Plenty moving through, and RVD still emerging

A fine warm sunny day after overnight rain and a cool start. A NW breeze switching to NW during the day

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing summary - Pete

The overnight rain saw a significant fall of Chiffchaff and Blackcap with the clear conditions from dawn leading to an initial ‘rush’ of grounded birds dispersing inland with most of those entering the nets in the first 1.5 hrs of daylight.  Ringing totals of migrants saw 24 Chiffchaff, 7 Blackcap, one Cetti’s warbler, just one Goldcrest and a single Robin.  In addition two Grey Wagtails were colour ringed and a few odds and ends at the feeder, mainly Goldfinch and tit species.  Once again a complete absence of Coal Tit and Bullfinch with none seen/caught

Some of the visible migration - Shaun

Pink-Footed geese 160, 40, 80, 240, 30, 140, 120, 40, 130, 30. = 1010
Pintail male + 4 female south high.
Cormorant 5 south high.
Blackcap 6 un-ringed birds. 
Raven 2. 

Jay 2. 

South shore

I checked 08:20 - 10:30 Malcolm

Pink-Footed Goose 535 south in 10 skeins. Some of these are definitely additional to those seen from HNR

Shelduck 6

Wigeon 23 on Red Nab

Wigeon

Teal 1 south

The Linnets on and around the saltmarsh were active but not disturbed. 60 was the most seen at one time.

Greenfinch 12 along the saltmarsh edge

Meadow Pipit 1 on the saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting 2 on the saltmarsh 

Reed Bunting

Wheatear 10 along the foreshore 

Little Egret 4

Jack Snipe 2 individuals accidentally flushed from the saltmarsh edges. There is no reason for them to be around the edges on such low tides, possibly just arrived?

Redshank 350 around the saltmarsh 

Redshank and Little Egret

I walked out to waterline. Initially there were lots of waders, but they were very flighty and all but some of the Dunlin left to the south. Best estimates of numbers

Curlew 25

Bar-Tailed Godwit 31

Oystercatcher 150 including one ringed in Iceland. Details awaited 

Knot 2000

Dunlin 600

Sanderling 5

Curlew, Oystercatcher and Dunlin on the Mud. There are 2 Sanderling just
in the sea to the left of centre. 3 more Sanderling with the Knot and Dunlin 
coming in. A few Godwits to the right in the water

Sanderling

And then they were gone! The Godwits leaving last

Some of the Dunlin ended up with the Redshanks around the saltmarsh 

Mediterranean Gull 6 on the mud out from the saltmarsh 

This adult having a yawn

This one had a metal ring only

This 1st calendar year  had a colour ring. Its scheme maintained on an
open database, so its history, albeit brief, was immediately available 

Janet checked this afternoon 

Linnets

Greenfinch 

There were still six Wheatears, or possibly another six Wheatears 

They look quite strange when stretching up!!

This one has a small insect in its bill

The males are still quite striking 

Stonechat 3 between Red Nab and the foreshore (they definitely weren't there earlier)

Stonechats

Common Darter in the Nature Park 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Cetti's Warbler (not ringed) - Janet

Cetti's Warbler 

Peter and Rosemary visited and checked both the main pond and the south side. Several dragonflies seen including this immature Red-Veined Darter on the main pond.

Teneral Red-Veined Darter

Southern End

Common Darters Ovipositing 3 pr

Male Common Darter 12 (at least)

Female Common Darter 3

Hawker spec (they were too far away to determine whether they were Migrant or Southern)

Speckled Wood 3

Main Pond

Red Veined Darter 1

Common Darters Ovipositing 2 pr

Male Common Darter 8

Female Common Darter 2

Hawker spec (again, they were too far away to tell whether they were Migrant or Southern)

Mute Swans 1 pr

Mallard 4

Coot 3

Long Tailed Tits 3 

Female Common Darter

If you zoom in, this shot shows the female's abdomen in the water 

In this shot she has just taken her abdomen out of the water and it
has not returned to being "flat" once again.

Quite a faded Speckled Wood

Noon Fly

Heysham skear - Malcolm 13:00 - 14:30

Eider 64

Some of the Eider on a sandbar 

Little Egret 8

Not so many large gulls feeding now, but there were lots of feeding Black-Headed gulls in the drains as they were emptying. There must have been a shoal of Whitebait or Sandeels at risk of being stranded.

More Oystercatcher than recent at least 2000. Other waders similar to recent including 2000 Knot.

Some of the Knot. Despite the good viewing conditions I only saw one
colour marked bird, and that has been seen earlier

Pink-Footed geese were still heading south over my house after dark. Malcolm

Just out of the recording area - Heaton marsh

The three Glossy Ibis are still there