A nice selection of warblers

Another sunny day, a variable breeze, but mainly from the east.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

Despite the clear, sunny conditions  following last night's bright "supermoon" there were quite a few birds moving through, especially , Chiffchaffs, Meadow Pipits and Grey Wagtails. 40 new birds of 13 species were caught in 4.75 hours. 

Here's the list of new birds:

Blue Tit 1

Great Tit 1

Cetti's Warbler 2

Willow Warbler 1

Chiffchaff 10

Blackcap 4

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Robin 1

Grey Wagtail 8 (must be up to 53 Grey Wagtails colour ringed now).

Meadow Pipit 8

Chaffinch 1

Reed Bunting 1

Retraps:

Bullfinch 1 

Possible control ie bird from elsewhere:

Cetti's Warbler 

I checked mid afternoon (Malcolm)

The wildfowl not counted, but all the usual were present in similar numbers to recent.

Water Rail 1 squealing from the western marsh

Mediterranean gull 2 adults with a few Black-Headed gulls were doing a bit of anting (feeding on flying ants).

Cetti's warbler 2 singing

Chiffchaff 2 calling

Common Darter c20

Migrant Hawker 10

Southern Hawker 3 - 1 female

Male Southern Hawker

South shore

Just a check from saltmarsh to Red Nab this morning (Malcolm)

This took me back to my youth, when many ships billowed smoke and steam.
This morning conditions clearly condensed the water vapour in this ones
diesel exhaust 

Shelduck 38

Linnet 14

Seven Linnet in this shot

Meadow Pipits 4

Rock Pipit 1

Wheatear 2

Wheatear (deliberately framed by a black hole - I was in an arty mood!)

Pied Wagtail 10

Both me (Malcolm) and Kevin were at the beginning of the sea wall this evening, waiting for it to be opened after maintenance work ceased for the day. The steady east wind and warm sunshine, plus the tide being out all lends itself to insect migration in/off and along the wall. There was some, but nothing spectacular.

These are totals along the sea wall.

Small White 14

Red Admiral 3

Comma 1 

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Silver Y moth 2

Treble-bar moth 1

Treble-bar moth flying against the east wind, complete with swept back antennae

Common Darter 1

Migrant Hawker 3

In the Nature Park 

Large White 1

Small White 3

Peacock 2

Red Admiral 3

Speckled Wood 3

Common Darter several

Migrant Hawker 3 (16 Migrant Hawker for the day, not including 3 seen within the recording area while driving)

A particularly pristine Migrant Hawker in the Nature Park

There were a "lot" (feel free to count them) of Oystercatcher on the Heliport roost at high water. These are some coming in.

Three Hawker Species

Sunny all day, with a light breeze starting in the east before switching to NW.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Report from Alan:

Just a couple of nets set this morning.  A total of 23 captures only, included four more Grey Wagtails colour ringed and a 'rare' Song Thrush - the only one caught so far this year at this site.  Meadow Pipits came to an MP3 player in small groups, 37 birds in total.   Just one flock of c 150 Pink-footed Geese seen flying south to the west of the reserve at 09.10 - these were probably recorded from Heysham also.  A group of ten Swallows also passed through southwards.

 

A Red Fox trotted across the road near my ringing position.

 

Meadow Pipit  5

Grey Wagtail  4

Chiffchaff  3 + 1 retrap

Great Tit  2 + 1 retrap of a nestbox bird from this year

Wren  1 + 1 retrap

Singles of  Robin, Song Thrush, Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap and Blue Tit 

This shot of Common Darter from yesterday will be the last from Janet for some while.
Shortly after taking this shot she took a nasty fall off the platform where the old brick
building used to be. Landing on the concrete below, breaking her wrist and cracking
ribs. Get well soon Janet!

I had a quick look this evening (Malcolm)

Mute Swan pair with a well grown cygnet - the other adult is now on the fence pond. The "no swimming" pond is 2m above its normal height.

Tufted Duck 11

Cetti's warbler 3 singing in the central marsh

This young pheasant walked into a dead end and didn't know what to do, other than whimper! (It could have flown away)

Common Darter several

Migrant Hawker 4

Male Migrant Hawker

Southern Hawker 1

Male Southern Hawker

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Jean did indeed see the 09:10 Pink-Footed goose skein and took this clip of them.

Today's report from Jean:

Today was a complete contrast to yesterday with clear skies, bright sunshine and virtually calm. Nothing much came on the feeders and there were no warblers so I only caught 8 birds - 2 retrapped Dunnocks, a Wren, a Greenfinch, a Goldfinch and the stars of the show - 3 Grey Wagtails. We've now colour ringed 45 Grey Wagtails this season which is very good. We try to get a sample of 50 Grey Wagtails and from those we usually get one or two sightings. Hopefully we'll get a few more Grey Wagtails this week.

Overhead vis consisted of about 4 Chaffinches and a total of 240 Pink-footed Geese in 3 flocks (the video shows the last of these at 09:10hrs). 

The only other bird of note was a Raven which upset the Carrion Crows on the pylon opposite the office.

South shore (Malcolm)

The same walk as yesterday out from the saltmarsh on the rising tide this morning. We are now back to full spring tides and the gulls soon learn that they will be moved on from the beach. There was a group of Black-Headed early on, but most of the gulls on Red Nab just flew directly towards the estuary when moved on. No Mediterranean gulls seen today.

Cetti's warbler 1 still singing just south of the caravan park.

Pink- Footed goose 320. The 09:10 Pinkfoot skein passed over, plus two other skeins south along the shipping lane. (So 410 for today with Jean's earlier skeins)

Shelduck 14

Shelduck with a Grey Plover above

Curlew 90

Oystercatcher 300 including some moved on from Red Nab

Bar-Tailed Godwit 95 - a small group were feeding on the waterline briefly, but were picked up by a larger flock heading south.

Knot 4

Dunlin 50

Grey Plover 8

Grey plover moulting from summer plumage

Closer to the saltmarsh 

Redshank 35

Lapwing 16

Lapwing just beyond the saltmarsh 

On Red Nab

Ringed Plover 12

Turnstone 2

Ringed Plover, Turnstone and an Oystercatcher on the red sandstone of Red Nab

Linnet 6 by the saltmarsh 

Linnet 

Wheatear 2 along the foreshore

Kingfisher 1 female fishing from above the culverted freshwater runoff along Red Nab sloping wall. The tide was full now and it caught one fish as I watched, unfortunately from a distance as the sea wall was closed for maintenance.

The breeze had been from the east and there were quite a lot of insects about.

Small White 7 between saltmarsh and Red Nab

Red Admiral 1 on foreshore rocks

Silver Y 1 along foreshore 

Common Darter 3 along foreshore 

In the Nature Park

Common Hawker 1 female

Female Common Hawker - first record here for over four years

Dim.........but nice.

The dimness in the title refers to the visibility this morning. A very heavy mist till late morning. The sun broke through at lunchtime, it then remained warm and sunny with a light variable breeze.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Jean:

Thick fog put paid to the vis for most of the morning. Seven flocks of Pink-footed Geese heard throughout the morning but not seen ie invisible vis. 

Ringing

32 new birds of 9 species were caught, plus 6 retraps

Ringing consisted mainly of birds coming to the feeders, especially Goldfinches. 14 were caught and ringed but when the sun finally came out at half eleven and dried the knapweed seeds, 50 Goldfinches descended on the natural food instead of going to the nyjer feeders and so evaded the nets.

Other migrants ringed included 4 Grey Wagtails, 2 Blackcaps, a Reed Warbler and 4 Robins. Robins are included as a migrant as previous captures at Heysham have shown some move south from Scotland. 

Also ringed:

3 Blue Tits 

3 Great Tits

1 Dunnock

1 Greenfinch

There were a few retraps:

1 Blue Tit from earlier this year

2 Great Tits, one recent one and one that was ringed as a nestling in one of the nest boxes in the Landscape Strip in 2021

1 Dunnock from this year

A male Blackcap with a shiny new looking ring appeared but the number on it was one I didn't recognise. Waiting for details. 

South Shore

I had a walk out on the shore from the saltmarsh on the rising tide this morning (Malcolm).

It felt surreal, the mist cut out all external noise. The only sounds were the regular cackle of Pink Footed geese above the mist (no way of knowing how many birds involved) The haunting calls of 100+ Curlew. And a singing Cetti's warbler just to the south of the caravan park.

Pink-Footed goose at least 7 skeins involved, but possibly some going round in circles.

Shelduck 7

Shelduck through the mist

Mediterranean gulls 11 - 10 adult plus a 2nd calendar year (none ringed)

Adult Mediterranean gulls

Adult and 2cy Mediterranean gull (right)

Common gull 6

Adult Common gull

Waders on the shore

Some of today's waders, many more were out of sight

Minimum numbers:

Curlew 100

Oystercatcher 80

Grey Plover 21

Ringed Plover 2

Knot 10

Dunlin 60

Sanderling 1 juvenile - fortunately it was moving in with the tide and approached quite close (the silence is plain to hear)

Sanderling and Dunlin

Waders closer to saltmarsh:

Turnstone 1

Redshank 60

Lapwing 7

Swallow 4 south - they appeared out of the mist and zipped past me, two either side of my head!

Meadow Pipit 2 heard only

Wheatear 1 on foreshore, slightly unusual, as it was sat rather then stood 

Wheatear

Sedge Warbler 1 (two warblers seen/heard, not bad for a shore walk). It was at the RedNab end of the foreshore, just before the wood plank barrier.

Sedge Warbler 

This is two clips together, in the second half it is polishing off a crane fly. By this time the mist was lifting and the sounds of the world returning.

Kevin Eaves checked from the saltmarsh to Red Nab early evening, by that time there were:

Wheatear 2 - one each foreshore and Red Nab

Stonechat 1 female type, by the saltmarsh 

Stonechat 

Grim!

Probably grim is not a grim enough word to describe this morning's weather! The constant rain alternating between very heavy and not quite so heavy! A SE wind early on shifted to SW after lunch.

It faired up mid afternoon, by that time it had put down 50mm of rain! By evening the sun was out.

Unfortunately, I only had opportunity for a morning walk today (Malcolm)

Saltmarsh to Red Nab

Out from the saltmarsh 

Grey Plover 1

Ringed Plover 12

Redshank 30

Turnstone 12

Oystercatcher 15

I just managed a few monochrome like shots sheltering behind the large sign by the slipway.

Ringed Plover, Grey Plover and Oystercatcher 

Grey Plover and marsh grass 

Redshank and Samphire 

Turnstone and tiny molluscs 

Wheatear 1 on foreshore 

Wigeon 5 flew south from Red Nab

Little Egret 3

Kingfisher 1 - the freshwater runoff was a torrent so it was feeding in the rock pools along the western edge of Red Nab

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Just a quick look at the two main ponds on the way home.

Mute Swan pair plus one large cygnet. No sign of the adult that had been on the "no swimming" pond. The water here is now 1.5m above its normal height, the swan's nest is well underwater (see post 08/09/24)

Mallard 14

Tufted Duck 10

Gadwall 1 male was a new arrival

Male Gadwall

Coot 18 - the rain had "eased" to not quite so heavy, so I took this clip of the Coot arguing. The Gadwall and a male Tufted in the background 

Weather looks set fair for the rest of the week

First, hopefully of many to come, Wigeon on Red Nab

A couple of overnight showers followed by heavy rain starting at 06:00 easing by 08:30. After that it remained dry with sunny spells. A SW wind.

South shore (Malcolm)

I checked the foreshore and Red Nab just as the morning rain was easing, hoping the rain had grounded something.

Robin 3 around/behind Red Nab 3 more along foreshore and saltmarsh 

It was still raining slightly 

But it didn't stop it singing

Meadow Pipit 3 along foreshore 

Meadow Pipit

Rock Pipit 3 on Red Nab (none seen later)

Rock Pipit

Kingfisher 1 - shot out from the freshwater runoff culvert on Red Nab and was lost towards the edge of Red Nab.

Shelduck 32

Wigeon 1 out from Red Nab

Wigeon

An evening walk along the sea wall produced little to add.

The Wigeon, or another one, was on the beach near the wooden jetty

Wigeon resting on the sandmason worm tubes

No Pink-Footed geese seen at all today.

Mediterranean gull 1 adult with a metal ring feeding on the sandmason worms.

It has a sandmason worm in this shot

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1 

Bar-Tailed Godwit

In the Nature Park

Common Darter 8

Red Admiral 4

Peacock 1

Speckled Wood 2

Small White 1

Male Small White

Lots of young Goldfinch swelling the feeding flocks

Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)

Tufted Duck 18

This one was coming for bread fed by visitors 

Speckled Wood

Meadow Brown

Green shield bug

The weather is looking grim for tomorrow!