolm was out on there at low tide this am - lost still flying into the Bay.  No reason why it wont still be in the area

Also two Sandwich tern

No other coverage today yet - gave the heat-hazed NW wind gulls this late afternoon a miss

Seagulls staying in house

The tide is now low enough to leave a section of undisturbed dry sand just to the south of ocean edge and this was used by the gulls clearing off from red nab this afternoon.  The light and heat haze were awful but there were a fair few meds

Red nab/outfalls
Med gull - 13 ad/3cy, 2 2cy, 2juv with some almost certainly missed
Whimbrel - 2
Curlew - 379

Office area
Marsh tit - heard calling sev times
Reed warbler - singing male by obs t fire pond

Disruptive curlew

350 plus curlew on red nab again but they are occupying the space used by gulls and furthermore are flying off red nab towards middleton way before high tide and dragging a proportion of the gulls either them including 3x 2cy meds

Outfalls/red nab
Common tern - ad heysham two outfall
Med gull - two ad, three 2cy and two juvs - the latter at least unringed

Curlew - 350 plus
Whimbrel - heard once

Heysham one is apparently fully back on line on 21st July so hopefully the seagulls will increase again

Midsummer Curlew

The Curlew roost at Red Nab just before high tide reached 375 with some birds already having headed south whilst others arrived so the grand total probably in the region of 400. 

Heysham One outfall looked ominously dead which explains why the gulls have nosedived - this is a real shame and will cost us at least one decent bird in the next month or so as the seaward end in full flow at low tide is the real magnate for passing seagulls and terns

Med Gull
Red Nab:  6 adult, one 3CY, 2 2CY - the latter heading off south well before high tide

Should be moulting adult Little in by now but......................

Warblers on the move

A couple of decent small-scale ringing sessions this am at sheltered sites at Middleton/Heysham revealed Whitethroat, Sedge and Willow Warblers on the move along with a few unringed Chiffchaff and Blackcap.  Singing Grasshopper Warbler central marsh

The warbler ringing total is quite high for so early in the autumn with Whitethroat already in the 60's for the year

A few Swift on the move over Middleton

Could other observers please add your own stuff to the last three days.  Thanks

Wednesday

Outfalls/Red Nab
Med Gull : 2 x ad, 4 x 2CY
Whimbrel - 2

Middleton
Treecreeper ringed
juvenile Cetti's Warbler retrapped

Tuesday

Wet

Where have the seagulls gone?

After a real flurry of Meds at the turn of the month, the numbers of gulls today were pitiful, after a thorough search by Gav and Ian on Saturday produced only 7 Meds and the Lune estuary, the spring tide displacement location for several Heysham birds, drew a blank for Ian this weekend.  Could not find any today at low tide and just after high tide - not the best time.  Maybe word has got round that Lancashire is bad news for seagulls at the moment

A few odds and ends in the mist nets next to the office, totalling about twenty five, including most of the common non-wetland warbler species

One relatively decent moth in the trap - the range-expanding homoeosoma sinuella

Swift Exit

Just a quick look at Middleton Nature Reserve this morning.
12 swift feeding over model boat pond at 10:15, down to 2 by 11:00. Presumably rest heading south.
Two female gadwall with 2 & 3 well advanced young.
5 visiting mallard.
Temporary truce between mute leaving, pair with 1 (underdeveloped) cygnet on model boat pond and pair with 2 (well developed) cygnet on "no swimming" pond
(MD)