Runt Black-headed Gull causes trouble

Outfalls/Red Nab low tide, scanned from OE foreshore
A distant and partially obscured small gull, obviously not a Little, and dwarfed by surrounding Meds and the odd Black-headed revealed itself to be a 2/3 sized adult Black-headed Gull when it finally lifted it head

Med Gull - at least 27, including a roosting flock of 17 on Red Nab - often do this at low tide and not including any which were resting on the mudflats between the outfalls.  (3-4 juvs, 18 or so ad/3CY) and at least 6  2CY)
Common Tern - ad
Commic Tern - too distant and heat-hazy but probably an adult arctic
Little Gull - ad summer
Gannet - 2 offshore

Later a running total of 34 Meds on Red Nab in 30 minutes with a trickle leaving south and a trickle coming in from the outfalls.  At least 8 2CY

Moths
Old Lady in the trap

Outfalls check

Checked by Tom Walkington and Pete Marsh this morning during the early stages of the incoming tide

Med Gull - absolute minimum of 26 but almost certainly a further 6 which were seen by Tom on the outfalls mudflats - the 26 were assessed from OE foreshore checking the seaward end of the outfalls and Red Nab.  At least three and probably four juvs around, 6 2CY and at least 17 ad/3CY

Little Gull - adult summer
Common Tern - adult
Whimbrel - 4

Wednesday

c15 meds and the adult summer Little Gull

Warblers on the move

Willow Warblers were a feature of the ringing this morning, along with smaller numbers of Blackcaps Sedge and Reed Warblers and, later in the morning, Whitethroats. 50 birds ringed.  (Will put the ringing totals on tomorrow.) A similar movement took place at Leighton Moss where 60 birds were caught.

Med Gull count at the outfalls today = 8

The only other birds of note at Middleton NR were 2 Water Rails squealing, A Skylark over, heading eastwards and a Kingfisher calling on the reedbed pond.

Its back

The 22nd Med Gull of the morning was the only one on the north harbour wall side and sure enough the above tarsus metal ring indicated it was the returning Czech bird, first seen here as a 1CY in autumn 2003

Outfalls/Red Nab
Med Gull - 21 (12 x ad, 3 x 3CY, 5 x 2CY, including the red darvic-ringed summer plumaged bird seen a bit ago, one juv)

Anyone read this :-)

Little Gull - Ad summer but no sign 2CY
Whimbrel - 4

Heliport
Oystercatcher - 2200 (late influx from SS Groyne - anglers on there again?)
Redshank - 260
Ringed Plover - 1
Med Gull - see above

Middleton pm
Swallow - c60 roosting (21 ringed)
Water Rail - 2+
Grasshopper Warbler - 3 singing males, two western, one central marshes
No sign regular Barn Owl
Brown Hawker still flying about at 2130hrs

More odds and ends

No obvious landfall of warblers today so ringing sessions were a bit slow with a single new Grasshopper Warbler and retrap female Cetti's Warbler at Middleton and a couple of out of habitat Sedge Warbler and the more usual 5 new Whitethroat next to the office

Outfalls/red nab
Juxtaposed heat-hazed birds but a lot of them.  Could easily have missed something but larophiles note that Heysham One is now back on and the number of gulls has doubled

Little Gull - 2CY
Med Gull - 4 x ad/3CY, 5 x 2CY, 1 x 1CY..............at least

Odds and ends
Daytime moths on Heysham NR.  Thanks Janet:

Ringing in the eye

Quite a decent morning with a couple of nets on Middleton producing quite a few sedge warbler and blackcap.   The rainfall radar monitored the mass of wet looking cloud to the east after the overnight rain cleared just after 0600

Little gull
Ad summer new in on outfalls but no obvious sign of 2cy

Med gull
At least 12 but many on sand out of range to south (7 ad or 3cy, 4 2cy and one juv)

Common scoter - 3 (two drakes) off heysham skeer

No sign of common tern

Water rail
Calling from three separate areas middleton presumably dispersing juveniles from breeding pair on site

Grasshopper warbler - two juvs ringed western marsh and singing male central marsh

Swift c40 south along edge of rain

Bits and bobs

Outfalls/red nab/ocean edge salt marsh

Common sandpiper - two oe salt, one by jetty
Little gull - 1stS moulting to 2nd W - easy to miss
Med gull - two adults
Common tern - ad outfalls

Missing meds

A bit late this morning for the tide and there were only four meds on view (ad and 3x 2cy) and 236 curlew

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