Storm Petrel at last

Heysham Obs
Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Storm Petrel - feeding near red No 6 buoy off the outfalls for c10 minutes then lost behind an incoming boat 1020-1030ish
Gannet - 2 out, 1 in
Fulmar - 1 out
Med Gull - 2nd S on outfalls
Little Gull - 1st S Red Nab

Moths
A nice muggy warm sector night, with the trap window sheltered from the fresh wind, produced a good catch including: Southern Wainscot, Latticed Heath, 2 Silver Y, 5 Straw Underwing and the first Drinker, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Chinese Character and Yellowtail for the year. Micros included Paraswammerdamia albicapitella!

Elsewhere
Osprey and Hobby seen again at Leighton Moss

Routine coastal coverage highlighted by Greenshank

Heysham Obs
The high tide roost at Red Nab & the north harbour wall area were covered with a 20 minute seawatch from the latter.

Ocean Edge foreshore/Red Nab/Stage 2 outfall
Med Gull - ad with fsp head still, 2nd S with 'speckled' head
Little Gull - 1st S
Whimbrel - 1
Greenshank - one adult - not common here!
Car - one in sea off Ocean Edge (occupants ok)

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2nd S moulting to adult winter - head moult more 'uniform' than Red Nab bird, 'fading' to greyish without the 'speckling'
No sign of Black Guillemot
Gannet - 2 out

Moths
Grass Emerald was new for the year in the moth trap

Elsewhere
Spoonbill and three Little Egret Leighton Moss/EM Pools respectively. Adult Yellow-legged Gull by the Golden Ball with Herring and LBB Gulls c1830hrs.

A few day-flying insects at last on a Sunday!

Heysham Obs
No reports from the coastal sites other than 2nd S Med Gull off the north harbour wall. Ringing efforts at Heysham (CES) and Middleton were stunningly unremarkable in the stronger-than-forecasted wind, other than the capture of three juvenile Bullfinch, an uncommon breeding species at the SW edge of its mid/north Lancs range (note Fylde status). The weather forecast for this (and the following week) is awful but there may be a chance to connect at last with Storm Petrel with westerly sector 15-20mph winds to the fore.

Middleton IE
In apparent 'vis mig' mode were three early Meadow Pipit and two early alba Wagtail. No perceptible hirundine passage but a Sand Martin at lunchtime was clearly not a local bird. Common Sandpiper and 2 Snipe also noted

Stock Dove
One flew over the model boat pond car park at lunchtime heading inland. This species is scarce in the Heysham area and the only chance to place it on the BTO/challenge list for British Energy properties is to record it along the strip of BE land running around the perimeter of the golf course and Middleton IE. See map in office. Could regulars please keep an eye open for this species which does not appear to be breeding on the IE this year. Thanks.

Insects
Plain Golden Y was new for the year in the moth trap. Single male Gatekeeper on the nature reserve. Dragonflies highlighted by Common Hawker on the nature reserve but Middleton IE was too windy - the fifth consecutive week the Sunday census has either been impossible or carried out in sub-optimal weather. I am pretty certain we wont see any more Red-veined Darter this year and suggest the colony has probably died out.

Elsewhere
TWO Yellow-legged Gull (Ad & 3CY) on the Lune at Glasson. Chough Warton Crag quarry late morning. Osprey Leighton Moss lunchtime & Hobby also there, showing from the "Osprey tree" layby late afternoon. Ad Med Gull Hest Bank roost (unringed). Four Ringlets on Thrushgill plantation "access" track by gate (first records for here) but no sign of any White-letter Hairstreak at the known site at Stairend

The regular adult Med returns?

Heysham Obs
......the above the knee Czech ring was not seen this morning (or on the probably the same late afternoon outfalls adult) but the behaviour along the north wall strongly suggested the 'usual' wintering bird.

Red Nab/Stage 2 outfall
Whimbrel 1
2nd S Med Gull seaward end of Stage 2 outfall (minimal black on primary tips, therefore not NHW bird) and again late afternoon
Ad Med Gull by the outfalls in the afternoon - again the upper right leg could not be seen c/f Czech metal ring
Little Gull - 1st S late afternoon

North harbour wall
Mediterranean Gull adult + 2nd S, 2nd S again present late afternoon
Gannet 4 blogging, 5 'out'
Sandwich Tern 8 'out/across' + 4 blogging

Middleton IE
Late Lapwing chick model boat pond
Snipe - first autumnal bird on the model boat pond
Common Sandpiper - one model boat pond
Kingfisher - first autumnal bird (juv) on the 'no swimming' pond
Grasshopper Warbler - singing male, despite windy weather

Moths
New for the year in the trap were Short-cloaked Moth and (surprisingly) Muslin Footman & something which looked like Celypha straminea ('must do better' with micros)

Elsewhere
The profile of the Warton Crag quarry Chough continues to rise again after being 'lost' during the spring passage 'excitement' (and amongst the hordes of breeding Jackdaw) - on the pager again for 1110hrs at the quarry. Hobby on the pager for late mid-late afternoon in Lower Hide area.

Usual stuff

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/stage 2 outfall at low tide
Little Gull - 1st S
Med Gull - 2nd S

Moths (overnight trap)
Antler made its first appearance. Just one very worn Silver Y (c/f 3 yesterday). Green Pug and Cabbage Moth also new for the year - scarce here. A couple of Eucosma campoliliana represented the local ragwort appreciation society along with a late Cinnabar

Late record and compliment
Thanks to Oldham Birder for Black Guillemot info [published under the date in question] and 'Jen' for a nice comment about the site, notably Mark Break's introductory Med Gull photo.

Elsewhere
1st S Hobby again at Griesdale hide Leighton Moss 1310 at least. Chough again Warton Crag quarry and showing well (and easy to find in the absence of Jackdaws) from about 1700-1720hrs feeding in the grassy stuff along the top of the quarry face. Osprey Leighton Moss late afternoon.

A (very) few Silver Ys appear

Heysham Obs
Depressions approaching from the south-west always have possibilities for migrant insects and there was a little flurry of Silver Y in the trap (3 - one more than Portland!) with a further individual deep in the Hindburn valley. This species, and migrant insects in general, have been conspicuous by their absence so far this summer (although there was a late winter 'Saharan dust influx' to the south of Britain)

The only other sightings of note so far were a 2nd S Med Gull on the seaward end of Heysham 2 outfall this morning along with 2 very distant Manx Shearwater heading 'across and out' . 1st S Little Gull Red Nab roost on late afternoon tide.

Elsewhere
Hobby perched Lower Hide area Leighton Moss afternoon

More Grasshopper Warblers

Heysham Obs
Coastal areas late afternoon
Rock bottom with the only semblance of a justifiable mention being an unpopular Grey Heron 'in-off' at Red Nab. NO gulls/terns/waders/Black Guillemot worthy of mention!

Middleton IE
Grasshopper Warbler - Two juveniles ringed in western marsh (& retrap adult female) & juvenile ringed in central marsh
Sedge Warbler - 6 new juveniles ringed
Whitethroat - just one juv ringed - where are they?
Grey Wagtail - one, possibly two, south [c/f one over Stone jetty]
Sand Martin - 1

Insects
Black-tailed Skimmer is definitely breeding in the central marsh at Middleton with 3 males and an ovipositing female. Also 4 at the usual model boat pond site but no darters in deteriorating weather. Hawker spp, probably Common on the Nature Park pond. Another Garden Tiger in the moth trap along with the increasingly local Double Dart (3) and the first Straw Underwing (2) & Common Rustic (1) of the year. White Satin and Grass Rivulet were also notable - they are not annual.

Elsewhere
Red Kite over High Bentham c1450hrs. Hobby sat in dead tree lower end of Leighton Moss this morning

Black Guillemot still there

Heysham Obs
Stage 2 outfall
Just a 2nd S Med Gull at low tide

North wall incoming tide
Black Guillemot for 15 minutes, then flew offshore at 1400hrs
Med Gull - TWO 2nd summer, probably including the above bird
Gannet - 1st S sat on the sea by the Near Naze

Moths
Cloaked Minor rather early, Yellow Shell first of the year in the trap

Elsewhere
Drake Common Scoter Haweswater & Spoonbill Leighton Moss

Welcome Garden Tiger

Heysham Obs
Woolly bears are apparently not a feature of quality garden time for children any more and the moth has seriously declined at Heysham as elsewhere. One in the trap this morning was a welcome sight.

Red Nab/outfalls
2nd summer Med Gull and Whimbrel was the disappointing fare at the 'optimum' time of c2 hours before high tide

Middleton IE
Adult and juvenile Grasshopper Warbler ringed

Moths
A good catch included the abovementioned Garden Tiger and other late summer delights making their 2008 debut such as Smoky Wainscot, Straw Dot, Uncertain, Scalloped Oak, Small Fan-foted Wave, Common Footman, Dotted Clay and Shaded Broad Bar. An Eyed Hawk-moth was late.

Elsewhere
2 Spoonbill Leighton Moss

First Whimbrel of the 'autumn'

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/Stage 2 outfall
Med Gull - one 2nd summer
Little Gull - 2 1st summer
Whimbrel - 1 (first of autumn)
Black-headed Gull - leucistic bird

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2nd S -usual wintering bird, different from above
No obvious sign Black Guillemot

Middleton IE
A short window for dragonflies between the downpours saw double-figures of Common Darter, the first Brown Hawker of the year and low single figures of Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmer. A few Small Skipper were on the wing.

Elsewhere
Ad Hobby again at Aldcliffe this lunchtime. Chough again in Warton Crag quarry at 1140hrs. Spoonbill Leighton Moss Public Mere area [& 2 otter island mere]