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Heysham Obs
North wall/outfalls/Ocean Edge
Med Gull - 3 x 2CY plus one adult summer off Ocean Edge
Little Gull - 1 x 2CY
Black Guillemot - one in harbour

Moths
Small Clouded Brindle in trap

Elsewhere
Great White Egret Leighton Moss Lower hide area. (2 x Grey Scalloped-bar trapped on Trough (of Bowland) road last night - first in Lancs since 2004 and new for SD65. Just the sort of species which could be flushed by moorland birders, especially in rocky areas or areas of recent heather burn).

Gulls take a nosedive

Heysham Obs
........sileage cutting?

Ocean Edge/Red Nab incoming tide
Black-headed Gull - 280 only
Common Gull - 137
Little Gull - 1 2CY
Med Gull - 2 2cY (including the distinctive 'red-billed' bird)
Gannet - one distant 'across the mouth' - no systematic seawatching

North harbour wall 0930-1030

Black Guillemot 1 on wooden jetty

Med Gull 2cy black hood apart from crown & forehead

Painted Lady 1

Moths
Mother Shipton found after 'two minutes' by visiting entomologist today near the office!

Elsewhere
2CY Hobby near Furnessford bridge late afternoon

Black Guillemot pair visit the hole in the jetty!

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall/outfalls
Black Guillemot - Obvious pair of adults visiting the hole on the wooden jetty. All previous female records have been 2CY (i.e. pre-breeding age)
Med Gull - TWO adults and at least one 2CY but check made a little too late in tide cycle

Insects
First Emperor of the year for Middleton plus just one Bk T Skimmer in very marginal conditions

Elsewhere
NNEW on waders on EM Pool (even by 1145hrs)!

TWO Black Guillemot!

Heysham Obs
........and we havent checked that area for three days.

Coastal areas
Black Guillemot - male trying to call a second bird of unknown sex, but almost certainly an adult, on to the 'nest' site on the wooden jetty
Med Gull - probably the same three 2CY as yesterday plus what appeared to be an additional bird. Also adult in the afternoon
Little Gull - 2CY
Common Tern - 2-3

Moths
A Mother Shipton twitcher finally found one after a few hours in breezy cool conditions (northern end of nature reserve)!

Elsewhere
Red Kite over Dolphinholme area heading for Harris End Fell mid morning. Uncertain whether same bird as in Roeburndale East as upperwings, therefore wing-tag presence, not discernable. Temminck's Stint and mobile Pectoral Sandpiper on the Eric Morecambe Pool this late afternoon/evening

More gull grilling

Heysham Obs
Yesterday was amazing. Entered the office from the great outdoors about 12oohrs, but did not leave until 1600hrs. The temperature difference reminded me of the same time last year boarding a plane at Oslo and disembarking into an icy blast at Kirkenes. The current air is surely from similar arctic climes. Today it was simply 'cool' and the lack of heathaze very welcome

Red Nab/outfalls/Ocean Edge foreshore
Med Gull - a careful look revealed 3 x 2CY: one with a 'basic 1st W' mask, one with an extensive black covering the mask area & the sides of the head but neither joining round the rear nor extending on to the crown and the 'virtually black-headed' bird seen previously (but the most difficult to pick out today). The middle one of these three had quite a red bill for a 2CY and not a bird I had previously seen. None of them were ringed
Black-headed Gull - 1,540 - amazing for so early in June and 95% 2CY
Common Gull - 226, including the adult summer
NO tern species at all - very sad as it reflects the demise of the Lune colony

Presume the Bk Guille still in residence but havent checked that side. has anyone else?

Elsewhere
Osprey lingering Leighton Moss

Hazy juxtaposed moulting gulls

Heysham Obs
An 'awkward' morning, weather-wise; bright sunlight for the gull check therefore loads of heat haze but clouding over at optimum dragonfly time!

Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore
Med Gull - just the one 2CY located but difficult to observe
Common Gull - adult summer unusual at this time of year

Report out

The 2008 report is available at the office (£2) or Leighton Moss (a bit more). Essential reading for all birders interested in migration. Insect section and an article on Twite plus the "how we found" etc. on the White-throated Sparrow

Very early gull bonanza

Heysham Obs
After a few days of creepy-crawly recording, the neglected outfalls/Red Nab area had presumably been transforming from the usual "breeding season" 200-300 small gulls to a veritable end of June/early July level. There has got to be a rare gull with this lot soon!

Outfalls/Red Nab early dropping tide
Med Gull - three 1st summers (but others could have been missed), including what was presumably the long-staying black-headed bird. None ringed
Black-headed Gull - 1,300 - unprecedented so early
Common Gull - 171 - par for the late spring course
Whimbrel - one

a shimmering white blob way in the distance on the edge of Middleton saltmarsh could have been a swan, white goose, Little Egret, the recent Spoonbill or plastic box with a neck(ish). No time to check from Potts Corner.

Middleton IE model boat pond
Sun too intermittent and temperature too low for RVD , but a single Black-tailed Skimmer and transient Clouded Yellow late morning. Unfortunately:
The only Jackdaws in this recording area have now increased to 12 and seem to be systematically scouring thbe ground along the western shore of the model boat pond. Presumably teneral dragonflies, or even torpid adults are amongst and perhaps the sole targets?

Single Red-veined Darter early afternoon

South-eastern boundary of recording area
Spotted Flycatcher - by the old ICI huge "nissan hut-shaped" building
Stock Dove - presumably nesting in the above building

Puss moth surprise and first Black-tailed Skimmer of the year

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE
Two Red-veined Darter males and a Black-tailed Skimmer

Moths
A reasonable catch including Brown Silver line, Shoulder striped Wainscot, 5 small Square spot and a Puss Moth (not annual at this site).

Elsewhere
Red Kite with wing tag from Stirling on left wing, but no obvious equivalent year code tag on the other wing, over Alcock's Farm, Roeburndale east this lunchtime

Odd dragonfly scenario

Heysham Obs

Middleton model boat pond 1045-1115hrs
STILL no Black-tailed Skimmer but a load=c8 of mature COMMON Darter amongst which, and getting some stick, were two male Red-veined Darter

The long-staying Red-eared terrapin showing well (full of Bk tailed Skimmer nymphs??)

Excitement in the moth trap as Marbled Minor aggregate made its first appearance