Vis mig pays off with Snow Bunting

Vis mig 0805-1030
Snow Bunting - one NNE to SSW at c0940 (two S over Starr gate Blackpool at 0956 unlikely to involve this one!)
Chaffinch - 193 SW
Brambling - 15 SW
Chaff/Bramb - c70 SW
Siskin - just 3 SE
alba Wagtail - 15 SE
Meadow Pipit - 20 SE
Jackdaw - flock of 6 S
Common Buzzard - one E
Jay - 4 S
Goldfinch - c35 S
Greenfinch - x25 S
Pink-footed Goose - 30+3 SE
Redwing - 40 SW, 6 down, 4 down

No obvious sign of anything grounded by office - just one Goldcrest

After the rain

Once the rain stopped at 10am birding and ringing could begin.

Heysham NR
A Yellow-browed Warbler still frequented the NE corner of the Reserve but took some finding. Luckily visiting birder JJ had the patience to winkle it out.

Ringing consisted of a few Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs.

Outfalls
Adult Little Gull phtographed by Kevin Eaves

Harbour
Ringed Black-headed Gull photographed by Janet Packham

A close up of the ring revealed it to be a Polish bird returning to the harbour for its third winter

Middleton NR

Malcolm enjoyed a very pleasant stroll in the afternoon sun but found no sign of Yellow-browed Warblers. Instead there were the following:

Redwing c10 on golf club strip.

Goldcrest 3

Chiffchaff 3

Common snipe 3

Little grebe 2.

Gadwall 10.

Insects:

Common Darter 22

Migrant Hawker 7

Speckled wood 4

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Not just leftovers

Yellow-browed Warbler
New locations:
1) By Greenfoot Community garden, possibly two birds (Shaun had a single call here yesterday pm)
2) By Tim Butler pond Middleton NR- found on its own by Malcolm, multi-observed later then flew off with LTT
3) West end of Middleton NR along the golf course edge - found by Malcolm whilst TB pond one still present
Still present
Heard/seen from three separate locations between the NE corner and dipping pond Heysham NR with probably three together in NE corner c1330 onwards (none ringed)
Not checked
Heysham Head or area before this was typed at 1342

**The most intriguing news is a report that the ringed NE corner bird was ringed on the LEFT leg, so it wasn't ours (not definitely seen today)! 

Ring Ouzel
Imm by brick building Middleton NR early am

Jack Snipe - flushed Middleton

Grounded
Three new Chiffchaff ringed but Goldcrest thin on the ground with only four ringed and little sign of them elsewhere.  Small numbers of Redwing and Blackbird and 1-2 Song Thrush

Vis mig - patchy combination of about an hour Midd/Hey
Skylark - 7
Meadow Pipit - 18
Grey wagtail - 3
alba Wagtail - 6
Chaffinch - 60
Greenfinch - 40
Swallow - 1
Carrion Crow - 16
Jackdaw - 45
Pink-footed Goose - 60
Jay - 3+1
Lesser Redpoll - 2
Redwing - 21
Song Thrush - 2
Goldfinch - 15

Yellow-browed Warbler Reserve

Heysham is crawling with Yellow-browed Warblers. At least 8 of them today:
1 calling near the fire pond on Heysham Nature Reserve
4, probably 5 in the NE corner of the Reserve (including a ringed bird from yesterday)
2 in the Heysham Head bracken fields (with mixed Tit flock)
1 in the woods at the top of Heysham Head (with Long-tailed Tits)
There are likely to be more hidden away in the vegetation and much patience is needed to get the sort of views shown in the photos below. The little sprites flit about a lot and are only as big as a leaf so it’s a bit like playing hide and seek in which you, as the birder seeks and the Yellow-browed Warbler hides!

 A Heysham Head bird (pic by Kevin Eaves)

A Heysham Nature Reserve bird (pic by Craig Bell)

Other birds lurking in the trees and undergrowth were Chiffchaffs (at least 9), Blackcaps (5), Redwing (25), continental Blackbirds (5+), Song Thrushes (3+), Goldcrests (up to 5 early morning), and Cetti’s Warblers (1 ringed at Heysham NR, 1 ringed at Middleton NR)

and
Siberian Chiffchaff - calls and plumage - discovered late on by Shaun by the Greenfoot community garden on Smithy Lane
 

Overhead vis consisted of:

Pink-footed Goose 201

Carrion Crow 66

Meadow Pipit 5

Chaffinch 64

Jay 3

Alba Wagtail 15

Grey Wagtail 6

Goldfinch 4

Greenfinch 12

Merlin 1

Kestrel 1

Sparrowhawk 1

Skylark 6

Mistle Thrush 2

Song Thrush 1

Redwing 1 

Woodpigeon 5

Siskin 2

Grey Heron 1 

In addition about 60 birds were ringed including 9 Chiffchaffs and a Treecreeper. Full results on Trektellen tomorrow. 

Yellow-brow-fest

This was very much a starting from scratch morning with zero around small migrant-wise yesterday.  Therefore initial impressions of nowt around the office soon changed when the more 'arrival-type bushes' were visited below the old Obs Tower site by Jean.  Almost certainly two Yellow-brows and 6+ Goldcrest and at least one Chiff was the verdict

The rain alarm suggested a miraculous split in the two great splodges west and east of us and this corridor suggested a single net for migrants and a close watch of this rain alarm

This worked a treat with six migrant warblers caught, including two Yellow-browed Warblers, before the gap in the rain closed and the net hurriedly taken down

Later a circuit of the reserve produced a third un-ringed bird in the far north-east corner for Jean but not a lot of other migrants.  Later on one of the ringed birds joined the un-ringed bird in the NE corner. Then Malcolm located one by the white barrier at the southern end of dog walk track. This multiple YBW arrival in rain, but not vast numbers of anything else also happened with the first records in autumn 1985.

Grounded Heysham NR
Chiffchaff - 2
Goldcrest - c10
Yellow-browed Warbler - 3 HNR, one Middleton NR
Redwing - 1
Blackbird - c10

Vis Mig
Grey Wagtail - one, possibly local movement now

WeBs highlights
Little Gull - ad on sea by Red Nab
Redshank - 720 heliport seawall a good count
Knot - 3700 heliport seawall

Vis mig big bird day

This was going through the motions on a day of clear westerlies we wouldn't usually have touched with a barge pole.  Beggars can't be choosers in the current weather although tomorrow looks tasty apart from the rain.  As it happened it was marginally entertaining including high-flying Magpie action.

Vis dawn to about 1000
Cormorant - 3 high to south together
Meadow Pipit - 33 SE
Reed Bunting - 5 SE
Red wing - just 1-2 SW
alba Wagtail - 4 SE
Linnet - 16 SE
Skylark - 3 SE
Jay - flock of 5 plus 1+1 south
Chaffinch - just 2 south
Jackdaw - loose flock of 49 S
Pink-footed Goose - 270 N, 20 S
Whooper Swan - 6 high to S
Magpie - 3+2+1 high south
Carrion Crow - flock of 5 high S, possibly others lower down on the move
Bullfinch - 1 high S
no Grey Wags

Ringing
Ringing at Middleton included a Redwing, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and two Robin & Reed Bunting!  The feeder net at Heysham NR produced 13 new Greenfinch and two new Goldfinch

11th Oct - nothing of note

Med re-influx continues

Med Gull - at least 14 behind IOM ferry - 4 x 1CY, 1 x 2CY, 9+ x Ad, at least two additional 2CY around and two additional 1CY.  This is a lot for as late as 10/10.
Kittiwake - 3 x ad, 2 x 1CY behind IOM ferry
Common Scoter - Drake out
Wigeon - now c80 Red Nab
Shelduck - 13 passage birds out (c175 on sands south of Red Nab at low tide yesterday)

Middleton Nature Reserve
Shoveler mumbers have now increased to three, the "dubious" one is looking increasingly convincing  - this is possibly the highest count on here, certainly in recent years (MD),

Wednesday fare

Med - 17 around including 4 juv
Little Gull - 1 CY briefly seaward end Heysham one
Guillemot - two looking worse for wear

Ferry delivers the goods

Suboptimal strength winds/showers for this time of year were, as usual, pretty unproductive during the normal seawatch, but it is always worth waiting for incoming ferries.   Most of the Meds seem to have disappeared from around the outfalls/the sand mason worm area, leaving just two dip-feeding 1CY on the outfalls and presumably the usual adult around the harbour area.  Therefore it as a surprise to see an extra eight adult Meds behind the ferry 

Offshore/inshore/ferry late morning
Bonxie - one flew into the bay at mid-range just before the ferry arrived
Kittiwake - 3 ads behind ferry
Little Gull - adult winter behind ferry
Med Gull - ad harbour area, two 1CY outfalls, then a further 8 ad behind ferry
Razorbill/Guillemot - two out distantly
Wigeon - now 40 Red Nab
Rock Pipit - the lighthouse breeding pair were in situ with the female visiting one of the nesting holes!  Another on Red Nab
Common Gull - 6 juvs on outfalls and several behind ferry