Not a lot apart from ants

Heysham Obs
Another late afternoon dose of flying ants concentrated gulls over the reserve etc. and produced an adult Med. Gull during a brief check.

Lunchtime check from OE foreshore with the tide well out produced:
Whimbrel - 1
Little Gull - 2nd S->ad W
Wheatear

Moths
The trap produced the first Copper Underwing of the year with 7 Ruby Tiger being a good count for here. A worn Silver Y was the only migrant

Butterflies
Amazingly some warm and sunny weather (again unforecasted) produced the first two non-Large White this year on the now profuse buddliea outside the office - a single Peacock and Red Admiral!!

Elsewhere
Lunchtime check of Sunderland produced the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull in its usual lowish-tide location just upstream from the 'football buoy' as viewed from the tidal road. 6 Crossbill SW over Caton Moor this morning. Colour-ringed 1st S->2nd W Med Gull on Lune by the 'bluethroat site' at the south end of Aldcliffe [seemingly white darvic with black letters = NW mainland Europe]. Unringed moulting adult Med Gull by Morecambe Stone jetty [& Sandwich Tern]

Canada-fest

Heysham Obs
The 'highlight' so far of a day producing far earlier than forecasted rain was two flocks of Canada Geese comprising 14 & 27 which flew east over the Obs recording area early morning

Ringing produced a juvenile Reed Warbler at Middleton and a welcome family of four Bullfinch at Heysham NR

Vis comprised c10 Swift, 15 Swallow and c8 Meadow Pipit SE

A quick lunchtime visit to coastal sites saw a Wheatear on the heliport, 2nd S->ad W Med Gull on the north wall and 1st S->2nd W Little Gull on the sea off Ocean Edge. Very few gulls Red Nab area but late in the tide cycle.

Moths
A good catch included the following new species for the year: Ypsolopha scabrella, Phoenix, Canary-shouldered Thorn. Two Silver Y were the only migrants.

Elsewhere
Ad Med in fields ast Cockersands & a few other coastal Wheatear. 28 Little Egret in the Leighton roost.

Good butterfly day

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/Ocean Edge/Stage 2 outfall incoming tide
Med Gull - small adult
Little Gull - 2 x 1st S->2nd W, one 2nd S->ad W
Common Gull - juv

Heysham NR butterflies
Brimstone - c6. Gatekeeper - 5+. Holly Blue - good numbers around at the moment. Grayling - 2 on the non-operational land in a quick search. Red Admiral - 3. Painted Lady - 1.

Moths
3 Bordered Beauty.

Elsewhere
Nothing on LDBWS site but no pager batteries!

High spring tide and holidaytime...plus some decent late afternoon insects

Heysham Obs
More jetskis than birds by late morning, but earlier sightings as follows (thanks Mark, John and Colin x 2):

Stage 2 outfall
Med Gull - juvenile giving good comparison with juv Common Gull
Little Gull - two 1st S ->2nd W , one 2nd S->Ad W

Red Nab pre-tide
Whimbrel - one
Med Gull - 2 ads, one the Czech bird

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2nd S->3rd W to bread

Insects
Butterflies
Highlighted by at least one Wall Brown in the NE of the nature reserve, a rare insect here these days. Grayling on the track to the container by the office. Also single Gatekeeper Middleton IE & 3+ on HN reserve. An unspecified number of Red Admiral & Peacock - probably just one-two of each?
Moths
Bordered Beauty, Nutmeg, Dark Sword Grass in the moth trap.
Dragonflies
Still no Ruddy Darter sightings this year. 4 male and one female Migrant Hawker on the reserve along with 2 male Common Hawker for comparison. 3 Brown Hawker on the reserve. A few Emperor on Middleton IE.

Elsewhere
Wood Sandpiper Allen Pool but mobile and disappeared early afternoon. Sanderling & 1,200ish Dunlin on Lune at Sunderland. Ad Yellow-legged Gull & somewhat contentious 3CY large gull together at high tide off Glasson

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