Dreary day

Heysham Obs
Request for help: This site has survived 'in spite of' with just one day missed since the inception in mid-December. The problem has been that two of the key people (including the warden) cannot access the site from home computers. They have been given the username and password but end up in a loop with red writing saying they have not got the appropriate password after they have clicked 'sign in'.

Any solutions to/reasons for this please? Thanks. pbmarsh@btopenworld.com

Brief visit to the harbour mouth/NH wall
One Black Guillemot visible on top of the wooden jetty early afternoon in conditions not encouraging a lengthy stay. An adult Med Gull was along the NHW and in the harbour mouth but it could not be seen whether there was a metal ring above the knee = the returning Czech bird. Two other adult Med on the outfalls along with 5 Sandwich Tern in the Red Nab area

Mammals
Grey Seal off the harbour mouth

Thanks Jon for today's info

Elsewhere
13 or so Little Egret and 3 Spoonbill Leighton Moss area

Tedious Med search

Heysham Obs
Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge mudflats
2,000 moulting Black-headed Gulls, just two Meds this lunchtime on the incoming tide as viewed from Red Nab (Ad & 1st S).

Migration
No evidence of any movements today

Moths
Again the very low numbers of common species was the main theme. Top was Straw Underwing with just 8 and Common Rustic comprised just one! Sandy Carpet (I think!) and Rosy Minor new for the year.

Sandy Carpet. Thanks Reuben

Elsewhere
Up to 3 Spoonbill and 13 Little Egret Leighton Moss area. Adult Hobby targeting the embryonic Swallow roost at Melling maize field this pm. Red Kite in the X of Greet area flew over Whitray towards the head of the Dunsop valley. Untagged.

Second record of Buff Footman

Heysham Obs
Wooden jetty/harbour
Reasonably good search of the harbour area failed to reveal any Shag but the 2 Black Guillemot were by the wooden jetty

Outfalls
Checked rather too late i.e high tide. Two juvenile and a 1st summer Med Gull were sat on the sea but no sign of any Little Gull

Passage
30-40 Swift over Middleton IE. Scattering of presumed migrant Willow Warbler and Whitethroat

Moths
A female Buff Footman was eventually identified - the second record -pic tomorrow.

Elsewhere
The three Spoonbill and 12-14 Little Egret still at Leighton Moss

First 'autumnal' Little Gulls

Heysham Obs

Thanks to John Mason for all the bird info.

Outfalls/Red Nab

TWO juvenile Med Gull today along with a 3rd W (as yesterday) and 1st summer. Two 1st S Little Gull were undoubtedly those recorded at JB Point a few days ago - now they are here they should stay! Two Sandwich Tern and at least two Whimbrel.

Wooden jetty/harbourmouth

Two Black Guillemot on the water at least 0830hrs. Dare I say that dredger activity may have displaced the last remaining Shag [from last autumn] away from the area?

Insects

The reedbed trap was run and produced more Southern Wainscot and a few Small China Mark. The hut trap saw a battered Bordered Beauty and another Nutmeg.

The declining Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet was in the reedbed trap along with the pyralid Small China Mark; the other is the battered Bordered Beauty. Thanks Reuben.

5.5 C to 20 C in 5 hours!

Heysham Obs

Outfalls/Red Nab

Med Gull: 1 x 3rd W (winter plumage head, 2nd w/s outer primaries not yet moulted), 1 x adult summerish, at least 1 x 1st S, 1 x juvenile

Wooden jetty

NNEW on the Black Guillemot

Heysham NR

As also recorded from the nearby accident repair centre on Westgate (dont ask), 60-70 Swift south in one hour over the Nat Res - this suggests they were moving on a broad front at a similar rate in the clear weather. House Martin status is always very difficult to define as they do a lot of circling until you suddenly realise they have gone, but c80 over Heysham NR was a very large count for birds which were simply 'blogging'. Just c20 Swallow with them.

Middleton IE

A ringing session spoilt by sunny windy conditions earlier than expected. Highlighted by adult male and 2nd brood juvenile Grasshopper Warbler

Worn tail on the adult male Grasshopper Warbler. It still has to make do with this all the way back to Africa before it can moult! Thanks Jean

Insects

The moth trap contained the first Least Yellow Underwing and Barred Rivulet of the year along with that eagerly-anticipated harbinger of the summer decline, Agriphila tristella

The butterfly transect on the reserve comprised: 12 Gatekeeper, 30 Small Skipper (massive reduction from the previous census), 4 Red Admiral, 3 Peacock, 3 Small Tortoiseshell, 50 Meadow Brown, 15 Green-veined White, 2 Small Copper, 7 Large White, 20 Small White, 1 Brimstone, 24 Speckled Wood

Dragonflies today were only casually recorded but included 5 Brown Hawker and two Common Hawker during the butterfly transect on Heysham nat. reserve & a single male Black-tailed Skimmer on the Middleton model boat pond.

Plants

Giant Hogweed taken from a standing position! It will be removed soon.

Elsewhere

Ringlet near Wray (just south of Smeer Hall) and two White-letter Hairstreak during a brief visit to Stairend. The pager suggests this area is dead as regards bird sightings - no doubt this might prompt someone to come up with Leighton Moss Spoonbills!

A bits and pieces day

Heysham Obs
Nothing comprehensive; anyone anything to add, please?

Outfalls/Red Nab
A check too near to high tide saw 2 x 1st S Med Gull, 3 Whimbrel

Harbour mouth
At least one Black Guillemot late afternoon (per angler)

Insects (on reserve)
One Common Hawker - hard to find this year along with 1+ Brown Hawker & 4 x Gatekeeper (all along Princess Al;exandra way track past the blue utilities grids) - surely at least 12 on the reserve this year so far. This species is a recent arrival which has not 'taken off' like Speckled Wood and Small Skipper. Nothing new in the moth trap.

Elsewhere
Ad Yellow-legged Gull visible from Sunderland tidal road but nothing with 280+ Dunlin other than three Whimbrel. No sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs at Leighton Moss but greatly increased numbers of (migrant?) Sedge Warbler there with 40+ trapped and ringed. Unfortunately Middleton IE has been too windy (until tomorrow). The Little Egret roost at Ashton Hall Lake comprised FIVE this evening, an earlier build up than is usual (thanks Helen).

Meds pile in, Black guillemots stay put

Heysham Obs

Wooden jetty/harbour

Black Guillemot: pair on or below the wooden jetty

Turnstone: 17 on wooden jetty

NO sign of any Shag

North harbour wall

Med Gull: 1st summer patrolling the wall briefly perhaps indicative of last winter's returning bird.

Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore

Med Gull: Between us we managed 2 x Adult (one different from yesterday), 3 x 1st S (one possibly the NHW bird) and one x juvenile

Kittiwake: 1st summer

Common Tern: 1

Sandwich Tern: 1

Whimbrel: 3

Nature reserve

Common Sandpiper Obs Tower pond

Middleton IE

Kingfisher on 'no swimming' pond

Insects

2 x Black-tailed Skimmer, 8 male and one female Emperor & lots of Common Darter, mainly tenerals, on Middleton IE

2-3 Brown Hawker Heysham NR

A surprisingly good variety in the moth trap, despite ridiculously low numbers of common species such as Clay (1) and Common Rustic (4). New for the year were: Olive, Ruby Tiger, Cabbage Moth & the local fleabane-eating pyralid (or the larva do!) Ebulea crocealis. Olive and Cabbage Moth are quite scarce here.

Butterflies included four Gatekeeper on the reserve and a few Small Heath still flying on Middleton IE

Elsewhere

No sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs and two of the Spoonbills appeared to disappear early morning leaving Allen/EM Pool highlights for much of the day as one Spoonbill and 5 Little Egret. JBP saw two 1st S Little Gull, Spotted Redshank. As was shown by the WTP, this does not mean the LY is not in the hidden area on Leighton Moss which will becoming more suitable with falling water levels.

Stairend Bridge, Upper Hindburn revealed a nice pocket of calmish air around the favoured elms and there were 5 White-letter Hairstreak (& at least one Purple Hairstreak) at 1630 and earlier one (of these) was nectaring on Creeping Thistle:

Thanks very much for this excellent shot, Gary

Meds return from the drying fields?

Heysham Obs
All known birding coverage was during the morning
Wooden jetty area
Two Black Guillemot but sometimes elusive. No Shag reports

Outfalls/Red Nab
Mediterranean Gull: two adults, two 1st summer and one metal-ringed 2nd summer. There has been no sign as yet of either of the two wintering birds - the Czech-ringed adult is already two weeks 'late' c/p 2006.
Kittiwake: 1st summer
Sandwich Tern: 2
Whimbrel: 2

Insects
One of the best butterfly transects in a F3-4 wind - it was almost wall-to-wall sunshine! Small Copper (2), Common Blue (15), Small White (7), Large White (1), Green-veined White (3), Meadow Brown (20), Small Skipper (90), Red Admiral (3), Peacock (4), Small Tortoiseshell (2), Brimstone (1). Forgot Gatekeeper (4)! Also 6 Burnet spp. recorded.

The moth trap produced two new species in the form of Dot Moth and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (not checked for Langmaid's - escaped!!)

Six Brown Hawker and two Emperor on Heysham Nature reserve

Elsewhere
Lesser Yellowlegs in the large field between the level crossing and L Moss at 0800hrs but promptly flew towards the Griesdale area [square white rump patch, no white on wing, same size as Redshank, slightly trailing legs etc] . There is a huge area for feeding waders out of sight of hides/hillside scoping and a bird was glimpsed which may have been this when birds were v. briefly flushed by Marsh Harrier. The problematic yellow-legged juv Redshank was in this field during the afternoon and was initially misidentified by experienced birders in the absence of immediate flight views. A 'lady on a bike' insisted a claim during mid-morning yesterday was of the juvenile Redshank. What a classic two-bird reality this is! Three Spoonbill & at least 5 Little Egret around the Allen/EM Pools. Ad Med Gull 36W has returned to north Morecambe seafront and was undoubtedly the bird also seen yesterday at the Stone Jetty

Black Guillemot on the Jim Bowen show

Heysham Obs

The Black Guillemot had a Radio Lancashire slot today and a visit to see if they had not promptly departed revealed one bird in the water below the jetty but bad light preventing seeing whether one was 'in the hole'. Communication with Alan Davies, the Conwy warden, suggests that the behaviour of these birds is very similar to the Fishguard harbour prospective colonists - plenty of display, mainly from the male but lukewarm female reaction. As Gavin Thomas pointed out, this might be because both the Heysham and Fishguard females are first summers.

Shag - 1st summer in the harbour

Sandwich Tern - one off the harbour late afternoon

Oystercatcher roost at the heliport. Thanks Cliff

No time to check the outfalls today

Butterflies

About 5 Gatekeeper recorded along with a few Small Skipper.

Gatekeeper and Small Skipper - thanks Cliff

Elsewhere

The Lesser Yellowlegs was seen on the Allen Pool in the early morning before flying north-east. No reports from Leighton Moss. Ad Osprey on the public mere mid-morning.

Sandwich terns increasing

Heysham Obs
Wooden jetty/seawatching
30 minutes on the NHW produced 6 Manx Shearwater, one juv Common Tern and 6 Sandwich Tern out

Black Guillemot - both sat together on the wooden jetty. No obvious sign of any Shag.

Outfalls/Red Nab
No Meds! 7 Sandwich Tern roosting on the rocks (definitely additional to the seawatch birds) and four Whimbrel present

Elsewhere
Lesser Yellowlegs available on the Leighton Moss public mere from at least 0900 to at least 1030. Seen later on Allen Pool before flying towards JBP, thence a belated report of a 1525 sighting at JBP before 'flying towards the breakwater'. EM Pools: Little Egret flock rising to 11, three Spoonbill still present and a single Avocet reported.