National moth night highlights

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Four Med Gulls here: Czech-ringed adult, unringed adult and two 2nd summer moulting to adult winter. No sign of last winter's 1st summer

No sign of the Black Guillemots during this early morning visit

Moth trap
The rather subdued highlights in the toilet trap were Southern Wainscot (smaller than yesterday's individual) and a latish example of that Heysham specialist, Straw Underwing.

Elsewhere
North Lancs. NMN highlights so far
In retrospect we should have really highlighted how good a cloud muggy drizzly period is just prior to the rain proper! Early indications suggest that some may have been put off by the weather. For those who went for it, it was an excellent night, although the rain arrived just too early to sheet and light the Roeburndale oakwoods. The first hour of darkness provided the best moorland moth trapping conditions this year, as is so often the case just prior to heavy rain.

In so far: Blomer's Rivulet (Yealand garden trap), Four Pale Eggar, three Confused, Ling (form of Wormwood) Pug and a Grey Mountain Carpet on sheet and light Leck Fell (2115 to 2215), Barred Chestnut and no less than 5 Striped Twin-spot Carpet in an actinic set on Warton Crag LWT section, Scalloped Hook-tip (4th record for VC60) at Lord's Lot Bog, Red Carpet & Buff Footman (range extension) at Greenbank Farm near Thrushgill, Yellow-barred Brindle at High Tatham, a late Silver Ground Carpet at Leck village

Birds: same again at Leighton Moss with 3 Spoonbill and up to 14 Little Egret. TWO Yellow-legged Gull adults on the Lune Estuary near Glasson.

a few bits

Heysham Obs
The Black Guillemots were reportedly still present mid-afternoon

Moths
Reasonable catch included Toadflax Pug, Southern Wainscot & Chinese Character

Elsewhere
3 Spoonbill & 13 Little Egret Leighton Moss. Osprey carrying a fish Melling, Lune valley this evening. A pre-rain National Moth Night trapping session up Leck Fell included 3 Confused, 4 Pale Eggar and a Grey Mountain Carpet