Friday 30 August 2024

Autumn passage underway

Almost no wind early on then a light NW(ish) breeze freshened slightly during the day. Sunny all day.

South Shore
Pete had a morning check from Ocean Edge
Yellow Wagtail 1 in-off then south (only record so far this year, no records last year)
Greenshank 1 nosy juvenile just below the foreshore 
Meadow Pipits 5 also in-off then south

I walked out to have a look at the waders along the waterline on the rising tide. (Malcolm).
The waders were all on a mud spit at the very edge of the recording area. I was expecting the waders on the spit to move closer when moved on by the tide, but the spit is longer and higher than recent years and it wasn't even covered at high water. By that time the feeding area closer in was already covered. The waders returned to the spit twice after being flushed by Peregrines.
Some of the waders flushed by Peregrines

A sample of waders on the mud spit
Minimum numbers
Knot 1,000
Grey Plover 450
Bar-Tailed Godwit 40
Dunlin 50

Closer in
Ringed Plover 8

Mediterranean gulls 3 adult

Linnet c60 on the saltmarsh as I walked out, but on return it was strangely silent.

Any large number of small birds, invariably attracts small bird eaters!
Sparrowhawk 

Little Egret 8 on the saltmarsh 

Adult Little Egret with black legs and yellow feet.
Juvenile Little Egret with completely yellow legs 

Meadow Pipit on foreshore 

One of three Rock Pipits along the foreshore 

Heysham Nature Reserve (Janet)
Female Common Darter

Peacock

Middleton Nature Reserve 
Ringing report by John

A ringing session this morning caught the first Grey Wagtails of the year, with hopefully many more to follow. The total catch was only eighteen birds, but all new ones. They comprised of;

Grey Wagtail    x4 

Chiffchaff          x6

Blackcap           x2

Reed Warbler    x2

Reed Bunting    x1

Great Tit           x1

Chaffinch          x1

Wren                 x1


These shots from Janet
Lesser Whitethroat 

Common Darters

Male Black-Tailed Skimmer

Male Emperor

Brimstone 

I checked out the main ponds (Malcolm).
An increase in wildfowl
Mute pair plus a cygnet on main pond another adult on the "no swimming" pond.
Mute Swan on the "no swimming" pond

Coot 13 including 2 small young
Moorhen 3
Little grebe just 1 summer plumage adult seen.
Mallard 24 mainly female/immature
Gadwall 6 - 3 male, 1 female and 2 female/immature
The males were scuffling over the female.

Teal 2 female/immature
Teal (left), two Mallard and an immature Coot

Cetti's Warbler 1 burst of song
Chiffchaff 2 calling
Swallow 2
One of Janet's shots from yesterday 

Other butterflies
Large White 1
Meadow Brown 1
Speckled Wood 2

Other dragonflies
Migrant Hawker 2
Brown Hawker 2 
Male Brown Hawker

Broad-bodied Chaser........
.........didn't quite make it today
but this male, dead on the surface can't have been there long.