At last, some proper late autumn migration!

Heysham Obs
The nearctic element to this autumn leading to a run on "Bring back Atlantis" (providing its in the Western Palearctic) T-shirts - it should be easier to get to than Corvo, has somewhat masked the fact that the last fortnight or even three weeks has been absolute rubbish at most observatories, other than the trickle-down of the earlier huge Yellow-browed Warbler influx into the northern British Isles and a Grey Phal-fest for some. The exception was the short North Sea-crossing window on about 16th-17th which was the reason we had an influx of Redwing and Fieldfare battling against westerlies on this side on 18th-19th. Today, at last, some normal October service was resumed with a calm frosty morning. The missing element this morning was evidence of trans-North Sea migrants with few thrushes other than the first relatively significant dawn Blackbird arrival of the autumn. [NB news just received: radar observations at Skegness detected some movement this morning post dawn and also at midday today] It looks like the North Sea corridor will open again the the next day or two and Norwegian reports indicate the possibility of Waxwings being included in the fare............and the latest pager messages (1430ish) already seem to be bearing this out (several east coast sites scoring between north Yorks and Norfolk).

Vis mig 0730-1015ish (quite a few gaps)
Brambling - flock of 6 SW first thing - sorry forgot to post!
Pink-footed Goose - 125+110+75+36 S/SE
Whooper Swan - 3+17 SE (second flock very high)
Jackdaw - flock of 9 S (& 8 Carrion Crow)
Carrion Crow - 3+4+8 (see above) S
Chaffinch - 44 SW
Goldfinch - 15 SW
Greenfinch - only 18 SW
Reed Bunting - 1 S
Skylark - 26 SE
Bullfinch - 1 high to S
Siskin - 5 SE
alba Wagtail - 4 SE
Meadow Pipit - 1+2+4 SE (late for this spp)
Twite - 5 'in-off' joining the NHW flock (see below)
Linnet - 2 S
Redwing - just 2 SW
Woodpigeon - 37 S/SW
Song Thrush - 2 S

Grounded migrants/movement at a lower level than above
Long-tailed Tit - at least 120 passed through generally to the south in 7 definitely different flocks, possibly at least two more unduplicated flocks
Coal Tit - at least 16 migrants to the south (plus two more sedate ringed birds)
Chiffchaff - a greyish individual which remained silent
Goldcrest - absolute minimum of 20 around the office with at least a further 10 down Moneyclose Lane
Blackbird - 30+ first thing - most flew inland
Blue Tit - 2 unringed birds trapped but no obvious movement
Wheatear - one on the NHwall mound (thanks John!)

North harbour wall
Twite - maximum of 36 during 10mins of observation, including 5 'in-off'
Linnet - one
Med Gull - 3 adults
Shag - at least three juveniles scattered around near high tide

Outfalls
Arctic Tern - juv still present mid afternoon

Elsewhere
Drake Scaup Conder Pool, also Common Sandpiper still in the area plus 2 Greenshank [no sign Common Scoter]

a bits and bobs early morning

Heysham Obs
Missed some vis due to the closed Halton-Slyne rat run but surely nothing dramatic

North harbour wall & area 0730-0800
Shag - now five juvs around the harbour waterfall and having exclusive access to the food as everything else scared off by nearby dredger activity
Med Gull - the elusive 1st W was patrolling the north wall and at least one adult was also seen
Whooper Swan - 6 high to the SE
'Twinnet' - none at all early am, 8 Twite later
no Shelduck moving at all

Vis mig 0730-0900 (north wall to 0800, office 0805-0900)
Siskin - 22+16 SE
Chaffinch - 41 SW
Redwing - 1 SW
Meadow Pipit - 2 SE
alba Wagtail - 3 SE
Greenfinch - 2 SW
Goldfinch - 4 SE
Linnet - 3 SE
Coal Tit - 5 S

Grounded by office
Goldcrest - at least 8
Blackbird - 3 migrants - flew inland
Redwing - 2 along Moneyclose Lane

Ocean Edge/outfalls
Arctic Tern - just the juv seen in very brief visit

Elsewhere
A few Woodpigeon on the Caton Moor vis but otherwise a trickle of Chaffinch

Good numbers of Shelduck & Whooper Swan for here

Heysham Obs
Not windy enough.

North harbour wall/seawatching from outfalls side to 1100hrs
Diver spp - one out & one landing by yellow buoys early afternoon
Whooper Swan - 24 SSW 0857hrs and 5 ad & 1 imm similarly 0908hrs
Mute Swan - 2 out close inshore
Rock Pipit - 1
Linnet - 3
Twite - 3
Pintail - 11 out
Shelduck - 228 out
Shag - 4 juvs at the waterfall (& one Cormorant) - one of these has a British ring which should be readable if/when it sits on the lower tier of the platform - and indeed the last four digits were duly read by Jon Wright and Richard Du Feu late afternoon. This should be enough to trace a juv i.e. definitely ringed in 2008.
Med Gull - 2 adults

Stage 2 outfall/Red Nab
Kingfisher - 1
Wigeon - 23
Arctic Tern - ad & juv
Little Gull - 2nd W early am only
Merlin - early afternoon

Middleton IE
12 Coot, 9 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 2 Mallard, 12 Teal, 3 Snipe

Moths
Large Wainscot and Brick in the trap, the latter new for the year

Elsewhere
Female Scaup Freeman's Pool and Common Scoter Conder Pool

A little window prior to the rain

Heysham Obs
Try NHW seawatching first thing tomorrow & hope there is already stuff in the bay before the wind heads NW - a few coastal Leach's to the north of here

Wind completely useless for seawatching - far too far to the south - but a bit of effort produced a reasonable selection, albeit nothing definitely 'new in' apart from perhaps the 2nd W Little Gull. Another landmark achieved this autumn - the only coastal migration site with daily coverage in the whole country not to have received Yellow-browed Warbler......... or more accurately, didnt find what must have been (based on mid/late autumn Chiffchaff numbers) at least one somewhere (Walney "fell" yesterday - so they are still around at this latitude)?!

North Harbour Wall seawatch 0930-1030 hrs (Rain from 1010)
Shelduck 2+5+5 'out'
Eider 1 'out'
Med Gull - 3 adult
Shag - 1 juv wooden jetty
Great-Crested Grebe 3 close in to seawall
Ringed Plover 11 Helipad

Quick check NHW area 1115hrs
Shag - 2 at the waterfall in harbour (& at least one Cormorant)
'Twinnet' - flock of 16 in flight only over the mound - both sp. calling

Stage 2 Outfall in atrocious conditions, viewed through the murk from O Edge
Arctic Tern - ad & juv
"Commic Tern" - only seen briefly but presumably the juv Common seen yesterday
Little Gull - one 2nd W

Late afternoon glimpse of S2O in even worse conditions
Arctic Tern - juv the only tern seen
Little Gull - adult (definitely not the morning bird)

Office -area
Chaffinch 6 SW - one flock

Elsewhere
Dead as regards new arrivals apart from a female Scaup on Freeman's Pools. Mass transfer of Black-tailed Godwits etc. to Warton Floods - scope & high-powered wide angle lens from Warton Crag road layby. Still two Curlew Sandpiper Allen/EM Pools before the rain - getting late for these.

Much much better!

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Snow Bunting, probably male [based on extensive wing flash], flushed by vehicle from the seaward base of the sandplant bank - flew low 'over the top', trilling & left for other observers to follow up (0950hrs). This was on the return journey from the harbour mouth & the bird had presumably moved over from the sunny side or just arrived, as it was not present 10 minutes earlier. No further information received on whether it had been relocated but not obviously on the NHW at lunchtime, but there are 'blind spots' in the sandworks.
Purple Sandpiper - A solitary individual on the seawall by the harbour mouth - flew along towards the heliport
Shag - One on the wooden jetty and three around the waterfall area (& 4 Cormorant). All juvs
Twite - minimum of 5, later 7
Shelduck - 71 out in five flocks in 25 minutes intermittent observation
Med Gull - three Ad joined incoming IOM ferry
Great-crested Grebe - two in the harbour

Stage 2 outfall
Arctic Tern - Juvenile joining the long-staying adult
Common Tern - juvenile with quite a bit of ginger still late afternoon at least
Little Gull - ad briefly, then flew out to sea

Razorbill and first Jack Snipe of autumn

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 0855-0925 & brief lunchtime visit
Razorbill - one out
Med Gull - 3 adults
Shag - one juv on wooden jetty, one by the harbour waterfall
Twinnet flock - just one Linnet seen!

Outfalls/OE foreshore
Arctic Tern - adult still present s2o
Little Egret - one in saltmarsh creek

Middleton IE
Jack Snipe highlighting a morning visit which also produced 16 Coot, 3 Pochard, 6 Tufted Duck, 16 Coot, 10 Moorhen, 10 Mallard, 5 Teal, 1 Little Grebe and 5 Redwing

Elsewhere
Totally dead as regards new birds of interest with a couple of Goldeneye elevated to the media spotlight (LDBWS site)! 144 Fieldfare, 32 Redwing and 3 Chaffinch SW at High Tatham 0745-0815 just prior to rain

Is this still the autumn passage season??

On the forecast for the next few days, possibly worth checking the nooks and crannies of sheltered water/flotsam etc for Grey Phalarope (and make sure offshore detritus isnt a moribund Frigatebird). Not sure whether the direction and strength combined will produce a dose of Leach's - clearer by Saturday pm with early Sunday morning perhaps looking the most promising..........but it can all so easily change! On the current projected synopsis, if there are any birds Saturday pm, EARLY Sunday am at Heysham NHW could produce close views as they fly out in the recent veer to NW after an overnight SW/W gale. Please dont waste your time seawatching at Jenny B.P. Sunday morning as per 1st October!

Heysham Obs
Very static scenario this morning apart from:

Shelduck - 9 south
Skylark - 1 SE
Song Thrush - 1 SW
.......from 20 minutes seawatching and 30 minutes "vis"

North wall/harbour
Shag - two juvs - very mobile
Med Gull - 3 adults dip-feeding in the harbour mouth
Linnet/Twite - 39 in flight only - just enough time to count them - "fair number" of Twite on call

Outfalls/Red Nab/OE foreshore
Arctic Tern - ad still s2o
Mistle Thrush - 11 on football pitch

Elsewhere
Dead

This weather is wearing thin

The adult Arctic Tern still present today. Thanks to Mike Watson for the picture (see link to blogspot for more photos)

Heysham Obs
.......No grounded migrants, no new "yanks" nationwide, no Pallas's Warblers within at least 1000 miles of even the east coast...and no helpful weather on the horizon apart from possible transatlantic fall-out from Thursday/Friday depression. At Heysham this morning, just a few thrushes struggling through, the same birds close inshore and miscellaneous odds and ends overhead/out to sea

North harbour wall 0810-0840hrs
Gannet - juv out
Whooper Swan - 3 SE from over the bay (0820ish)
Med Gull - 3 adults
Shag - one juv
Shelduck - 3 out
Common Gull - 26 out
Linnet/Twite - about 10 in flight briefly

Ocean Edge/outfalls/Red Nab
Arctic Tern - ad still S2O

Moneyclose Lane
Redwing - 16 flushed from roadside bushes - flew inland

No squalls, no birds

Feathered Thorn in the trap this morning. Thanks Reuben.

Heysham Obs

North wall area

Shag - 3-4 juvs, including one in the harbour by 'waterfall'

Med Gull - 2-3 adults

Kittiwake - 2 juvs following late afternoon ferry

Red-throated Diver - one on sea at lunchtime

Outfalls/OE foreshore

Arctic Tern - ad on S2O all day

Little Gull - ad S2O morning only

Mammals

Grey Seal off NH wall

Moths

Feathered Thorn & Red-line Quaker

Elsewhere

A few semi-grounded Fieldfare and Redwing - see LDBWS site plus a RT Diver off the Stone Jetty early morning

More Redwing but no SW gale!!

Heysham Obs
Vis mig
Malcolm had 840 Redwing over Middleton IE 0945-1115 which may or may not have included some of the same birds as the Obs vigil

From outside the HNR office door, a vis mig count carried out by John Wood (inside when wet):

0715-0730 - barely light. Redwing calls from bushes & a few Robin + Blackbird calling.

0730-0745 Cormorant 4+1 SE just above pylon height.
Fieldfare 2 NW
Redwing 5 SE from out of bushes.

(0740-0830 rain - thick drizzly stuff on a moderate SW breeze).

0745-0800
Redwing 2 W
Chaffinch 1 S

0800-0815
Redwing 7 SW

0815-0830
Redwing 4 SW
Chaffinch 1 S
Sparrowhawk on Reserve.

0830-0845
Redwing 2 S + 7 SW
Fiedfare 64 NW then E + 1S
Woodpigeon 2 SE
Goldfinch 1 SE
Greenfinch 4 S/SW
Chaffinch 19 SW

0845-0900 Chaffinch 5 SW
Greenfinch 2 SW
Redwing 1 heard
alba Wagtail 1 S

0900-0915
Redwing 22 SW + 13 SE
Greenfinch 4 SW
Song Thrush 1 SE
alba Wag 2 SE

0915-0930
Redwing 44 SW
Song Thrush 1 SE
Greenfinch 7 S

0930-0945
Redwing 51 SW
Fieldfare 22 S
Greenfinch 9 SW
Bullfinch 5 SW then E
Goldfinch 6 S/SW
Reed Bunting 1 SW
Chaffinch 6 SW

0945-1000
Start of thrush movement. Southerly movement was over Moneyclose Lane area, SW/SE was over Obs. Tailing off after 1030.
Redwing 141 S + 65 SW
Fieldfare 60 SE + 150 S
Starling 1 SE - with Redwing.
Chaffinch 7 SW
Greenfinch 4 SW

1000-1015
Redwing 142 S + 190 SW
Greenfinch 4 SW
Chaffinch 2 SW
Sparrowhawk 1 SE about pylon height.

1015-1030
Redwing 299 SW
Fieldfare 25 SW
Starling 32 N + 9 S
Song Thrush 2 SE
Coal Tit 2 S
LTT & Goldcrest first of morning.

1030-1045
Redwing 18 S
Greenfinch 6 SW
Chaffinch 1 S

1045-1100
Redwing 14 S + 48 SW
Starling 21 SW
alba Wag 1 heard
Greenfinch 4 SW
Meadow Pipit 1 Northish - off passage?

Selective totals up to 1100
Redwing 974 plus another 360 during intermittent coverage 1200- 1400hrs
Fieldfare 324
Greenfinch 44
Chaffinch 43

Outfalls/OE foreshore
Arctic Tern- one Ad still H2O
Little Egret - 1+ in OE saltmarsh creeks (prob. 2)

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 3 Ad & 1st W
Shag - one early morning but surprising lack at high tide
Twite - 4+ with Linnet

Middleton IE
Pochard (1), Tufted Duck (10), Teal (c20), Coot (10), Moorhen (4), Mute Swan (2), Little Grebe (1)

Elsewhere
Highlight of any vis mig reports so far was a Brambling SW over High Tatham and the lowlight the complete lack of early morning (pre-1000hrs) movement over the higher vis mig vantage points. Ad Med P96 is back on the Lune near the cricket ground and a 2nd W Med was near the Golden Ball. Juv Curlew Sandpiper on Sunderland mudflats