Ringed Meds

Med Gull: At least five with darvic rings - many sat and legs not viewable -  Adults with green darvic (3), unspecified pale colour (1) and red (1) with juv seen very briefly with a 'pale colour ring' on Red Nab on incoming tide - very frustrating as couldn't quite read any of them with my eyes, but Pete had more luck with at least one of them

At least 23 Med in total (3 juv, 4 2cy, one obvious 3cy, rest ad/3cy)

Dunlin - unexpected invasion of 1,100-1,200 - nearly all in summer plumage - some flew off, but many stayed on the outer edge of Red Nab on the incoming tide

Little Ringed Plover - adult again by slipway on OE
Common Sandpiper - one by wooden jetty
Wheatear - first of autumn along OE foreshore
Coal Tit - juvenile ringed by Heysham NR office
Reed Warbler - juv ringed by Hey NR office

Another young Cetti’s warbler

Ringing at Middleton saw a decent selection of mainly warblers with young Cetti’s and young Garden Warbler notable - the latter certainly did not breed within song-audible range of the usual areas covered this year.   No Grasshopper Warbler though

The shore fractionally after high tide held 22 Med Gulls, all adult or 3cy apart from two 2cy and just one Juv

The Middleton Webs saw the first two Snipe of the autumn, one Coot, Little Grebe with young and a welcome reduction to just four Mute Swans.  About 17 Gadwall were visible

The low key office Moth trap is turning up a few odds and ends and Catoptria margaritella was an unexpected visitor from the moors this am

Juv med influx and Treecreeper at last

One of these has a darvic with black letters on a dark background but I just can’t quite read it. Another seen more briefly before it sat down had white lettering on a 'dark' background.  Five in total and 18 Meds altogether on Red Nab.  None of the older birds where the legs were visible (8) appeared to be ringed, so if you are down there, please concentrate on juvs.  Thanks.

Greenshank and summer plum Knot

Ad Little Gull which promptly disappeared!

Shag - 2cy feeding off Throbshaw Point (Heysham Head rocks) at high water.
Rock pipit - still at least three between Half Moon Bay and Heysham Head
Tree creeper - juvenile ringed by HNR office

High tide check

Shag - 2CY on wooden jetty - moulting in to more adult-type body plumage

Little Gull - ad summer (re)appears

Med Gull - 13 scattered on sand flats to south or (just 3) on Red Nab - no juvs seen
Whimbrel - one heliport seawall. Four Ocean Edge
Redshank - 270 heliport seawall
Common Sandpiper - one wooden jetty area

Office area
Juvenile Swallow with brand new ring caught Z7593xx

Moths
The Middleton actinic held a Mompha, either substrigella or sturnipennella TBC.  At the other size extreme, an Old Lady and the SD45-infrequent Lesser Swallow and Pale Prominents.  Straw Underwing, as usual topping the Heysham trap catch with 8 and nothing special in there .

More bits and pieces

Only about 10 scattered Swallows at the roost tonight but 19 Swift flew south in the hour before dusk

Five Little Egret and two Whimbrel Red Nab

This Holly Blue and a Garden Tiger on vegetation near Red Nab (thanks Malcolm)

Nice mix

Ringing saw the first rather belated juvenile Cetti’s Warbler of the year.  Next best we’re two juvenile  Grasshopper Warblers ringed and the Green Sandpiper reappeared on the Tim Butler pond

Little grebe plus young seen again as were the 27 Gadwall

At least five adult and two Juv Med gulls on outfalls

Two rock pipit of unknown age were on half moon bay beach

Middleton Moth trap held five species of Wainscot and a Pale Prominent

From heat haze to drizzly murk

One outfalls check saw 3 ad and one Juv med gulls and that was it!

Off day

A few heat hazy Meds on red nab this pm was about it with no reports of Little gull or the rock pipit family on Heysham half moon bay (checked)

A few Straw Underwing in the reopened Moth trap, next best probably Lime speck Pug

Mixed bag

Multi-genera highlights notably a soldier fly known as the Banded General which was found on the path by Heysham Nr office - this is one of the most North-westerly records of a species which is hardly going to be overlooked!

Next best was a Hummingbird Hawk-Moth near the bottle dump on Middleton NR

Outfalls saw at least one mobile adult Little Gull and a cursory check saw 7 Meds

Top two by Malcolm, bottom by Pete Woodruff - thanks for these

Ringing by the office was very productive with just short of fifty new birds including 5-6 each of both Whitethroats and Willow warbler and single out of habitat Reed and Sedge warblers

Early returning little gull

Ad summer little gull Heysham two outfall

Med gull - 10 adult, one 2cy, one Juv

71 Eider and four g c grebe low tide channels this am