Heysham Obs
Rather too late a start this morning - it wasnt supposed to be flat calm!! The weather forecasting for this area has been atrocious this last fortnight. This was a real shame, having just accessed the Walney & Fleetwood birder sites and also been aware of the contrasting lack of any substantial passage on the usually excellent Caton Moor site. Impressions at Heysham from 1015hrs, however, were that the Meadow Pipit passage was miniscule compared to Walney with no obvious evidence that there were contrastingly huge early morning movements (which would also surely have been reflected at Caton Moor and the movement at Rossall certainly seemed to get off to a slow start?). Therefore most of the movement, in very clear weather, was along the 'outer west coast' i.e. Walney to Rossall. We've already missed your early morning Stone Jetty cameos this morning, Jon, with no adequate replacement in sight! Therefore the only early morning vis coverage in this area was at Caton Moor and Bryan Yorke covering Hutton Roof. Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about the early morning Heysham vis/ringing miss was the good Grey Wagtail passages at both Rossall and Walney - previous experience suggests that Heysham, whilst never receiving the same Meadow Pipit numbers, is usually better for this species - one reason why we are colour-ringing them
Ocean Edge/Red Nab mid-late morning
Little Stint - one juvenile (deja-vu 2008!)
Dunlin - c250
Knot - c550
Black-tailed Godwit - 6
Med Gull - 2 adults
Little Egret - just one
Rock Pipit - first of the autumn along the foreshore
Vis mig 1015-1055
Meadow Pipit - 42
Skylark - 5
Chaffinch - 13
alba Wagtail - 4
Pink-footed Goose - 37
Carrion Crow - 3
Butterflies
Painted Lady 3, Red Admiral 5 (3 heading south), Speckled Wood 6+ - all by the NR office
Elsewhere
Great White Egret - 2 Allen/EM Pools, later in the Island Mere roost (one French-ringed). A record 61 Little Egret on the shore (57++ in the roost). Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper Aldcliffe area on Lune itself
