Heysham Obs
Lunar Underwing was a very common late autumn moth in the 1990s with up to 850 or so per year (yes, these need putting on MapMate!). However, it all started to go wrong in the noughties with a moderate 224 in 2002, followed by 2003 (60), 2004 (44), 2005 (81), 2006 (19), 2007 (4), then none until this morning. It has declined all along the Lancashire coast which getting towards the northern edge of its range
Outfalls area early morning, lunchtime & mid afternoon
Arctic Tern - 2 adults, 5-6 juvs
Common Tern - one juv
Little Gull - 2CY (beware, it has not grown its diagnostic post-moult 2CY outer primaries and looks superficially like a "round-winged adult") and adult
Med Gull - 4 1CY, 1 2CY and 2 adult
Kittiwake - 1CY behind the IOM ferry
Wheatear - one OE foreshore, one on the NHW mound
Office area
Goldcrest - 1
Chiffchaff - 1
Late afternoon seawatch
Gannet - 1 2CY
Moths
Good catch for this time of year with the first Lunar Underwing (see above) and Green-brindled Crescent of the year, 4 Black Rustic, 4 Treble Bar, 2 scruffy Square-spot Rustic, a Frosted Orange, a Setaceous Hebrew Character, 9 Pink-barred Sallow and a Light-brown Apple Moth (which seems to have crashed a bit the last two years)
