Woodcock new for autumn

Office area from dawn
Woodcock - one in flight by the office
Brambling - one
Grey Wagtail - 1
Blackbird - c20 inland
Redwing - c10
Siskin - 2
Chaffinch - 20
Fieldfare - 2
Song Thrush - 4+
Lesser Redpoll - one ringed

Miscellany
Med Gull - at least one around including this following the ferry in (not the Czech bird)

Little gull 1 adult No.2 outflow and sitting on seawall
Either this is not the same bird as the returning moulting adult or something, maybe health, is stopping it behave as normal

Rock pipit 1 on Ocean Edge foreshore
Skylark - one OE saltmarsh
BH Gull - TMIC harbour
Eider - 20 lt channel
Great crest Grebe - 3 lt channel

Wednesday - Bit of variety

The most interesting theme this morning was a significant if rather localised movement of Blackbirds inland from the 'tank farm' first thing with 131 in total, including a loose gang of 77, plus a new Cetti's at Middleton.

Little gull -  adult started feeding on No.2 outflow just after tide covered Red Nab. Earlier 1 adult preening on Red Nab plus 1 adult or possibly 2CY flew in to bay.
Purple Sandpiper - landed on base of sea wall near No.2 outflow, with 6 Turnstone, just as tide reached the wall.
Rock pipit 1 near lighthouse.
Grey Wagtail - colour ringed bird Red Nab from 14/9/19 L/M  metal/O

Vis mig
Chaffinch - 107
Reed Bunting - 2
Greenfinch - 4
Goldfinch - 80
Linnet - 3
Skylark - 1
Redwing - 239
Blackbird - see above
Fieldfare - 212
Song Thrush - 5
Starling - 52
Pink-foot - 35 N
Whooper Swan - 12 east
Woodpigeon - 11
Carrion Crow - 36
Jackdaw - 30

On sea
Great -c Grebe - 4
RBM - 2
Wigeon - 110 Red Nab

Grounded
Blackcap - one ringed HNR office
Cetti's Warbler - new one ringed Middeton NR
Chiffchaff - heard calling HNR



 

28 & 29 October

Tuesday 29 October

Heysham Head and Heysham NR
Visible migration 07:30-09:30
Weather: NE F3, clear, 0-10C, 1029mB
Finch passage mainly heading along the coast into the wind.
Chaffinch 152 (largest flock = 44)
Brambling 4
Redpoll sp 5
Greenfinch 4
Goldfinch 7
Siskin 2
Skylark 8
Linnet 2
alba wagtail 1 (south)
Fieldfare 15
Mistle Thrush 1
Blackbird 4
Starling 10 (south)
Meadow Pipit 7 (south) c20 grounded Near Head
Whooper Swan 10 (4 +6 south- see photo below)
Woodpigeon 40 (south)
Carrion Crow 6
Rook 2
Jackdaw 30
(NB Swallow at 12:50)

These Whoopers flew directly over my head and in the time it took to scrabble for my phone they had almost disappeared from view.

In the low tide channel:
Goldeneye 3 (1M, 2F) which flew SW as the tide turned
Red-throated Diver - 1 flew into the Bay
Great-crested Grebe - 2 feeding in the channel

Wooden Jetty
Purple Sandpiper 1

Turnstone 100
Cormorant 97

Outfalls
Little Gull

Ocean Edge saltmarsh 
Skylark 4 (north)
Pinkfoot 37 (north)
Male Stonechat 1

***************************************************************************
Monday 28 October 

Weather: NE F2, clear, sunny, very cold (0-8C)

Heysham NR
Visible migration 
Most birds heading northwards into the wind
Chaffinch 85
Brambling 2
Greenfinch 19
Siskin 1
Redpoll sp 1
Bullfinch 1
Woodpigeon 48
Fieldfare 33
Redwing 16
Jackdaw 19
Carrion Crow 14
Corvid sp 55
Song Thrush 1
Blackbird 10
Skylark 4
Meadow Pipit 1
Tree Sparrow 2

Grounded 
Redwing 7
Fieldfare 1
Blackcap 1
Goldcrest 4
Siskin 1
Blackbird 15
JR

Middleton NR

The overnight frost must have been the last straw for the Coot as there was no sign of it.
Still one Little Grebe and 4 Common Darters.
Mute Swan 3 adult, 7 juv  (the additional juv is much browner than the 5 +1 resident juvs)
Moorhen 11
Mallard 3
Tufted Duck 1 male
Shoveler 3 (see photo above)
Gadwall 6

Plenty of feeding thrushes around, mainly Blackbird, but at least 8 Redwing and 2 Fieldfare.
MD

Reasonable selection minus the Purp

No early morning start in the fresh north-westerly this am.  Coverage was centred around looking for the Purple Sand to no avail.....but it could have slipped the net if feeding below the jetty or along the north wall.  The Leighton Café rarities committee were divided on the identity of a diver photographed off the Stone Jetty yesterday which proved to be a rather 'heavy billed' juvenile Red-throat.  Probably the same bird close inshore off Heysham this am (pics MD):

 

Juv GBBG - a plumage rarely published outside books on seagulls

 

Little gull - adult No.2 outflow
Jack snipe  - 1 saltmarsh
Stonechat - 1 female type, briefly at saltmarsh, male by Red Nab
Meadow pipit - 3 near lighthouse, 6 saltmarsh
Rock pipit - 1 saltmarsh, one harbour
Linnet c30
Red Throated Diver. 1 juv close inshore last seen by Heysham 2 outfall feeding quite happily
Kittiwake - 4 ads behind Ben

Guillemot - one out medium range

Med Gull - 1-2 Ads behind Ben

A decent number of Knot on the Heliport for over a month now - good murmuration views today as the north westerly high tide restricted the area in which to roost.

Goosewatch
As I was coming off skeer yesterday evening, just before it got dark, 5 geese flew low to west. They could easily have come from children's play area. Similarly today as I was walking along foreshore when 4 or 5 geese were flying from saltmarsh towards Potts. In both case they were too distant to identify, but previous habits suggest Brent (MD).

Welcome return

A Purple Sandpiper was photographed at Red Nab this afternoon (thanks, Kevin). Last year  one was seen on one date only last autumn. Let’s hope this one sticks around for a little while.

An adult Mediterranean Gull was seen from the North Harbour Wall this afternoon and one seen from the Knowlys Road vantage point.

Feathered Thorn in the moth trap

JR

Pre-rain vis session

Not too bad a session pre-rain this morning with clear-cut southbound vis mig, allowing the more subtle lower-flying fare to be logged as such instead of indeterminate possible 'bloggers'.  Much better than chasing down to Hertfordshire for what proved to be a manicured wire-hopper.

Vis 0800-1000 HNR office
No cross-bay vis in the cloudy conditions, everything was from Heysham head direction along the coast
Whooper Swan - 3 - very high and nearly missed - an odd record in the conditions
Greylag - 3
Carrion Crow - 14
Chaffinch - 297 (no Brambling perceived, certainly no nasal calls)
Goldfinch - 52
Greenfinch - 67
Bullfinch - 9 (5+2+2)
Long-tailed Tit - flock 11
Jay - 5 (2+1+1+1)
Tree Sparrow - flock of 7
Blackbird - odd - none first thing but steady stream heading south over the office out of the bushes to the north after 0900 - total 67, including loose flock of 29
Redwing - just two with the above
Song Thrush - 1
Collared Dove - 3+1
Woodpigeon - 46 - no big gangs
Pink-footed Goose - 450+ 640 north - suspiciously like roost >feeding area but definitely not Oxcliffe fields unless they swung back south oos.

Blogging raptors noticeable - 2 x Peregrine, Kestrel, 2-3 x Sparrowhawk

Grounded
Goldcrest conspicuous by its absence within audible range HNR office
Chiffchaff - one calling from fire pond area
Plus the above thrushes

Thursday 24th

Distracted this morning.  A female/imm Black Redstart was around my house and nearby stables early doors and this prompted a tour of likely sites at Heysham before the intended vis mig session.  Nowt - it does look like the home record was pure coincidence as regards an influx down south and no evidence of coastal records up here

General
Med Gull - lingering 1CY Red Nab
Little Gull - ad reported a few times - unusually lingering

Vis 0930-1030ish
Blackbird - 56 south - a sign of what might have been rather productive earlier on
Chaffinch - 27 S
Brambling - three unusually on feeder
Goldfinch - 8 S
Pink-footed Goose - 20+40 S
Song Thrush - 2 S

Lie-in birding

The cutting edge dawn coverage is getting a bit blunted as the winds don't look brilliant for any major new arrivals.  However, maybe we should be in filter-down mode and hope for a bluetail taking off overnight from an obscure Scottish coastal glen.  This morning saw a rather late start with arrival coinciding with the biggest Chaffinch flock and high-flying Carrion Crows.  The first hour had been missed!

Vis 0830-1030
Woodpigeon - 134 NE (flock 120)
Stock Dove - one with large WP flock
Jackdaw - 44+32+23 single-species flocks south
Carrion Crow - 22 S (max flock 10)
Chaffinch - 205 S
Goldfinch - 45 S
Greenfinch - 32 S
Skylark- 10 S
Redwing - just 13 S (but late start)
Fieldfare - ONE south
Sparrowhawk - one high SW
Siskin - 3 S
Bullfinch - 10 S (inc flock of 6)
Starling - 66 SW
Linnet - 2
Pink-footed Goose - one flock of 120
Meadow Pipit - 2
Long-tailed Tit - c10

Grounded
Very little - two new Goldcrest caught, a Chiffchaff heard and about 15 grounded Blackbird audible from around the office

Ringing
New birds:  11 Greenfinch, 3 Chaffinch, Goldfinch, 4 Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, 2 Goldcrest, Great Tit, Blackbird

Insects
Small Tortoiseshell, 2 x Speckled Wood, Common Darter

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid morning
(Not much!)
Gadwall 13
Coot 1
Water Rail 3
Cetti's 1 male singing
Redwing 6 grounded 4 south
Jackdaw 23 south

South Shore - mid afternoon
Common Darter - typically just one between dog walk and Red Nab, untill the last 20m of wooden fence, where 8 were sunning themselves.

The last three sections of fence, just 50m from Red Nab, had 3, 3 & 2 each.

Another "red bodied" darter was seen in scrub near lighthouse. There has not been a record of common darter here this year. Presumably this implies some sort of movement in the SE wind. (MD)

Andrew Cadman

Andrew died just recently and he will be remembered as a valuable part of the Obs team in the 1990s and early 2000s.   Andrew used to treat his workplace at Rossall School as a pre-work Observatory, and also visited Canada on a regular basis on ringing expeditions.  He then retired north to live at Over Kellet and involved himself in the Leighton and Heysham ringing programmes.  Given his ringing history, it was not surprising that he instantly identified a tan-morph White-throated Sparrow which appeared in nets set by the Heysham NR dipping pond!  Andrew also played a major role in the day to day running of the local bird club, Lancaster and District Birdwatching Society with his conscientious dedication a role model for others.  Thanks for all your help over the years Andrew and rest in peace

Routine west coast October north-easterly

No great expectations of scarce or rare this morning and so it proved with the only warblers recorded being three Blackcap.  The vis mig was quite good with a major "theme" being checks of the southbound Pink-feet for yesterday's Lesser Snow Goose which was grounded with Pinks due north of us in mid-south Scotland

Vis mig dawnish to 1030 - most birds flying N or NW into wind
Brambling - 2 NW
Fieldfare - 210
Redwing - 421
Pink-footed Goose - 1370 - all southbound
Chaffinch - exactly 200!
Meadow Pipit - 2
alba Wagtail - 23
Siskin - 4
Linnet - 2
Starling - 150
Bullfinch - 5
Blackbird - 29
Song Thrush - 3
Collared Dove - 1 SW
Tree Sparrow - 1 S
Woodpigeon - 20
Goldfinch - 17
Jackdaw - 18 one flock
Rook - 8 with above
Redpoll spp - 2
Skylark - 2

Grounded
Redwing - 55 flew inland at or just after dawn
Blackbird - 24 ditto
Fieldfare - 3 ditto
Blackcap - one probably additional to the ringing by the office
no Goldcrest seen/heard other than those ringed!

Ringing
As usual when the vis is northbound, the office nets do no seem to catch the finches, so only four Chaffinch were ringed.  Three Blackcap were unexpected, otherwise the rest pretty routine with 6 Goldcrest and 9 Redwing of minor note

Numerically challenging thrushes

Its dead awkward when vis decides to head north here as it invariably involves milling about - this was certainly the case with Redwing (and corvids) this am with the figures combining Middleton and Heysham 'somewhere between 1100-1600'.  So I've taken the definite Heysham numbers plus extras from Middleton after my watch finished (PM, AJD, R de F)

Vis mig dawnish to 1030ish
Redwing - c1300 north
Fieldfare - c350 north
Mistle Thrush - 2 SW
Chaffinch - 52 N
alba Wagtail - 5 SW
Greenfinch - 23 N
Grey wagtail - 2 SE
Raven - 1 S
Jackdaw - 44 N
Rook - 25 N
Carrion Crow - 10 N
R/CC distant with JD - 32 N
Meadow Pipit - 5 SW
Coal Tit - 1 S
Skylark - 4 S
Siskin - 11 NE
Goldfinch - 9 N
Long-tailed Tit - unringed flock 14 (HNR) south
Reed Bunting - 2 S

Grounded
Blackbird - c20 HNR office area
Song Thrush - 3 HNR office area
Goldcrest - 2 ringed Middleton - none heard by office HNR
no sign of any Chiffs/YBW (Midd/HNR office area)

South Shore.
Greenfinch 14 Red Nab, 12 Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Jack Snipe, two occasions of bird lifting from Ocean Edge saltmarsh to land again nearby. No obvious reason unless predator in area. Three Common snipe simarly lifted but moved on.
Meadow pipit 3
Rock pipit 1
Little gull - 1 adult seaward end No.2 outflow

Corvid passage

Weather: NE 2, mostly clear and sunny, mild
A generally quieter day but corvids heading south in numbers.   An unexpected flurry of warblers in the western marsh net comprised 6 new Chiffchaff, 4 new Goldcrest and 2 new Blackcap

Middleton NR
Vis 0700-1200hrs
Meadow Pipit - 18
alba wagtail - 9
Grey Wagtail - 4
Greenfinch - 2
Siskin - 5
Redwing - 36
Song Thrush - 3
Carrion Crow - 12
Rook - 27
Jackdaw - 67
Raven - 4 (together SE)
Skylark - 1
Linnet - 4
Tree Sparrow - 1
Snipe - 1
Woodpigeon - 44
Coal Tit - 1
Redpoll - 1
Reed Bunting - 3

A Yellow-Browed Warbler was heard calling from the SE golf course edge copse area.

Insects of note at Middleton NR
Migrant Hawker - 3
Brimstone - 1

Another day, another Yellow-browed Warbler

Weather - SE F2, 8-15C, 995mB, cloudy to east, clear to west.

Vis (in no particular order):
A Short-eared Owl flew eastwards across the reserve and appeared to land near the old classroom
Woodpigeon - 37
Meadow Pipit - 12
alba wagtail - 34
Chaffinch - 28
Song Thrush - 10
Redwing - 23
Dunnock - 2
Blue tit - 3
Siskin - 22
Goldfinch - 23
Pink-footed Goose - 3200 N at 0910hrs
Lesser Redpoll - 1
Sparrowhawk - 3
Jackdaw - 40
Carrion Crow - 7
Linnet - 2
Jay - 1
Yellowhammer - 1

Grounded
Wheatear (1st winter female) at Half Moon Bay

Ringing
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1. This had a very high fat score so had probably been around for several days and was possibly the one heard near the office a couple of days ago. It arrived from the direction of the "Tank Farm" which is to the south of Heysham office.

Other new birds caught included Blue Tit (3),Goldcrest (6), Redwing (1), Chaffinch (4), Greenfinch (10), Goldfinch (4)

Vis mig pays off with Snow Bunting

Vis mig 0805-1030
Snow Bunting - one NNE to SSW at c0940 (two S over Starr gate Blackpool at 0956 unlikely to involve this one!)
Chaffinch - 193 SW
Brambling - 15 SW
Chaff/Bramb - c70 SW
Siskin - just 3 SE
alba Wagtail - 15 SE
Meadow Pipit - 20 SE
Jackdaw - flock of 6 S
Common Buzzard - one E
Jay - 4 S
Goldfinch - c35 S
Greenfinch - x25 S
Pink-footed Goose - 30+3 SE
Redwing - 40 SW, 6 down, 4 down

No obvious sign of anything grounded by office - just one Goldcrest

After the rain

Once the rain stopped at 10am birding and ringing could begin.

Heysham NR
A Yellow-browed Warbler still frequented the NE corner of the Reserve but took some finding. Luckily visiting birder JJ had the patience to winkle it out.

Ringing consisted of a few Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs.

Outfalls
Adult Little Gull phtographed by Kevin Eaves

Harbour
Ringed Black-headed Gull photographed by Janet Packham

A close up of the ring revealed it to be a Polish bird returning to the harbour for its third winter

Middleton NR

Malcolm enjoyed a very pleasant stroll in the afternoon sun but found no sign of Yellow-browed Warblers. Instead there were the following:

Redwing c10 on golf club strip.

Goldcrest 3

Chiffchaff 3

Common snipe 3

Little grebe 2.

Gadwall 10.

Insects:

Common Darter 22

Migrant Hawker 7

Speckled wood 4

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Not just leftovers

Yellow-browed Warbler
New locations:
1) By Greenfoot Community garden, possibly two birds (Shaun had a single call here yesterday pm)
2) By Tim Butler pond Middleton NR- found on its own by Malcolm, multi-observed later then flew off with LTT
3) West end of Middleton NR along the golf course edge - found by Malcolm whilst TB pond one still present
Still present
Heard/seen from three separate locations between the NE corner and dipping pond Heysham NR with probably three together in NE corner c1330 onwards (none ringed)
Not checked
Heysham Head or area before this was typed at 1342

**The most intriguing news is a report that the ringed NE corner bird was ringed on the LEFT leg, so it wasn't ours (not definitely seen today)! 

Ring Ouzel
Imm by brick building Middleton NR early am

Jack Snipe - flushed Middleton

Grounded
Three new Chiffchaff ringed but Goldcrest thin on the ground with only four ringed and little sign of them elsewhere.  Small numbers of Redwing and Blackbird and 1-2 Song Thrush

Vis mig - patchy combination of about an hour Midd/Hey
Skylark - 7
Meadow Pipit - 18
Grey wagtail - 3
alba Wagtail - 6
Chaffinch - 60
Greenfinch - 40
Swallow - 1
Carrion Crow - 16
Jackdaw - 45
Pink-footed Goose - 60
Jay - 3+1
Lesser Redpoll - 2
Redwing - 21
Song Thrush - 2
Goldfinch - 15

Yellow-browed Warbler Reserve

Heysham is crawling with Yellow-browed Warblers. At least 8 of them today:
1 calling near the fire pond on Heysham Nature Reserve
4, probably 5 in the NE corner of the Reserve (including a ringed bird from yesterday)
2 in the Heysham Head bracken fields (with mixed Tit flock)
1 in the woods at the top of Heysham Head (with Long-tailed Tits)
There are likely to be more hidden away in the vegetation and much patience is needed to get the sort of views shown in the photos below. The little sprites flit about a lot and are only as big as a leaf so it’s a bit like playing hide and seek in which you, as the birder seeks and the Yellow-browed Warbler hides!

 A Heysham Head bird (pic by Kevin Eaves)

A Heysham Nature Reserve bird (pic by Craig Bell)

Other birds lurking in the trees and undergrowth were Chiffchaffs (at least 9), Blackcaps (5), Redwing (25), continental Blackbirds (5+), Song Thrushes (3+), Goldcrests (up to 5 early morning), and Cetti’s Warblers (1 ringed at Heysham NR, 1 ringed at Middleton NR)

and
Siberian Chiffchaff - calls and plumage - discovered late on by Shaun by the Greenfoot community garden on Smithy Lane
 

Overhead vis consisted of:

Pink-footed Goose 201

Carrion Crow 66

Meadow Pipit 5

Chaffinch 64

Jay 3

Alba Wagtail 15

Grey Wagtail 6

Goldfinch 4

Greenfinch 12

Merlin 1

Kestrel 1

Sparrowhawk 1

Skylark 6

Mistle Thrush 2

Song Thrush 1

Redwing 1 

Woodpigeon 5

Siskin 2

Grey Heron 1 

In addition about 60 birds were ringed including 9 Chiffchaffs and a Treecreeper. Full results on Trektellen tomorrow. 

Yellow-brow-fest

This was very much a starting from scratch morning with zero around small migrant-wise yesterday.  Therefore initial impressions of nowt around the office soon changed when the more 'arrival-type bushes' were visited below the old Obs Tower site by Jean.  Almost certainly two Yellow-brows and 6+ Goldcrest and at least one Chiff was the verdict

The rain alarm suggested a miraculous split in the two great splodges west and east of us and this corridor suggested a single net for migrants and a close watch of this rain alarm

This worked a treat with six migrant warblers caught, including two Yellow-browed Warblers, before the gap in the rain closed and the net hurriedly taken down

Later a circuit of the reserve produced a third un-ringed bird in the far north-east corner for Jean but not a lot of other migrants.  Later on one of the ringed birds joined the un-ringed bird in the NE corner. Then Malcolm located one by the white barrier at the southern end of dog walk track. This multiple YBW arrival in rain, but not vast numbers of anything else also happened with the first records in autumn 1985.

Grounded Heysham NR
Chiffchaff - 2
Goldcrest - c10
Yellow-browed Warbler - 3 HNR, one Middleton NR
Redwing - 1
Blackbird - c10

Vis Mig
Grey Wagtail - one, possibly local movement now

WeBs highlights
Little Gull - ad on sea by Red Nab
Redshank - 720 heliport seawall a good count
Knot - 3700 heliport seawall

Vis mig big bird day

This was going through the motions on a day of clear westerlies we wouldn't usually have touched with a barge pole.  Beggars can't be choosers in the current weather although tomorrow looks tasty apart from the rain.  As it happened it was marginally entertaining including high-flying Magpie action.

Vis dawn to about 1000
Cormorant - 3 high to south together
Meadow Pipit - 33 SE
Reed Bunting - 5 SE
Red wing - just 1-2 SW
alba Wagtail - 4 SE
Linnet - 16 SE
Skylark - 3 SE
Jay - flock of 5 plus 1+1 south
Chaffinch - just 2 south
Jackdaw - loose flock of 49 S
Pink-footed Goose - 270 N, 20 S
Whooper Swan - 6 high to S
Magpie - 3+2+1 high south
Carrion Crow - flock of 5 high S, possibly others lower down on the move
Bullfinch - 1 high S
no Grey Wags

Ringing
Ringing at Middleton included a Redwing, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and two Robin & Reed Bunting!  The feeder net at Heysham NR produced 13 new Greenfinch and two new Goldfinch

11th Oct - nothing of note

Med re-influx continues

Med Gull - at least 14 behind IOM ferry - 4 x 1CY, 1 x 2CY, 9+ x Ad, at least two additional 2CY around and two additional 1CY.  This is a lot for as late as 10/10.
Kittiwake - 3 x ad, 2 x 1CY behind IOM ferry
Common Scoter - Drake out
Wigeon - now c80 Red Nab
Shelduck - 13 passage birds out (c175 on sands south of Red Nab at low tide yesterday)

Middleton Nature Reserve
Shoveler mumbers have now increased to three, the "dubious" one is looking increasingly convincing  - this is possibly the highest count on here, certainly in recent years (MD),

Wednesday fare

Med - 17 around including 4 juv
Little Gull - 1 CY briefly seaward end Heysham one
Guillemot - two looking worse for wear

Ferry delivers the goods

Suboptimal strength winds/showers for this time of year were, as usual, pretty unproductive during the normal seawatch, but it is always worth waiting for incoming ferries.   Most of the Meds seem to have disappeared from around the outfalls/the sand mason worm area, leaving just two dip-feeding 1CY on the outfalls and presumably the usual adult around the harbour area.  Therefore it as a surprise to see an extra eight adult Meds behind the ferry 

Offshore/inshore/ferry late morning
Bonxie - one flew into the bay at mid-range just before the ferry arrived
Kittiwake - 3 ads behind ferry
Little Gull - adult winter behind ferry
Med Gull - ad harbour area, two 1CY outfalls, then a further 8 ad behind ferry
Razorbill/Guillemot - two out distantly
Wigeon - now 40 Red Nab
Rock Pipit - the lighthouse breeding pair were in situ with the female visiting one of the nesting holes!  Another on Red Nab
Common Gull - 6 juvs on outfalls and several behind ferry

Sunday and Monday

Middleton Nature Reserve
A couple of extensive circuits over the last two days have failed to locate any Yellow-browed warbler.  These are the "highlights" of the other sightings (MD)
No grounded or overhead thrushes either day.
Still plenty of Migrant Hawker and Common Darter on Sunday, but only in shelter from wind.
Coot 1
Little grebe - at least 2
Teal 2
Gadwall 6
Shoveler 1 male in eclipse plus the dubious looking female type

Water Rail 2
Common Snipe 4
Chiffchaff 2 singing

Yellowhammer and Linnet fest

One got away today, a high flying 'ticker' which looked like a bunting.  Much more tangible was a southbound Yellowhammer and we were also in receipt of something unusual for here but seemingly commonplace everywhere else - southbound silent Linnet flocks bombing south/south-east.  Quite a few thrushes, including the first migrant Blackbird

Vis mig, mainly Middleton
Redwing - 62 mainly SW
Grey wagtail - at least 6 but also a seemingly local bird confusing things
Reed Bunting - 7 S
alba Wagtail - 34 S
Linnet - 134 SE
Meadow Pipit - not many - 27 SE
Chaffinch - less than expected - 7 S
Yellowhammer - 1 S
Greenfinch - 1 S
Snipe - 2 E and one dropped down from E
Carrion Crow - at least 19 S (inc flock 9)

Crimson Rosella
A very gaudy thing seen by one birder and horse-riders by the entrance to Middleton NR near the cafe/height restricted road to gun club

Grounded Middleton
Chiffchaff - 6 ringed
Goldcrest - just 4 ringed
Blackcap - 3 ringed
Redwing - 30 plus
Blackbird - 20 plus
Song Thrush - at least 8

A bit of coming and going

Heysham Nature Reserve
Treecreeper 1 ringed - far from common here
Chiffchaff 6 located along dog walk track

Middleton Nature Reserve
Redwing c20 in one hawthorn
Still plenty of Migrant Hawker and Common Darter active between showers.

Rock pipit, still 2 feeding near lighthouse. Here’s one of them:

Wheatear

And a “few” Knot on the seawall.

Thanks for these pictures Kevin

Yellow browed Warbler

A very slow start to today with nothing at the Middleton ringing site in the twilight zone - could have stayed in bed another hour!  It livened up a bit late morning with a few Chiffchaff and Blackcap as the cloud covr increased.   A Yellow-browed Warbler was located by Jean on Heysham Head by turret/bracken area - top of steps up the hill after going through the arch approx SD408615 - at 1500hrs and seen by Shaun at 1630hrs

Vis mig
Meadow Pipit - 54
Grey Wagtail - 4
alba Wagtail - 4
Skylark - c5
Reed Bunting - 6
Woodpigeon - 65
Chaffinch - 3
Jackdaw - 5
Tree Sparrow - 2
Pink-footed Goose - 40

Grounded
Chiffchaff - c10
Blackcap - 3
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1 (see above)
Goldcrest - not many - c6
Treecreeper - two Heysham Head - having a good year!

An odd day!

This was a strange day.  It was open house as to what might happen in crystal clear cold northerlies although Pink-footed Goose movements above and Goldcrest below seemed predictable.  However was expecting a reasonable amount of small passerine vis but it didn’t really happen, unexpectedly so in the case of Meadow Pipit

Vis middleton NR dawn-1100
Meadow Pipit - SIX SE!
Chaffinch - c10 SE
Alba Wagtail - 4 SE
Grey Wagtail - c8 SE
Carrion Crow - 10 S
Song Thrush - 2 plus 1 E
Reed Bunting - c7 S
Pink footed Goose - c420 S
Goose sp - flock south heard not seen could have been distant Barnacle on call
Skylark - c7 S
Long tailed Tit - irruptive flocks of 11 and c9
Goldfinch - c5 S

Grounded
Willow Warbler - one heard
Garden Warbler - lingerer with F3 ringed
Chiffchaff - just four ringed
Blackcap - just the one ringed
Goldcrest - no more than 10-15

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid afternoon (MD)
Although not hot, the bright sunshine today allowed plenty of insect activity.
Dragonflies:
Black Darter - one, possibly two mature females along west bank of main pond (these pics are same insect)

Common Darter  33
Brown Hawker 1
Migrant Hawker 9 - including female ovipositoring

Butterflies:
Red Admiral 1
Comma 1
Painted Lady 1
Speckled Wood 1

Little Grebe - at least 2
Cetti's warbler - male singing from central marsh

This Grey Wagtail in Heysham garden was ringed on Middleton Nature Reserve 19/09/19,