Vagrant Emperor livens up an otherwise quiet day (apart from the noisy geese!)

Another cool night with a largely sunny day. A light east breeze.

Janet's friend sent her a clip of three Peregrine Falcons chasing the Knot on the north shore yesterday - thanks Jimmy.

The original clip was a minute and a half, I had to trim it slightly as the post restricts file size

Ringing report from Alan

John and I covered the Heysham and Middleton sites between us this morning. We caught 74 birds between us with a good mix of species.

At Middleton;

there were singles of Wren, Robin, Cetti's Warbler and Blackcap. 

Also 

Chiffchaff 4

Goldcrest 4 + 1 retrap

Blue Tit 8 

Reed Bunting 2

At Heysham;

Wren 1 + 1 retrap

Dunnock 2 retraps

Robin 2

Goldcrest 4

Coal Tit 5

Blue Tit 10 + 3 retraps

Great Tit 3 + 1 retrap

Chaffinch 4

Greenfinch 6 + 1 retrap

Goldfinch 8

It looks like no ringing weather will be expected until after the weekend now.

South shore (MD)

In the afternoon the sun was out and warm, the breeze was from the east and the tide was leaving the sea wall. These are the conditions when the sea wall can become an insect migration route, but it is late in the year, I knew if there was going to be anything coming in off the sea it was likely to be good. And so it proved to be......

Vagrant Emperor 1 male. It wasn't there when I walked out, but returning at 16:00 it was flying along the sea wall

This was about the best in flight shot I managed

It then disappeared and I thought it had moved on, but I eventually found it resting further along the sea wall.

It was resting at an awkward angle, this is effectively side on

This one shows the blue saddle, it was quite vivid!

This is the location shot, the emperor is bottom right.
This is 100m before you get to No.1 outflow, note the number of the notice, 154

It was still there when Kevin, Alison, and David Talbot checked later. It was there at least till 17:30. By that time it was getting cool, so possibly it will spend the night there and not move in the morning till things warm up a bit.

The only other insects along the wall were

Red Admiral 1

Silver Y 1

Silver Y on the sea wall

Shelduck 84 out from Red Nab

Saltmarsh at high water

Wigeon 37

Rock Pipit 2

Reed Bunting 2

Linnet 70+

Reed Bunting and a Dunnock

Just out of the recording area - seen from Potts Corner by Mark Jones (although seen from outside the recording area many of these undoubtably flew into it)

Pink-footed goose - I was on Potts corner and at 8.10 and a huge amount of pinks landed out on the beach coming from the south. At 8.15 they took off in two groups, one group headed north then inland over Heysham, the other just headed inland. Then five minutes later the remaining huge group took off and headed inland, and then a further massive skein appeared from the south headed inland, collectively I would say they numbered in their thousands.