Heysham Obs
An alsation plus owner flushed a chunk of waders up towards the Ocean Edge section of the low high tideline this morning, the rest went the other way, too far to discern but seemingly mainly small calidrids. They were the only tideline miscreants today. At last, some waders along this tideline after an early autumn of chronic disturbance
Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 2 x ad, 2 x 2CY, 4-5 x juv
Sandwich Tern - ad
Whimbrel - 2
Bar-tailed Godwit - 109
Grey Plover - 68
Dunlin - 35
Knot - 30
Grey Wagtail - 2 south-east - almost certainly the Middleton ones
Middleton NR
Grey Wagtail - 2 SE (one ringed)
Sparrowhawk - young male ringed
Newly-ringed warblers from memory comprised: 6 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Whitethroat (plus bird ringed elsewhere), 12 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler, 3 Reed Warbler, one Sedge Warbler. A young Grasshopper Warbler was retrapped.
Middleton evening
About 20 Swallows caught and ringed including one ringed elsewhere - S09xxxx from memory - a bit odd as this sequence would normally have been used ages ago, yet a pristine ring on a juv. Re-read several times by two people! Good to have a nice quiet evening without reeling Grasshopper Warblers. Roost about 40 birds, so still small
Moths
Quite autumnal all of a sudden with 5 x Sallow, 2 x Canary shouldered Thorn, Eudonia angustea, Agriphila geniculea, and Flounced Rustic by far the commonest at 30. An Old Lady lurked behind the door!
