Ploughing through the gulls (again)

Heysham Obs
Apologies to G Morgan & R Carter for late entries - the sheet of paper left in the letterbox only just passed on to me due to warden being on holiday.

Red Nab/Ocean Edge/Stage 2 outfall
A bit disappointing given the optimum stage of the incoming tide & onshore wind
Little Gull - just the 2nd S moulting to adult seen
Med. Gull - 2 winter adult (possibly 2nd S ->3rd W having now lost all the old primaries??) and one juvenile
Common Gull - one juvenile
Whimbrel - one
Common Sandpiper - one
Wheatear - 2 at 1800hrs
Nothing stirring offshore in 20 mins

North harbour wall
Med Gull - adult (Czech-ringed) and juv - very mobile
Wheatear - one heliport
Whimbrel - one
Nothing stirring offshore in a further 20 minutes

Butterflies
5 Large White on the office buddliea is a lot for here - no other butterflies, as has been the case all week

Moths
Perhaps related to the above, was the first real sign of any proper migrant activity since 2006 - one Diamond-backed Moth, 2 Dark Sword Grass and 3 Silver Y out of a catch which was poor in numbers (c75) but also included the first Six-striped Rustic and Orange Swift of the year

Elsewhere
Ad Yellow-legged Gull Glasson but 'nothing' with small waders i.e. c750 Dunlin. Later 1,100 Dunlin gone through at Sunderland, either on mudflats or at the sides of the main channel & they included a moulting adult Sanderling and Knot. Dark Sword Grass in High Tatham moth trap

Juvenile Common & Med Gull

Heysham Obs
Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore mid-am pre-high tide
Med Gull - 2 adult and one juvenile (possibly two)
Common Gull - 2 early juveniles
Little Gull - 2 1st S moulting to 2nd W
Whimbrel - 3
Little Egret - 1 flew out of Ocean Edge saltmarsh channel and headed south

Outfalls and north harbour wall late afternoon
Med Gull - juv on the sands by the outfalls then two more juvs in the channel off the NHW accompanying the Czech-ringed adult - one of these appeared to be darvic-ringed on a very brief silhouetted view of dangling legs. One 3rd W Med Gull also along the north wall on its own.
Common Gull - one juv on Stage 2 outfall
Little Gull - 1st S moulting to 2nd W Stage 2 outfall

Moths
The first Olive of the year

Elsewhere
Ad Med MHS playing school field. Nothing new of interest on the Lune Estuary on either side (c/f White-rumped Sandpiper on Wyre)

Yellow Wagtail tops the bill

Heysham Obs
Ocean Edge foreshore
A routine check of the remainder of the birds on Red Nab/outfalls [a bit too late in relation to the tide height/inshore disturbance] was punctuated by the flight calls of a Yellow Wagtail (1030hrs) which flew south then doubled back and landed with Pied Wagtails = seen to be a male, before not being impressed with a kite in the shape of a colourful aeroplane....and headed inland towards the golf course
Little Gull - 2 x 1st summer moulting to 2nd W on sea
Redshank - c270

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2 x 3rd winter, in the final stages of becoming winter adults (2-4 old "second year" primaries) on the railings but no sign of the Czech-ringed adult

HNR Office area
Arrival of Willow Warbler with at least 6 contact calling at 0930hrs, also Lesser Whitethroat calling but Whitethroat again conspicuous by their absence

Little Tern is a real possibility on the incoming tide (c/f 10 or so at Knott End today) - search the sea area off Ocean Edge caravan park or even the low tide shipping channel later in the day.

Elsewhere
Female Scaup on Conder Pool, plus 11 Greenshank.

Decent variety during quick incoming tide check

Heysham Obs
Telescoping outfalls/Red Nab etc. from Ocean Edge foreshore on late incoming tide
Manx Shearwater - two out and across but very distant
Black Guillemot - flew alongside the wooden jetty south side then landed on the water near the red buoy
Arctic Tern - adult on outfalls, juvenile on Red Nab
Common Tern - adult on Red Nab
Sandwich Tern - 2 adults on Red Nab
Med. Gull - just the one moulting adult
Little Gull - 2nd S moulting to adult winter, two 1st S moulting to 2nd W
Whimbrel - at least 4
Turnstone - 6 s.p. adults on Red Nab

Moths
Marbled Beauty and Wormwood Pug surprisingly new for the year in a much reduced catch

Elsewhere
Just an ad Med Gull on Morecambe HS playing fields [the metal ring needs reading on this bird!] so far

Low tide check of outfalls

Heysham Obs
Swathes of moulting Black-headed Gulls do bring fleeting recollections of a Catherine Tate remark before common sense and scientific endeavour takes over and you 'go through them'

Red Nab/Ocean Edge
Black-headed Gull - c1,250
Med. Gull - the first juv of the autumn plus 2 adult
Little Gull - one 1st summer moulting to 2nd W
Sandwich tern - 2

HN Reserve
6 contact-calling Willow Warbler at about 0900 by the office

Moths
A rather late check of the hut trap produced the first second brood Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet and (I think) the first Carcina quercana of the year!

Elsewhere
A huge moth trap catch at Millhouses, nr Wray included TWO (male and female) Four-spotted Footman. Nearby two Spotted Flycatcher around the High Tatham moth trap. It is looking increasingly like Med Gull 36W (a returning adult frequenting north Morecambe) has lost its darvic ring (Ad Med behaving in the same way with just a metal ring) - see MHS playing field area today

Bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE
A few migrant Sedge and Willow Warbler plus at least one Reed Warbler. Common Sandpiper heard. Plenty of Emperor dragonflies plus 2 Brown Hawker

Moth trap
Burnished Brass and Timothy Tortrix new for the year and the first autumn brood Shuttle-shaped Dart appeared (3). Local species comprised: Grass Emerald, Common White Wave (barely annual here), Slender Pug, Phyticodes binaevella and two more Dingy Footman. One migrant: a Silver Y.

Elsewhere
Nothing yet

Crossbill surprise & Willow Warblers trickle through

Heysham Obs
"Dog-walk" pond (half way along Heysham BE land 'landscape strip' running to OE from the reserve)
Ad male Common Crossbill drinking water mid-pm (thanks Paul)

Heysham NR
The CES ringing revealed a trickle of Willow Warblers but very little else around - the dearth of Whitethroats around the office was noticeable. We usually have trouble with this species in the moth trap at this time of year but not at all in 2008 - surely very poor productivity from what appeared to be an 'average' breeding population.

Middleton IE
Ringing saw a few Willow and Sedge Warblers with a couple of Whitethroat. Two singing male Grasshopper Warbler and c5 Meadow Pipit and under 20 Swift (anyone else had trouble using the 'less than' symbol, citing incomplete HTML?)

Outfalls area
Sandwich Tern - c6
Med Gull - Czech-ringed Ad & 2nd Summer
Little Gull - Ad & 1st S
Common Sandpiper - 2 by wooden jetty

Half-moon Bay
roosting Sandwich tern

Insects
Heysham Nature reserve: one 4-spotted Chaser, 1 Emperor, 1 Brown Hawker, 8 Common Darter the only dragonflies. Full butterfly survey comprised: 65 Meadow Brown, 19 Common Blue, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Small Copper, 10 Speckled Wood, 35 Small White, 15 Green-veined White, 1 Large White, 2 Peacock, 3 Holly Blue, 13 Gatekeeper, 1 Comma, 2 Small Heath. Painted Lady in nearby garden.
Middleton IE: 4 x 4-spotted Chaser, 14 Emperor, 4 Black-tailed Skimmer, one Brown Hawker, one Common Hawker and c30 Common Darter. Butterflies included one Red Admiral, one late Large Skipper, 12 Small Skipper
Moth trap: Fan-foot new for the year as was Small Phoenix!

Elsewhere
Two Spotted Flycatcher searching around the moth trap as I type this (High Tatham). Spoonbill & 3 Little Egret Leighton, 3 Little Egret Aldcliffe

Quick outfalls check & Middleton

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE
Kingfisher, Grasshopper Warbler and Reed Warbler were ringed but, once again, no Whitethroats, usually the mainstay of the ringing effort at this time. Another Reed Warbler was seen.

Outfalls
Sandwich tern - 2
Med Gull - ad
Anglers - 'hundreds'

Harbour mouth
Med Gull - ad
No Black Guillemot in careful search

Elsewhere
2 Ad Med Gull in evening roost at Teal Bay - one bearing a metal ring (is this P96 or 36W having lost the darvic ring?).

A few Meds

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/outfalls etc mid afternoon
Med Gull - 2 adult and one 1st summer moulting to 2nd W
Little Egret - OE saltmarsh channel

Elsewhere
Chough Warton Crag quarry late morning but not there late afternoon

Little Egret pays a visit

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/outfalls etc mid afternoon lowish tide
Little Egret - adult in the channel next to Red Nab
Whimbrel - 2

Middleton IE
Greenshank heard flying over
Swallow - c50 early morning

Butterflies
c8 Gatekeeper (at least) on reserve = those on transect & those noticed just outside transect

Elsewhere
Chough Warton Crag quarry mid afternoon