Anything but a Med

No-one mentioned Med Gulls today but there were plenty of other odds and ends

Ringing saw coverage of Middleton with 6 nets and Heysham office with 3 nets and about equal numbers of new birds at each site, with 114 new ones.  Highlights:

Cetti's Warbler - new juveniles were ringed in both the western and central marshes along with a different brood "1J" i.e. very recently out of the nest in the central marsh - nice CES captures in central marsh nets
Other warblers - 57 new ones ringed between the two sites:  Reed (5), Sedge (7), Lesser White (7), White (20), Garden  (1), Chiff (1), Willow (13) and Blackcap (3)
Tree Pipit - one ringed western marsh - the only one encountered
Great-spotted Woodpecker - juvenile ringed

Rock Pipit - at least two along half-moon bay shore
Shag - 2CY feeding in harbour 

Green sand reappears

Med numbers seem to be about half what they were - similarly Black-headed

About 21 Meds but very few adults today (12 2CY)

Green Sandpiper - Tim Butler pond

Whimbrel - Red Nab

Canada Goose - A group of 26 Canada Geese flew SW along the shoreline off Heysham Village Bay, followed shortly afterwards by c.30 south over Knowlys Road, Heysham, plus another 6 on the edge of the low tide channel of Royds Avenue this am (per Pete Crooks)

Large white headed gulls

Reidentified as 2CY Lesser Black-backed Gull but a large one! Quite a striking 2CY white-headed large gull in the Red Nab roost seemed to tick the boxes for Yellow-legged Gull.  Several record shots taken - more will be added tomorrow.  Impressions of the striking tail pattern are hinted at in some of the shots but unfortunately it flew off south on its own soon after another birder was put on to it - definitely on the move as it didn't drop in with the secondary roost off Ocean Edge saltmarsh.  NB bill is all-dark - trick of the light in pic below

Little Gull - ad
Med Gull - much reduced numbers with only 11 located on incoming tide but at least 20 later on after the tide, including at least one, probably two unread 2CY
Grey Plover - 210 on mudflats S of Ocean Edge
Willow Warbler - two at the new migrant hotspot where PF was yesterday!

Migrant Pied Flycatcher

This was great but threw into sharp focus how time is passing us by without much coverage, ringing-wise, of the warbler passage due to a variety of reasons.   Rain tomorrow followed by some sunny north-westerly rubbish on Saturday, marginal on Sunday but a decent looking day on Monday, so hopefully the timing of the bits of rain next week will be favourable and coincide with availability

Thanks very much to Richard and Margaret & Mark for having a go at the Meds today.  Unfortunately the great wadge of juveniles did not seem to include the two darvic-ringed birds present the other day, with one of these missing being read by literally a micro-second! Such is the frustration of ring-reading which requires a heap of patience.   The two regular green-ringed German adults were read again today

Pied Flycatcher - one f/imm flycatching from the inner security fence near the reed bed by Heysham one power station outfall.  No pics as per protocol there
Med Gull - min of 59 incoming tide mid-pm - 17 juvs, 5 2CY, 8 3CY, rest adults.  By that time some of the Red Nab gathering will probably have moved off across the sandflats
Little Gull - ad now lost virtually all sp on head - unless a different bird - pretty quick!

Med Gull update
1A121586/Green ASRE

10.06.2016  Nestling  Rehbach Gravel Pit, Leipzig, Sachsen 51° 15' 54'' N 12° 17' 4'' E

15.07.2016 Rehbach Gravel Pit, Leipzig, Sachsen 51° 15' 54'' N 12° 17' 4'' E

25.12.2016 Azurara, Vila do Conde, Porto Portugal 41° 20' 25'' N 8° 44' 38'' W

08.03.2017 Mouth of river Piles, Gijon, Asturias Spain 43° 32' 30'' N 5° 38' 43'' W
10.03.2017 Playa El Rinconin, Gijon, Asturias Spain 43° 32' 54'' N 5° 38' 19'' W

10.03.2017 Playa El Rinconin, Gijon, Asturias Spain 43° 32' 54'' N 5° 38' 19'' W

12.03.2017 Playa El Rinconin, Gijon, Asturias Spain 43° 32' 54'' N 5° 38' 19'' W

23.03.2017 Playa de San Lorenzo, Gijon, Asturias Spain 43° 32' 32'' N 5° 39' 10'' W

25.05.2017 Rehbach Gravel Pit, Leipzig, Sachsen Germany 51° 15' 54'' N 12° 17' 4'' E
22.06.2017 Gunners Park, Shoeburyness, Essex England 51° 31' 32'' N 0° 46' 58'' E
12.09.2017 Heysham Power Station Outfalls, Lancashire, England 54° 1' 52'' N 2° 55' 27'' W

05.02.2018 Playa de San Lorenzo, Gijon, Asturias Spain 43° 32' 32'' N 5° 39' 10'' W

01.04.2018 Montmirail Landfill, colony, Sarthe France 48° 6' 35'' N 0° 45' 55'' E
31.07.2018 Heysham Power Station Outfalls, Lancashire, England 54° 1' 52'' N 2° 55' 27'' W
02.08.2018 Heysham Power Station Outfalls, Lancashire, England 54° 1' 52'' N 2° 55' 27'' W

Juvenile Meds

A very quick check as the tide was turning saw most of the Med Gulls actively feeding and it was a good opportunity to count the number of Juvs.  There were at least nine but counting the older birds was very difficult and not undertaken

Other stuff
Shag - wooden jetty
Whimbrel - Red Nab
Little Gull - outfalls

Med Gull sighting
News through on LCG (not LCC as published earlier).  This probably moulted at Heysham during the intervening year but the birds are very hard to document as they have better food supplies than a loaf of bread!
LCG/3693897    pullus    24/06/2010  De Kreupel Island, Ijsselmeer, Noord-Holland, NL 52,48N 5,14E                 
                             19/08/2010  Knott, End-on-Sea,Lancashire, GB  53,35N 2,59W  Batty, Chris

                             20/08/2010  Cocker's Dyke, Pilling Lane, Lancashire, GB  53,35N 2,57W  Batty, Chris

                             20/02/2011  Malaga harbour, Malaga, SPAIN  36,43N 4,25W  Garcia, Rafa
                             11/08/2013  Heysham Harbour, Lancashire, GB  54,02N 2,55W  Prestwood, Mark
                             09/01/2015  Olhao salinas, Algarve, PORTUGAL  37,02N 7,48W  Waasdorp, Stef
                             19/01/2016  Santa Cruz, La Coruña, SPAIN  43,21N 8,2W  López Porto, Antonio
                             18/01/2017  Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W  Diaz Pallares, Ivan
                             29/12/2017  Playa de El Rinconin, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,38W  Fernandez Gonzalez, César
                             21/01/2018  Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W  Fernandez Gonzalez, César
                             30/01/2018  Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W  Fernandez Gonzalez, César
                             31/01/2018  Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W  Fernandez Gonzalez, César
                             02/02/2018  Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W  Diaz Pallares, Ivan
                             03/02/2018  Playa de El Rinconin, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,38W  Fernandez Gonzalez, César
                             08/02/2018  Playa de El Rinconin, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,38W  Fernandez Gonzalez, César
                             09/02/2018  Playa de El Rinconin, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,38W  Diaz Pallares, Ivan
                             31/07/2018  Heysham,outfalls Lancashire, GB  54,03N 2,54W

Meds reach record levels but a few dog problems on Red Nab

Having said that it was another frustrating day for ring-reading until Richard in the evening when three were read - all adults from previous years, hopefully with some interesting sightings since they were last read here - this time due to scope shake and alarm calling large gulls

Arctic Tern - ad and juv outfalls/Red Nab

Thanks Janet

Med Gull - 62 (12 2CY, 4 juv, rest ad or 3CY) - record count
Little Gull - ad
Shag - 2Cy wooden jetty at high tide
Dunlin - 1,100 on Red Nab until flushed by Red Setter
Green Sandpiper - one Middleton NR
Little Grebe - two ad one juv Middleton NR
Kingfisher - IOA (year??) Middleton

Two days running of dog problems on Red Nab - one of the dog walking companies yesterday - not one I am familiar with and comprising a single lady with an unnamed company.   Today a very distinctive lady in green with a red setter & smaller black dog and hair dyed the same colour as the Red Setter!

Please try and find an opportunity to explain about high tide roosts if you come across any flushing incidents - especially any perceived (likely repetitive) dog walking companies.

Recent recoveries not already mentioned:
Swallow
S784839          Juv       13/08/17          Middleton
Recaptured      Ad F     09/06/18          Thornton (Merseyside) 60km S 300 days.

This is the second time a Middleton ringed juvenile has been caught at Thornton during the breeding season

Med Gull
FS32314/PRK4   Breeding 3CY F   26/5/18  Wisla, Mazowieckie, POLAND 52 28N 19 57E
Seen                                                  26/7/18    Heysham Red Nab    1518km WNW            

Meds getting near record levels

................but a very frustrating time with ring reading with a badly timed weather front and rain on glasses and optics

Med Gull - 49; 35 Ad/3CY, 8 2CY, 6 juv.  Absolute minimum of 7 colour-ringed birds: 3 x green ad, one x red ad, one x white ad, one x white juv, one ad with a ring with a 'pale' background.  None read today due to the best period being very wet

Sandwich Tern - one off Heysham skeer evening

To be added

Yet more Meds

Ad Med and Ad Little incoming tide this am

Unringed juv outfalls (thanks Malcolm)

Thanks to Richard for persevering in horrible conditions this morning with the attempted Med ring-reading
So far then:

R13E - returning French bird seen here in at least three late summers since 2011 - must have a decent life history now - white letters on green background

FS71953/R13E Nestling 15/06/2009 Oye Plage, Les Huttes d'Oye, Pas-de-Calais, FRANCE  50,59N 2,03E Seen 20/09/2009 Le Portel, Pas-de-Calais, FRANCE  50,42N 1,34E Seen 07/02/2010 Piriac-sur-Mer, Loire-Atlantique, FRANCE  47,23N 2,33W Seen 18/02/2010 Piriac-sur-Mer, Loire-Atlantique, FRANCE  47,23N 2,33W Seen 21/04/2010 Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W Seen 27/04/2011 Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W Seen 03/08/2011 Heysham outfalls Seen 21/07/2013 Heysham outfalls Seen 22/07/2013 Heysham outfalls Seen 31/12/2014 Noyalo, étang, Pont Grandic, Noyalo, Morbihan, FRANCE  47,37N 2,41W Seen 05/07/2015 Heysham outfalls Seen 23/07/2016 Heysham outfalls Seen 06/03/2017 Playa de El Rinconin, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,38W Seen 28/07/2018 Heysham outfalls
ANLT - white letters on green background.  Another returning bird which has been re-ringed on the nest (German) 5405056/AKRS then replaced with ANLT from 22.05.2016 Nestling M 16.06.2012  Pionierinsel Lühe, Steinkirchen, Stade, Niedersachsen, GERMANY 53 34N 9 36E Seen 08.07.2013  Heysham outfalls Seen 13.07.2013  Heysham outfalls Seen 21.07.2013  Heysham outfalls Seen 14.05.2016  Pionierinsel Lühe, Steinkirchen, Stade, Niedersachsen, GERMANY 53 34N 9 36E Caught/nest 22.05.2016 Pionierinsel Lühe, Steinkirchen, Stade, Niedersachsen, GERMANY 53 34N 9 36E Seen 31.03.2017 Pionierinsel Lühe, Steinkirchen, Stade, Niedersachsen, GERMANY 53 34N 9 36E Seen 30.08.2017 Heysham outfalls Seen 28.07.2018 Heysham outfalls PKR4 - white letters on red background - Polish - no info yet Please do have a go at ring reading if you are down there - at least one more adult, one 3CY and two juvs seen in recent days which have not been read.   Low or early incoming tide probably best Reed Warbler - just received info of a Reed Warbler caught on 4/5/18 when there was a massive fall of migratory warblers, including two Belgian, one French and one British Sedge Warbler controls  (on a CES!).  This Reed Warbler has just recently been caught on territory at Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland where they are still pretty scarce and relatively recent colonists.   One previous example of a spring-ringed bird subsequently breeding elsewhere in the same season was just across the Bay at Barrow!! Richard's Donaghey's email this am: "I'm sure your guys will have picked up on this but we are very pleased to have our first Reed Warbler recovery. We only began ringing along the west shore of Lough Neagh last year with two visits and we were very pleased to ring c120 Sedge Warblers and an amazing 30 Reed Warblers, which from your time in NI, you'll know this is a massive total! We were very surprised that that we didn't get a single control from c150 acros, even on the way back north this spring. On the first visit this year that changed when we caught your Middleton Reed Warbler and  French Sedge Warbler, hopefully more to come" Little Gull - ad around Shag - wooden jetty Whimbrel - saltmarsh

More Meds

Med Gull - totals for the day saw minimum 35 adult/3CY, one 3CY, 7 2CY and three juvs = 46
Little Gull - adult
Shag - 2CY wooden jetty
Dunlin - 400 or so
Curlew - 180 plus including bird with red flag above tarsus left leg

Migrant Hawker by wooden jetty

Little Grebe & young Middleton

Latish Poplar Hawk-moth in trap