A bit disappointing

Heysham Obs
Nothing mind-boggling this morning with the weather being very uncooperative as any large-scale ringing was negated by a strong early morning wind which abated rather too late. Given the windy conditions, a 'whoosh' net was used for the Grey Wagtail colour-ringing project and this resulted in one bird too many i.e. it was sat on the metal pole or elastic whilst the other 7 were in perfect position. You cannot fire the net under these circumstances and only two remained when it was safe to do so.

Outfalls
Little Gull - Ad & 2 x 2nd W (one looks like an ad but we know differently from its moult history!)
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult
Common Tern - juv

General
Spotted Flycatcher - one in the sycamore near Gate 38
Wheatear - 13 along coast/non-op land
Tree Pipit - 1 over Middleton IE & 1 grounded at Heysham Nature reserve
Grey Wagtail - 8 down to tape for a short time (2 ringed) and 5 later SE
Chiffchaff - 11 scattered around (including 5 with Middleton LTT flock, 2 by the Moneyclose Lane traffic lights)
Whitethroat - one by office pm
Lesser Whitethroat - one
Robin - 'lots' - including 6 on the rocks at Red Nab
Goldcrest - just 1!
Meadow Pipit - 17 SE
Swallow - c20 SE
Goldfinch - flock of 83 at Red Nab
Linnet - 8
Eider - 2 off NHW

Elsewhere
Black-necked Grebe Conder Pool. 6 adult & 1 2nd W Med Gulls on nearby Lune Estuary, one Ad on Conder Pool & another by Greyhound Bridge, Lancaster. Ad Yellow-legged Gull & Ruff Lune Estuary. Little Egret over Asda early morning.

North-easterly blast

Thanks for the comments - the site will stay as it is!

A Lapwing ringed as a chick on the Power Station non-operational land in May 2000 was read in the field on the mudflats near Sunderland village in autumn 2006. It was there again today.

Heysham Obs
Grounded = circuit of reserve & OE area & NH wall
Wheatear - 11
Chiffchaff - 6+
Goldcrest - 4
Robin - loads of ticking birds - 30+

Outfalls/OE area
Med Gull - juv->1st W & later on an ad
Little Gull - Ad & 2nd W
alba Wagtail - 41 Ocean Edge (wet) coastal grassy area - 5 definite White, rest appeared to be Pied apart from two difficult birds.
House Martin - c30 feeding in Red Nab area

Inshore north wall/wooden jetty
Eider - 1
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult
Shag - 2 juvs on wooden jetty as tide was coming in mid-pm - one of these was attacked by an already settled (as opposed to newly arrived & 'muscling into space') Cormorant - not seen this before - & flew into harbour . This bird is ringed on the right leg if anyone gets a chance with it on the stanchions in the waterfall area of the harbour...... The last three numbers should suffice for a juv.

Middleton IE
Willow Warbler
Tufted Duck - 7

Vis
Not a lot
Meadow Pipit - 2 SE
Swallow - 4 SE

Elsewhere
Juv Black-necked Grebe still Conder Pool & 6+ Green Sandpiper still Aldlciffe area. 4-5 adult and one 2nd W Med Gulls in Lune Estuary roost as viewed from Waterloo Cottage area, also 2nd W Stodday area. Ad Yellow-legged Gull still present in neap high tide roost. Up to 100 off-passage Sand Martin at each of: Aldcliffe pools, Dockacres complex/Hare Tarn and Warton floods - late for such numbers - feeding close to water surface at all sites [with other hirundines].

Perhaps not as much as there should have been

Heysham Obs
Half decent conditions for passerines this morning but the rain was perhaps a little too early. No incoming tide watches, therefore no Shag records or completely ruling out Black Tern has moved on

Migrants
Redstart - female type Red Nab
Wheatear - 8 mound/Ocean Edge/non-op land
Tree Pipit - 2 grounded on reserve & another flew E
Meadow Pipit - a small pulse of south-east-bound birds just prior to the main rain totalling 56 in 5 groups (max 27)
White Wagtail - 3 'in-off' & joined the Pieds (26) on Ocean Edge. One alba SE over reserve
Swallow - 4 NE
Robin - influx with many ticking birds scattered around (8+ on reserve circuit)
Willow Warbler - 1 reserve circuit
Chiffchaff - 2 reserve circuit, 3+ dog track
Goldcrest - 2 reserve circuit, 4+ dog track
Sandwich Tern - 2 'in'

Others
Little Gull - Ad & 2nd W on mud by Stage 2 outfall
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult NH wall & 1st W seaward end of Stage 2 outfall
Eider - female harbour mouth

Elsewhere
SEVEN Green Sandpiper Aldcliffe area. Egyptian Goose Warton floods. Little Tern and double-figures of Sandwich Tern off Stone Jetty. NNEW Black-necked Grebe Conder Pool

wet and wetter morning

Heysham Obs
Never seen the grassy area on Ocean Edge 'seafront' as wet, even in midwinter. Thanks to Bob & Joyce Calder for a fair chunk of these records

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Black Tern - juv present at least lunchtime, then headed south and had not obviously returned by 1600hrs
Little Gull - Ad & 2 x 2nd W
Sandwich Tern - one

Wheatear
At least 12 between Ocean Edge saltmarsh and Half-Moon Bay with another 4 on the PS non-operational land

Wooden jetty/north wall/heliport
Juv Shag with metal ring on right leg flew on to jetty from north about 1200hrs (see elsewhere). Later TWO birds.
Med Gull - Czech-ringed adult and juv->1st W late afternoon (photo on LDBWS site)
Common Sandpiper - 1 - late for here
Sandwich Tern - 1

Middleton IE
Wet! 5 Tufted Duck but no Teal in this season of plenty as regards waterbodies

Elsewhere
TWO juvenile Shag together by Morecambe Stone Jetty c1300hrs, also 9 Sandwich Tern & migrant Reed Warbler in the dome bushes. Wood Sandpiper Cumbrian end of Silverdale Moss and Osprey Leighton Moss

Good inshore selection

Heysham Obs
So far, the wind is too southerly for any sea passage (1415hrs), a bit better late afternoon - but a bit late!

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Black Tern - juv stage 2 outfall
Little Gull - 2 x 2nd W, 1 x ad & also 1 x juv which appeared to follow IOM ferry in
Med Gull - one (small) ad
Wheatear - at least 6
Gannet - one far offshore
Sandwich Tern - one

Heliport
Med Gull - 2 x 2nd W, 1 x Czech-ringed Ad
Ringed Plover - 49 - 2 metal-ringed

IOM ferry
Kittiwake - 6 behind it

North wall/harbour mouth/wooden jetty
Shag - 2 juvs on wooden jetty by the rusty tower
Cormorant - 47 wooden jetty
Med Gull - juv in harbour mouth & area for 5 minutes or so
Wheatear - 1
Kittiwake - loafing 1st S
Gannet - 2 late afternoon
Sandwich Tern - 2 out after spending short time on heliport

Elsewhere
Juv Black-necked Grebe still Conder Pool. Ad Med Stone Jetty

Routine fare

Heysham Obs
Two quick looks at the outfalls/Red Nab on the incoming tide and one 5 minute look from he locked gate on the north harbour wall.

Wooden jetty
One juv Shag as viewed from the gate

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/Outfalls
Little Gull - usual three
Sandwich Tern - 3
Med Gull - 2 adult

Vis from the office
Very little; 3 Grey Wagtail, 3 Collared Dove and a pair of Raven inland. There have been no semi-resident Raven so far this late summer/autumn and both recent sightings have been purposefully 'through'.

Ringing next to the office
Just the one shower dodging net for a short time produced one Chiffchaff!

Insects
2 Silver Y and Frosted Orange of note (latter scarce here)

Elsewhere
Black-necked Grebe JUV still present Conder Pool

Good inshore selection, nothing offshore

Heysham Obs
Two visits to the outfalls/Red Nab on the incoming tide and one visit to the NHW/wooden jetty view

Outfalls/Red Nab
Black Tern - juv on the first visit but didnt remain on the outfalls for 2nd visit
Sandwich Tern - one
Kittiwake - one 2nd W
Med Gull - 3 x ad, one juv-> 1st W with what appeared to be metal ring above tarsus on left leg
Little Gull - 2 x 2nd W, 1 x Ad
Common Gull - 2 juvs

North wall
No Meds!
Shag - 2 juv on wooden jetty, one of which arrived via close inshore along the north harbour wall

Vis mig
3 Grey Wagtail over first thing

Offshore
Just 2 adult Kittwake out in 20-25mins

Elsewhere
Black-necked Grebe Conder Pool (no further details as yet e.g. age)

Sprinkling of migrants

Heysham Obs
Ringing was undertaken at Middleton & by the office at HNR

Middleton IE
Too far inland to receive any of the landfalling migrants by the time we had to finish (1000hrs) but a few visible migrants
Tree Pipit - one ringed
Grey Wagtail - 7 colour-ringed out of about 14 heading S/SE
Swallow - c20 SE
Meadow Pipit - 5 SE
House Martin - 35 SE
alba Wagtail - c15 SE
Goldfinch - a few whizzing about, some of which could be on passage

Heysham nature reserve
Willow Warbler - 2 ringed
Chiffchaff - 4 ringed
Redstart - 2 ringed (quite scarce in autumn here)
Grey Wagtail - 5 colour-ringed (12 in total today from the two sites) & at least one other over

Outfalls/Red Nab
Med Gull - 3 adults
Sandwich Tern - 1
....but no Little Gulls in the calmer weather - should be back inshore tomorrow?
Wheatear - at least one

North harbour wall
Med Gull - Ad & 2 x 2nd W & 1 x 3d W

Moth trap
Continuing the conifer fest, Pine Carpet was a new species (I think) for Heysham NR. 15 Silver Y were disappointingly not accompanied by any other migrants. The only other unusual records were Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (not annual) and a second brood Bright-line Brown Eye
Elsewhere
60 Crossbill Foulshaw and 3+ Osprey still there. [Ortolan Walney Island]

Another terrestrial & aerial day

Heysham Obs
A bit of vis this morning, notably Swallow

Middleton IE vis mig passage
Tree Pipit - 1 SW
Meadow Pipit - 5 SE
Linnet - 1 SE
Raven - one high to the NE (first record for a bit)
Swallow - c150 SE
House Martin - 15 SE
alba Wagtail (first evidence of movement as opposed to loafing around) - 18 SE
Grey Wagtail - 8 SE (4 colour ringed)
a lot of blogging Goldfinch may have included some movement

Grounded migrants
Wheatear - 13 coastal birds
Willow Warbler - c10 reserve/dog walk track & 4 ringed Middleton
Whitethroat - just the one ringed at Middleton - the only one seen!

Middleton IE
Tufted Duck - 5
Pochard - 1
Shoveler - late news for yesterday - 4 flying over Middleton

Moths
The first Spruce Carpet for here - surely the last of the easy moths missing from the Heysham list. Also 6 Silver Y and a Rusty Dot Pearl on the migrant front [Gem at nearby Sunderland]. More notable residents included Red Underwing and Pinion-streaked Snout in the hut trap and Oblique Carpet in a wetland actinic trap.

Elsewhere
Found out that the metal ringed Ad Med Gull at Broadway is indeed 36W minus the darvic - the metal ring was read on 17/8 - this bird was present today at Broadway along with a 2nd W.

Mainly terrestrial coverage

Heysham Obs
No coverage of Ocean Edge/outfalls that I know of today - anyone able to contribute?

North wall brief visit
Med Gull - 2 adults coming to bread

Heysham Nature Reserve CES etc.
Goldcrest - first two of the autumn (ringed)
Willow Warbler & Chiffchaff - small numbers
Whitethroat - 2 ringed
Grey Wagtail - one colour-ringed and at least one other over

Middleton IE
Grey Wagtail - c11 south east with 4 of these colour-ringed.
Lesser Whitethroat - adult ringed
Garden Warbler - one ringed
Swallow - c20 south/south-east

Moths
Red-green Carpet was a surprise - early & scarce here. 36 Double-striped Pug might be some kind of record!

Elsewhere
Juv Little Tern & Shag still at Morecambe Stone Jetty but the former very elusive when not flying/feeding. 8 Sandwich Tern offshore