Three Yellow-Browed Warblers!

A basically dry day with just the occasional very light shower. Mainly overcast. A SE breeze freshening during the day.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Report by Pete:

Vis mig included 16 plus 40 Redwing south, flock of 20 starling south, 120 pink feet north.   Two redwing/song thrush flew out of the bushes then high inland
Ringing saw 16 new Chiffchaff, two migrant Cetti’s Warbler, single Yellow Browed Warbler which was colour ringed and single unringed Robin, Blue tit, Dunnock probably passing through along with five unringed LTT.  No attempt to ring at the feeder (wind)

Yellow-Browed Warbler - Caught by office 0900 - released by fire pond
also low double figures chiffchaff.

Another Yellow-Browed Warbler opposite power station security lodge with tits (unringed) - Shaun

Shaun had a walk around 

A single Chiffchaff was the only migrant on the HNR extra to above. Very quiet.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Shaun checked today

Middleton NR North Section. No migrants! 

Gadwall 3 and a pair of Little Grebes on No Swimming Pond and a Tufted Duck on Main Pond. 

Three Cetti's Warblers singing along the footpath & marsh opposite Sulby Tate kennels on Carr Road. 

Yellow-browed Warbler at Middleton NR South Section with 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Blackcaps. Another 2 Chiffchaffs and a group of 7 Long-tailed Tits were also seen. 

The red marker showing the location of the YBW with Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.
The main pond and the smaller "no swimming" pond are where it says Middleton Nature Reserve 
The Tim Butler pond is in the top left corner, and the pond on the south side circled.

Little Grebe - Janet

Peter and Rosemary visited yesterday 

We hadn't expected seeing a great deal and were pleasantly surprised by the amount of Common Darters around, particularly at the Southern End.

Southern End

Common Darters Mating 3 prs

Common Darter in Tandem 2 prs

Male Common Darter 9

Hawker Spec 1 (It was only a very fleeting sighting and too far away to determine whether it was a Migrant or Southern)

Speckled Wood 2

Heard

Chiffchaff

Main Pond

Male Common Darter 8

Harlequin Ladybird 1

Mute Swans 1 pr

Moorhen 4

Coot 2

Heard

Cettis Warbler

Common Darters mating in a typical location

This pair choosing the clothing option 

Ovipositoring pair of Common Darters

Harlequin Ladybird

Speckled Wood

Close up of a Blow Fly. It looks to be singing!

Heysham skear Malcolm 16:00 - 15:30

Eider 56

Eider

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Male merganser

Shag 1 immature 

Shag

Shag on the rock on the left, Cormorant on the one on the right

Little Egret 15

Little Egret, Eider, Carrion Crow, Oystercatchers and a Curlew

The Lesser Black-Backed gull was screaming at the Egret forcing them to leave.

Grey Heron 1

Curlew, a flock of 40 was arriving from the east as I set out.

Oystercatcher 1000 but more on the shore to the south

Redshank c250

Knot were arriving all the time, I checked c1500 for almost 30 minutes but I could only find the same juvenile flagged bird that I seem to see every visit. Later another 500 arrived but the light was already fading quickly.

Turnstone 40

Oystercatchers and Knot

Knot

The light quickly drained away, time to leave

Plenty of Snipe plus passing Whoopers

A dry and often sunny day with a light variable breeze

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report by Alan

From the overnight weather synopsis it was difficult to predict what migrant arrival or overhead movement there might be this morning. However, I did set the two nets at the feeders behind the office. A total of 62 birds was captured.  17 of these were retraps. A single Chiffchaff, a Song Thrush, a Cetti’s Warbler and two Chaffinches were caught, the remainder being mostly finches and tits attracted by the feeders as listed here:
Greenfinch  16
Great Tit  4 + 1 retrap
Goldfinch  12 + 12 retraps
Blue Tit  6
Robin  2 + 1 retrap
Dunnock  3 retraps

Report by Pete Crooks
Heysham Nature Reserve
2 Cetti’s Warbler – 1 calling by the Tank Farm pond, 1 calling from the main marsh
1 Water Rail – calling from main marsh
1 Chiffchaff
10 Song Thrush over the main marsh
210 Pink-footed Geese – 16 + 7 flew north, 120 + 35 + 32 flew south
Also: 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Jay, 6+ Long-tailed Tit

Red Nab – Heysham Harbour – Ocean Edge
1 Stonechat – Red Nab
36 Wigeon – Heysham Stage Two outfall (but no sign of yesterday’s Arctic Tern)
1 juvenile Shag and 48 Cormorant – Heysham Wooden Pier
3 adult Mediterranean Gull – Red Nab
16 Whooper Swan – flew south off Ocean Edge
57 Common Snipe and 2 Jack Snipe – flushed off Ocean Edge salt marsh by rising tide
Shaun Coyle and Pete Crooks

The above report is part of Pete's report on LDBWS website. If you would like to see the full report.

https://lancasterbirdwatching.org.uk/forums/topic/heaton-marsh-and-heysham-area/

Malcolm 10:15 - 11:45

I didn't see anything not covered by Pete and Shaun above, but did get some shots of the Whoopers.

Whooper Swans heading towards the Lune estuary 

Wigeon on the saltmarsh 

Heliport - Howard

I spent a good hour on site watching a small group of knot on the shoreline of the outer wall, there were 55 in total but non colour marked

Knot

There was c40 common snipe in the field which took flight as I was checking the Oystercatchers

Rock Pipit 1

Grey Wagtail 1

Crab/Lobster creels washed up below the play area out from Knowlys Rd - Joanne Byrne

Heaton Marsh – 3 Glossy Ibis again close to Lancaster Road at 8.15 am and 12:10

Arctic Tern best of a windswept day

The strong wind continued but still from NW. Heavy showers with sunny spells in between.

South shore - Malcolm 09:30 - 11:00

Almost the opposite to yesterday, fine when I set off but caught two showers as I was out.

Linnet 150 on the saltmarsh on the way out. It was raining when I was coming back so I didn't check the saltmarsh again for snipe.

Shelduck 18. 12 out from the saltmarsh plus 6 south past the roundhead

Shelduck 

Wigeon 20+ around Red Nab

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab before retreating into the Power Station 

Rock Pipit

Cormorants heading to the wooden jetty

Mediterranean Gull 1 2nd calendar year south past the roundhead

Mediterranean Gull

Arctic Tern 1 juvenile on No.1 outfall

It was very difficult to pick out against the sea, which was basically the
same colours. It also moved very quickly!

I eventually managed some better shots

Pete:

Arctic Tern still on outfalls 1315ish 
plus 9 ad/sub ad Mediterranean gulls arriving from south past ocean edge and a 1cy on outfalls

So at least 11 Meds today 

A seesaw day

A strong west wind with very heavy showers till mid morning. Then the wind shifted NW and the sun came out! Heavy showers again by evening.

South shore - Malcolm 09:30 - 11:15

I set off in heavy rain and wouldn't have believed that I would be walking back in bright sunshine!

Lesser Black-Backed, Great Black-Backed and Black-Headed gull 
in the lee of the foreshore 

Lesser Black-Backed (left) and Great Black Backed gulls

Wigeon 42 flew from Red Nab, later there were 32 on the saltmarsh 

Some of the Wigeon about to leave Red Nab

Wigeon

These two are later on the saltmarsh when the sun was out

Shelduck 1 south

1st calendar year Common Gull (top) and 1st calendar year Black-Headed Gull

Mediterranean Gull 1 1st calendar year feeding on No.1 outfall

1cy Mediterranean Gull, it has a very pale mask

It wasn't easy standing still in the blustery wind, but it was relatively easy tracking the gulls, as although they were doing a lot of flying against the wind, they weren't actually moving very far! This is the Mediterranean Gull.

On the way back the tide was full and at 9.2m covered most of the saltmarsh. So I walked around the edge.

Common Snipe 10 lifted and left towards Middleton Nature Reserve. I expect more would have left before I arrived 

Jack Snipe 3 lifted and resettled back in the marsh fringes. Good views, but too quick for me to get a shot today 

Linnet 150

Linnet

Greenfinch 8

Reed Bunting 3

There have been Harlequin Ladybirds along this fence leading to Ocean Edge
all summer. You can see there are still several on every post

Harlequin Ladybirds 

What a difference a day makes!

A clear night followed by a clear sunny morning. More overcast in the afternoon as the early NE breeze shifted to a westerly. Rain by evening 

Heysham Nature Reserve

Not a lot in crystal clear morning.  I only saw two small thrush spp take off from the tank farm and fly inland and the nets held very little but there were two chiffchaff caught first thing and a single coal tit notable for this autumn! - Pete

I took this photo as there are very few birds today!  - Jean

Fly Agaric, one of several interesting fungi around the reserve

100 Pink-Footed geese high to the south and 19 Wood Pigeons south

South shore - Janet

Just the regular stuff today.....

Linnets around the salt marsh

Redshank

Little Egret

Heliport - Janet

Oystercatchers on the Heliport wall

Knot, undecided where to roost

Lapwing 

House Sparrow picking Blackberries 

Middleton Nature Reserve - Rosemary and Peter

Shortly after arriving at Middleton, the clear blue sky of early morning was beginning to turn slightly hazy with the cloud already starting to move in and the breeze getting more noticeable.

Southern End:

Southern Hawker 1

Male Common Darter 8

Common Frog 1

Noon Fly 2

We didn't see any Migrant Hawkers, Lone Female Common Darters, Common Darters in Tandem or Ovipositing and no Speckled Woods.

Chiffchaff heard

Main Pond:

No RVD seen today 

Male Common Darter 4

Large Wainscot 1

Mute Swans 1 pr

Mallard 8

Coot 2

Heron 1 flying over

Long Tailed Tits heard

Southern Hawker on the south side 

This Common Darter settled on Rosemary's hand!

A more conventional, albeit artificial resting place

Mute Swans on the main pond

Large Wainscot

Noon Fly

Heysham skear - Malcolm 13:30 - 15:00

A flock of 30 Curlew were just arriving overland from the east as I set off

Eider 68

A handsome pair of Eider

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Red-breasted Merganser 

Great Crested Grebe 1

Great Crested Grebe looking scary 

Little Egret 3

Herring Gulls c50

They are still finding seed Mussels 

Waders similar to recent, although there weren't many Knot at first. Possibly they had already been dispersed by an attack as they were constantly arriving in small groups. At least 1500 by the time I had finished. Many young birds and only two previously seen colour coded birds seen.

This juvenile Knot settled at my feet. You can see the delicate patterning 
of its plumage 

This Curlew look like its looking up. But in reality it is both looking down
for food, and up checking for danger

The three Glossy Ibis again today at southern end of tidal road, Heaton Marsh