Darvic ringed Med new in

Heysham Obs
Early morning visit
harbour/wooden jetty
Black Guillemot - 2 showing well
Shag - 2 juvs

offshore
Sandwich Tern - 3

Evening visit
Red Nab
Mediterranean gull 2nd summer - full black hood and red bill, white mirrors on black primaries, only seen at rest. Ringed LL metal RL white with black digits, lower leg. PLEASE try and read this - the 'black on white' darvics are the easiest. I'll have a go tomorrow but a good idea to have a 50 x with you when visiting this site in the next month as the Meds build up

Black-headed gull 265 at roost
Red-breasted merganser 2
Shelduck 5
Curlew 37

Harbour
Black guillemot 2
Shag juv
Sandwich tern min. 10 blogging
Gannet 7 blogging - very unusual in the evening - fish shoal? Most probably as the Sandwich tern and c40 large gulls were active there in a relatively small area.
Turnstone 1 wooden jetty

Misc
Blackcap female/immature in bush at gate 38!

Elsewhere
Spoonbill Allen/Em Pools.

Heysham obs

Heysham Obs
Evening visit foreshore areas
Black guillemot - 1 on sea below wooden jetty (3 reported on the pager in the morning)
Shag 2 juv on wooden jetty
Black-headed gull 312 roosting off Ocean Edge.
Redshank 1 wooden jetty

Insects
Broad-bodied Chaser and an identified teneral darter, possibly Red-veined, at Middleton during unhelpful weather

Elsewhere
Spotted Redshank still at Conder, Spoonbill EM Pool (also seen yesterday and decribed as 'imm'). Short-eared Owl as well as at least two ad Long-eared Owl seen on Leck Fell from c2140hrs, but young not cooperative, mainly calling from the centre/far side of the plantations (4+).

Black guillemot display

Heysham Obs
Harbour/wooden jetty area
Two Black Guillemot present at least most of the day [present for at least a week]. Close together on the sea below the wooden jetty and quite close to the south harbour wall. The slightly larger of the two (white wing patches distinctly larger), presumably the male was making up and down neck and bill movements with the bill frequently opening and closing showing well the red gape (vermilion in text book), at the same time issuing a high pitch 'whistling' (text book again). There is another out of range displaying pair at a harbour (Fishguard). The more products of harbour hole nesting (e.g. Bangor Co Down) reach maturity and disperse, the more suitable Heysham Harbour looks as a potential site to colonise. Early days though and surely too late this season. The biggest threat are probably the monofilament nets which are set fairly close by.

Shag juv on wooden jetty.

Red Nab/Ocean Edge area
236 Black-headed Gull included a 1st summer Med Gull around high tide (early evening)

Insects
FIVE male Red-veined Darter on the model boat pond during a short period of sunshine in the early afternoon. Common Footman and Straw Dot new for the year in the moth trap

Mammals
Brown Rat on rocks below wooden jetty.
Whitish rabbit at entrance to Obs. for the last week or so

Elsewhere
New in was a adult summer Spotted Redshank at Conder Green (wintering bird??).

Red-veined Darter again in rather inclement weather

Heysham Obs
2 Black Guillemot on wooden jetty late pm

Middleton IE
At least one Red-veined Darter on the model boat pond (thanks Steve)

Elsewhere
Nothing new reported. Single adult and at least 5 young LEO seen/heard on Leck Fell 2130-2200hrs in worsening weather [last two (uphill) plantations on left as viewed from road on SE side of valley].

They're back and almost creating a little Atlas dot!

Heysham Obs
Harbour area/outfalls
The pair of adult Black Guillemot were again around the harbour entrance. Two juvenile Shag were on the wooden jetty. Thanks for these Lou. A visit to the Ocean Edge side at high tide failed to produce a single worthwhile sighting, despite 75 Black-headed Gull on Red Nab

Middleton IE
As was the case nearby yesterday, two newly-arrived singing male Reed Warbler. One of these was an expressive individual with a section of the song being quite fast, high and multi-notated before returning to the usual 'chug- chug chug-chug'. This is why 'possible' Marsh Warblers are claimed.

Insects
'Good practice' isn't much use if you dont switch it on again - nil moths! However, blended tungsten-ballasted MV bulbs have had a habit of blowing during thundery conditions in the past, especially if the door is opened, creating a sudden pressure change, whilst the thunderstorm is still in the area. Anyone explain this?

"Quite a few" (20+) Red Admiral butteflies around

Three male Red-veined Darter during sub-optimal windy conditions on Middleton IE - this DOES suggest there are quite a lot but when are we going to get good flying conditions to do a proper count? There was also a teneral which appeared to be Red-veined. At least 9 Black-tailed Skimmer. All on 'model boat pond' = first pond you come to. on the right after the entrance

Elsewhere
5 young Long-eared Owl calling in the top left-hand two plantations on Leck Fell (road on SE side), also at least one adult seen. Best after 2130hrs.

Swift sensation

Heysham Obs
North wall/wooden jetty
Swift 126 in-off over Heysham 2 continuing inland 1850 - 2005 hrs.
Shag juv wooden jetty
Starling c300 pre roost at Harbour
Herring gull at nest with young in Harbour on one of platforms near intake. Several on buildings around the Power Station/harbour/Middleton IE [LBBG in the majority] but ground nesting unusual. The main site (the old Pontins roof) has become unavailable so there is presumably some 'readjustment' going on on the reduced number of rooftops etc! Time to census them?

Outfalls
1st S Med. Gull
2 Arctic and one distant 'comic' tern

Insects
Two male and a teneral Red-veined Darter during a very brief period of sunlight at the Middleton model boat pond. Also 4 Black-tailed Skimmer.
Dragonfly sp. 'out' West over sea. Brown China Mark new for the year in the moth trap.

Elsewhere
Back to zilch reported!

Rushed WeBS count

Heysham Obs
"Dashing" back A590-style from the Hudsonian Whimbrel (well worth seeing at Biggar, 'middle' Walney Island) to do a quick WeBS saw the only loggable birds of the day.....or bird:

Shag - juvenile on the wooden jetty
Black Guillemot - no sign but the Pilot Boat was around during the short visit
Swallow 'blogging' along north wall - are they nesting in one of the harbour buildings?
Swallow always along SHW and are probably nesting nearby somewhere in the Power Station.

Middleton IE
Very marginal weather saw a Swallow 'flush' a male Red-veined Darter for a short flight. 3 brief sightings of Black-tailed Skimmer, but not really sunny enough despite 18.5 degrees on car temperature guide

Elsewhere
Described as 'ominous' by the warden, the final sighting of the White-tailed Plover was heading towards the Slag Tips before being 'lost' at 2040hrs YESTERDAY as viewed from the Crag watchpoint. NO reports today but surely saturation coverage (or appearance elsewhere!) needed to make any pronouncements on departure

Bits and pieces of coverage

Dragonflies
Last Sunday's census just received: The fine weather came too late in the day today for RVD unless someone can contradict?

Middleton IE
RED-VEINED DARTER - 3 mature males and two tenerals on model boat pond. NO suitable weather to check since!
Black-tailed Skimmer - 27 male & 7 female
Emperor - 17 male, 5 female
4-spotted Chaser - 73

BE properties
Emperor - one on reserve, 3 on dog pond (inc ovi. female)
4-spotted Chaser - 7 on reserve, 11 on dog pond (no sign Broad-bodied Chaser)

Todays birds at Heysham
Just a report of a rapid year-listing visit for Black Guillemot = one bird seen before rapid brownie-point departure! Single Arctic Tern and juv Shag seen on another brief visit

Moths
100+ in trap including Peach Blossom, Eyed Hawk-moth & a Rustic/Uncertain to be identified!

Elsewhere
White-tailed Plover - the 'event' went well as there were no 'bottlenecks' with the bird disappearing for hours. Visible at greater or slightly lesser range from th 'triangle' or the causeway for most if not all the day [Leighton Moss]. Three 1st S Med. Gulls on the Lune Estuary - THE gull hotspot at this time along with Heysham outfalls (and perhaps the Lune at Aldcliffe!)

What a very unexpected and welcome day!

Heysham Obs
Today was like a time-warp of a reasonable day in late April!

Wooden jetty/harbour

Black Guillemot: 2 on wooden jetty & later searching all the nooks and crannies for a suitable nest site. Surely too late this year..........

.......these two young love birds don't think so!

Shag: 2 juv on the wooden jetty

Other morning observations
Sandwich Tern & 2 Common Tern Heysham 2 outfall
Red-breasted merganser pair off Red Nab
Ringed plover 2 Red Nab#
Gannet - 2 in
Med. Gull: 1st summer outfalls area

Over/just after the high tide
Between 13:00 and 14:30:
Black Guillemots, both still showing well.
Arctic Skua, 2 probables (both dark) and one certain (also dark). Probably three birds, but at least two; one landed on the sea and was lost - later one seen and while watching it through the 'scope it joined the two Poms, buzzed them and flew into the bay with them.
Pomarine Skua - 2 pale morph into bay high, and continued in.
Little Gull 2 adults north
Sandwich Tern 5 blogging
Mediterranean Gull 1 1st Summer off harbour wall
Gannet 2 north
Kittiwake flock of 19 going out
Shag 2 still on wooden jetty

Elsewhere
White-tailed Plover Leighton Moss - available most of the day but usually distant

Heysham outfalls

Evening low tide.
Terns - 12 in total mainly on rocks at end of Heysham 2. When in flight 3 common & 1 arctic were identified.

Sand martin 1 NE over harbour and along NHW 1815 hrs.