Two more Yellow-browed Warbler and late morning Skylarks

Heysham Obs
This was in the office mist nets at the same time another bird was calling near the alder woodland.  Both appeared just as the easterly wind was kicking in after a surprisingly calm first two hours of daylight

There was just enough happening during the morning to keep the interest level with small flurries of vis mig with a variety of species

Vis mig dawn onwards
House Martin - 1
Swallow - 16 (two lots)
Skylark - 84
Linnet - 3
Grey Wagtail - 1
Jackdaw - flock of 5
Woodpigeon - flock of 5
Mistle Thrush - 2 - one exiting bushes soon after dawn - unusual here
Starling - one exiting bushes soon after dawn - very unusual here then flock of 20 arriving from the east (plus usual ex-wooden jetty roost birds)
Song Thrush - only two exiting bushes heading inland after dawn (no Redwing)
Chaffinch - very few  just 17 S
alba Wagtail - 15 S
Goldfinch - 18 S
Meadow Pipit - 24 SE
Carrion Crow - 3 S
Dunnock - one ex-bushes then high to south
Pink-footed Goose - two flocks heard to the west
Jay - 1+2 S
Coal Tit - 1+2+7 S and at least two bloggers around the site
unidentified passerine - unfortunately calling rather distantly to the east but most likely southbound Yellowhammer - obviously not being counted
Little Egret - 1 S

Grounded Heysham NR
Yellow-browed Warbler - 2
Chiffchaff - one in addition to the ringing total
Goldcrest - the ONLY two heard/seen were the ringed ones
no migrant Robin this morning
Blackcap - none in addition to the ringing (3 reserve, two Middleton)
Wheatear - two Red Nab area

Miscellany
Wigeon - 27
Little Egret - 3 Red Nab
Large flock of mixed Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch Ocean Edge

Ringing (new birds)
Blackcap (5), Blackbird (1), Blue Tit (3), Chiffchaff (4), Dunnock (1), Wren (2), Great Tit (2), Treecreeper (1), Yellow-browed Warbler (1), Goldcrest (3), Lesser Redpoll (2), Meadow Pipit (3), Bullfinch (1), Reed Bunting (1), Long-tailed Tit (1)

Stratospheric Hooded Crow

Heysham Obs
For the second time in the last three years, a high-flying as far as could be seen pure Hooded Crow flew over - this time due south.   It was the turn of other places for Yellow-browed Warbler this am with Sunderland and Heysham both 'blanking' although there was no search at Heysham NR beyond the office mist netting area.  An interesting contrast between Middleton and Heysham with 11 newly arrived Blackcap at Middleton and not one seen or heard at Heysham

Vis mig Heysham NR (Mainly corvids and geese)
Pink-footed Goose - 97 NE, 65+43 S
Carrion Crow - 3+4+12 south
Jackdaw - 19+3 S
Hooded Crow - one south and higher than the other corvids 0844
Grey Wagtail - 1 SE
Chaffinch - only c10 south
alba Wagtail - just 10 SE
Goldfinch - c10 S
Meadow Pipit - only 9 SE
Collared Dove - 2 S
Grey Heron - 1+1 SE
Bullfinch - 1 S
Little Egret - 1 S
Redpoll - just one south! [but 13 ringed Middleton]

Grounded
Nothing to add to ringing totals - no thrushes this morning

Ringing Heysham & Middleton combined
Dunnock (2), Lesser Redpoll (13), Blackcap (11), Chiffchaff (7), Meadow Pipit (6), Blue Tit (3), Grey Wagtail (1), Coal Tit (1), Goldcrest (3), Wren (1), Robin (4)

Moths
A decent catch with Rusty Dot Pearl,  Caloptilia stigmatella, Feathered Ranunculus, Large Wainscot and Brick the highlights

Yellow-browed warbler double, minor Robin arrival and a Treecreeper

Heysham Obs
A vocal Yellow-browed Warbler, this time in the Heysham NR alder copse alongside the wooden section of path 0815ish, then after about 30 minutes or so flew towards NE corner where there is some decent holding habitat but also a well-used corridor down the railway line.  Then at 0940, another was caught on the tank farm side of the net next to the office (the new arrival direction) and was released in the alder wood area.

The remainder of the stuff was surprisingly unremarkable with very little between the pre-dawn rush and some further movement from mid-morning

First YBW
Typical new arrival calling continuously for about 5 minutes

https://mail.aol.com/webmail/getPart?uid=32156824&partId=2&saveAs=Tens+HNR+091015.m4a

Second YBW
About the 10000th internet pic from this autumn but here you have no problem seeing where the pic was taken

By popular request here is the re-posting of the sycamore tree containing a fully visible YBW taken by Alan Smith at Sunderland last week.  How long will it take you to find it?

Vis mig HNR
alba Wagtail - 29
Siskin - 5+2+h+h+h+h+h!
Chaffinch - 37
Meadow Pipit - 18
Sparrowhawk - a male high and direct to the SW
Goldfinch - at least 7 high to S
Redpoll - 3
Bullfinch - one with a high SW-bound Chaffiinch flock
Cormorant - 2 high to SE
Pink-footed Goose - heard once to west
Carrion Crow - 2 S
Jackdaw - 6 but possibly bloggers

Grounded
Redwing - 7
Song Thrush - 9
Robin - lots of ticking and chasing today (see ringing total)
Treecreeper - 1
Bullfinch - two unringed birds
Blackcap - no new arrivals - two very fat new birds caught
Goldcrest - just 5-10
Chiffchaff - 6-10
Yellow-browed Warbler - 2

Ringing totals
Unremarkable with all the Robins caught at HNR:  Yellow-browed Warbler (1), Chiffchaff (6), Blackcap (2), Robin (6 - a good total for October), Wren (3), Bullfinch (2), Great Tit (1), Dunnock (1), Blue Tit (3), Goldcrest (3), Treecreeper (1), Meadow Pipit (5), Lesser Redpoll (2)

Information not yet available

Sorry will be topped up tomorrow - highlight 4 southbound Crossbill mid-morning Heysham NR BUT the only activity was mist-netting and in situ vis mig - on the evidence in the nets, an experienced migrant passerine searcher would have had at least one reward (trickle of Chiffchaff, Goldcrest with some vis mig, including more Redpoll)

Bit of an afternoon raptor fest over Middleton NR (thanks Janet)

Feathered Ranunculus was new for the year in the moth trap

Ring Ouzel tops the bill

Heysham Obs
A morning off checking moth traps and Kevin Kelly fortunately did a bit of coverage and unearthed a Ring Ouzel on Middleton.  Thanks Kevin.  Couple of nice ringing recoveries

Goldcrest
Ringed : Embley Wood, Hampshire  3F   25/10/14
Caught:  Heysham NR  16/9/15   354km (NNW/SSE)

Actually aged it correctly - presumably on its way back south!

Chiffchaff
Ringed: Runcorn, Halton Cheshire 30/8/15
Caught:  Heysham NR  13/9/15     78km N

Reverse migration!!

Middleton/Heysham area
Chiffchaff - 4
Goldcrest - c12
Ring Ouzel - 1
Redwing - 2

Moths
Silver Y in evidence after a blank yesterday

Redwing arrive

The first Redwing of the season arrived today in the Heysham area.

Vis over Heysham NR
Bullfinch 4
Kestrel 1

Vis over Middleton NR 0700-1100
Gentle breeze S3, 7/8 cloud clearing after early morning rain, very mild 16C
Mistle Thrush - 15 in one flock SE
Redwing - 7 (2 with the Mistle Thrushes, then 5 late morning)
Song Thrush - 1 E
Lesser Redpoll - 7 SE
Grey Wagtail - 2 (1 trapped and ringed), plus 1 hanging about the sewage farm
alba wagtail -5
Chaffinch - 6 SE
Jackdaw - 2 S
Jay - 3 E
Skylark - 2 SE
Goldfinch - 19 +45

Other species of note: Water Rail - 2 (one in each reedbed), Reed Bunting 2, Goldcrest 1.

Record October wheatear count?

Heysham obs
Malcolm located 7 in a coastal trawl just after the rain finished with 5 together red nab and two Heysham head. Prompted a bit of canopy gazing, especially Heysham head but slim pickings

Heysham head pm
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldcrest - 5
Coal tit - at least 3
Tree creeper - at least one
Wheatear - 2

Red nab
Wheatear - 2 increasing to five red nab
Rock pipit - 1
Med gull - 3x 2cy, one adult

Yet another Yellow-browed Warbler in good fall conditions

Heysham Obs
Anyone own up to Goldcrest CXK886- a veritable pitfall of a potential misread!  It was treble-checked by two observers plus a magnifying glass 

Another Yellow-browed Warbler found by Jean Roberts this am and seen by Pete Marsh, but unfortunately flew over the top of the nets into the tank farm.  Quite a bit of early morning stuff (mostly Goldcrest) but then died off quickly, perhaps surprising for cloudy conditions and a species which usually lingers a bit but the wind of change was making itself felt by lunchtime

The other feature of the morning was a 'mutt meet' for bulldogs and large brown things - no prior knowledge of this and initially we wondered what on earth was going on!

Vis mig office area
Meadow Pipits in the cloud - grossly underestimated but not absolute hordes
Meadow Pipit - 42
alba Wagtail - 13
Lesser Redpoll - 3
Grey Wagtail - 1 plus a 'blogger'
Chaffinch - 15
Coal Tit - 3
Pink-footed Goose - 54+23+36

Grounded
Rock Pipit - north harbour wall
Wheatear - female Heysham Head
Goldcrest - 50ish on reserve
Chiffchaff - 5-8 reserve
Robin - small arrival
Treecreeper - 1
Blackcap - only one seen
Song Thrush - at least 3 migrants

Ringing on Heysham & Middleton NR (net not set in front of feeders to concentrate on migrants)
Goldcrest (44, including one ringed elsewhere), Chiffchaff (8, including bird ringed Leighton Moss), Blackcap (2), Robin (5), Chaffinch (1), Lesser Redpoll (18), Reed Bunting (1), Meadow Pipit (3)

Midddleton NR Vis
Meadow Pipit - 123
Pink-footed Goose - 48+60+32
Corvid sp. - 21 North

Another Yellow-browed Warbler morning

Heysham obs
A single call from the top path Heysham NR at 0725 remained unconfirmed with no 'spare' observers (from mist net duties) to follow it up.  A definite was caught and ringed Middleton NR at 0850 (see below) which then promptly disappeared.  However, a calling bird, seemingly in rapid transit, was heard by the two ringers at 1130hrs.  Different? - who knows, as it could not be seen

 



Grounded migrants Heysham/Middleton
Spotted Flycatcher - one showing well by Red Nab bushes
Yellow-browed Warbler - see above, only one confirmed individual
Goldcrest - c15
Chiffchaff - 8-10
Blackcap - at least 8 Middleton, only 3 seen HNR and area
Blackbird - one behaving like a continental migrant headed off high to SW
Song Thrush - one arrived from height and landed in some scrub HNR
As has been the case most of this week, despite plenty of Robin activity just after dawn no evidence of newly arrived migrants

Vis mig
Very hit and miss in the patchy fog
Jay - 1 S
Meadow Pipit - 89 SE
alba Wagtail - 10 SE
Grey Wagtail - 1 SEChaffinch - 6 S
Skylark - 1 SE
Siskin - heard x 3
Mistle Thrush - 4 high flyers - eventually SE
Jackdaw - 1 SW
Pink-footed Goose - large flock heard + 23 S
Long-tailed Tit - fairly excitable flock of 15 S mid-pm

Ringing Middleton/Heysham
Most of Chiffchaff Heysham, most of Blackcaps Middleton!
Blackcap (9), Chiffchaff (5), Yellow-browed Warbler (1), Goldcrest (8), Blue Tit (1), Meadow Pipit (3), Lesser Redpoll (1), Blackbird (2)

The bad news today was the perhaps inevitable, given the number of sightings and animals obviously using the mist net access paths, first 'trashing' of a superfine net by what must have been a Roe Deer

Insects
memo: male Black Darter photographed in the Nature Park two days ago - need to document (thanks Janice)

At least 15 Red Admiral and two Painted Lady flying south today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foggy thrash

Heysham Obs
Probably the best coverage this year was hampered by early morning fog.  Best birds were female Stonechat by the Moneyclose Lane anemometer and a Spotted Flycatcher on Heysham Head along the 'bramble track'.  Wanted:  birder to cover Heysham Head/Barrows daily during promising migration conditions

Heysham head
Spotted Flycatcher - 1
Blackcap - 3
Goldcrest - 5
Coal Tit - 14 arrived from north
Jay - two ditto

Vis mig Heysham Head (under canopy a lot of the time) 1000-1100:
Chaffinch - 7
Skylark - 5
Siskin - 2
Meadow Pipit - 15
alba Wagtail - 9

Red Nab bushes/coastal section of Middleton (thanks to Tom Wilmer)
Chiffchaff - 7
Blackcap - 2
Stonechat - female by anemometer

South harbour area/outfalls seawall
Rock Pipit - 3 (2 together)
Chiffchaff - one in firecrest brambles
Robin - 2
Kingfisher - one Heysham 2 outfall inner end for 5 minutes

North harbour wall mound area
Wren - 5
Robin - 5
Chiffchaff - 4 together in sea buckthorn
Meadow Pipit - 30
alba Wagtail - 16
Linnet - 19
Goldcrest - 1

Vis mig from coastal sites 0800-0920 intermittently
Meadow Pipit - 120  (including concentrated flightline along the wooden jetty
alba Wagtail - 35
Siskin - 2
Chaffinch - 2
Grey Wagtail - 3
Greylag - at least two SE

Vis mig Middleton
Meadow Pipit - 35
Redpoll - 3
Grey Wagtail - 3
Chaffinch - 6
alba Wagtail - 7
Jay - 1

Grounded Middleton
Goldcrest - 8 along edge of golf course
Coal Tit - 1+
Blackcap - at least 8

Combined ringing totals (new birds) -very slow in the fog
Blackcap (8), Lesser Redpoll (1), Coal Tit (1), Blue Tit (5), Wren (1), Blackbird (1), Meadow Pipit (3), Great Tit (1), Chiffchaff (3), Long-tailed Tit (3)

SEPTEMBER ringing totals = pretty good considering all the earlier season gloom and doom

1	Kingfisher
4	Sand Martin
114	Swallow
1	Tree Pipit
30	Meadow Pipit
78	Grey Wagtail
31	Wren
31	Dunnock
40	Robin
1	Song Thrush
4	Blackbird
2	Grasshopper Warbler
3	Sedge Warbler
13	Reed Warbler
8	Lesser Whitethroat
23	Whitethroat
1	Garden Warbler
79	Blackcap
1	Yellow-browed Warbler
85	Chiffchaff
20	Willow Warbler
85	Goldcrest
1	Firecrest
14	Long-tailed Tit
25	Coal Tit
45	Blue Tit
23	Great Tit
1	Treecreeper
6	Chaffinch
22	Greenfinch
100	Goldfinch
7	Lesser Redpoll
3	Bullfinch
19	Reed Bunting