Ducks provide todays very minor highlight

Heysham Obs
This weather is a waste of precious late September migrant time in this area - you need a real 'hooley' or some nice easterlies, not this "nothing" weather which is too windy for mistnetting but not windy enough to stop migrants tricking through, therefore 'routine coverage' for an hour or so is the order of the day.  There was quite a bit of vis mig this morning

Moving on to next Wednesday, there is an event which seems to be likely to take place in a shirt-sleeves 'indian summer' with a lightish south-easterly and temperatures in the late teens.  Hope there is not too much heat-haze!   See sidebar for details

Vis mig by the office 0715-0815 (minus about 7 minutes)
Meadow Pipit - 220 SE
alba Wagtail - 27 SE
Grey Wagtail - 5 SE (1+2+2)
Chaffinch - 47 S/SW
Swallow - 3 SE
Goldfinch - 24 S
Reed Bunting - 1 S

Inshore
Shelduck - "dramatic" increase from just two in recent days to 87 Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Med Gull - 2 x ad, 1 x 1CY, 1 x 2CY Red Nab
Little Gull - ad outfalls. then Red Nab
Arctic Tern - seemed to be 3 x juv and 1 x adult but difficult to be certain as very mobile

Middleton NR model boat pond
Tufted Duck - 6 - ducks have been conspicuous by their absence on Middleton NR in recent weeks, notably Teal and this suggests an increased element of disturbance (not by bird ringers as it has just not been calm enough since late August)

Grounded
Chiffchaff - 2

Moths
A good catch for this time of year as is often the case in (sheltered) south-westerlies.  Highlighted by a rather belated first Red Underwing of the year, also the first Red-line Quaker.  Also now TWO Lunar Underwing (both different from the previous two), 6 Treble Bar, Acleris emargana, Parsnip Moth, 2 Common Marbled Carpet, 5 Pink-barred Sallow, 2 Green-brindled Crescent, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Silver Y and 4 Black Rustic 

Elsewhere
A very quick trip to Sunderland saw 1 x juv Curlew Sandpiper (on its own) off the toilet block and a collection of gulls at the mouth of the main creek on Lades Marsh included 2 x ad and 2 x 1CY Med Gulls