Heysham Obs
A dawn start with mist nets for an hour or so might have been profitable today. Pretty hopeless after about 0745hrs with a strong easterly (but no low cloud) producing nothing new, despite three checks of the outfalls area
Office area
Willow Warbler - at least 10 calling at 0715hrs
Chiffchaff - at least 4 calling 0715hrs
Lesser Whitethroat - one by office
Tree Pipit - one south-east
Swallow - 4 SE
North wall
Goldfinch/Linnet - 10 or each on the north wall on thistles
Wheatear - one
Kestrel - one - seen there two days ago
Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Med Gull - 4 2CY, 2 juv, 2 adult
Little Gull - adult
Grey Plover - 163
Knot - 85
Bar-tailed Godwit - 170
Dunlin - 185
all the above waders very distant along the tideline
Redshank - 419 - Ocean Edge saltmarsh creek/Red Nab
Oystercatcher - just 1950 Red Nab/OE beach
Moths
Brown Silver Line was a bit of a surprise this late in the season. Double-lobed was new for the season in the hut trap. Cochylis dubitana was also, I think, new for the year - a highly localised coastal species in VC60 with most records from here Overnight sheet and light trapping below the classroom produced a Kitten which looks a candidate for Poplar - it is being checked out at the moment. Also notable there were lesser Swallow Prominent (very rare in the hut trap!), Fen Wainscot x 2, Southern Wainscot and another Double Lobed
Butterflies
There was a Red Admiral next to the office yesterday and the north wall (SD36V) produced Peacock and Common Blue this morning with an excellent profusion of flowers - worth a moth trap session if they would switch the harbour lights off for a night!
