At least two successful Grasshopper Warbler broods

Heysham Obs
Harbour/SHW
Med Gull - 2CY black head with white forehead & crown feeding on tideline below North side of wooden jetty.
Black-headed Gull - 520 inc 4 juv. on and to the side of S1 outfall
Swallow - entering derelict building in harbour complex
3 Herring gull young - on stanchion by intake


Painted lady 1


Hut Moth Trap
A reasonable catch including Double Dart, Clay, Coxcomb Prominent & Shaded Pug.


Middleton
The first ringing visit of the year here curtailed by blustery wind. Singles of Reed bunting, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat & Blackbird, plus 5 Grasshopper Warblers captured. (AJD)

Minimal coverage so far

Heysham Obs
Birds
Swift - 7 south in 30 minutes at lunchtime
Med Gull - 2CY with black head off Ocean Edge

Moths
Common Emerald new for the year, also Coxcomb Prominent caught

Butterflies
2 Red Admiral north at lunchtime (but no Painted Lady)

Red-veined Darters still present

Middleton IE
Two male RVD on the model boat pond during quick lunchtime visit (thanks to Pete Chappell)

race round

** Its going to be a 'hot week' in the moth trap (for the first time for three years?!). Suggest early morning rota for checking or we will lose half the catch. I can do Thursday but definitely not Wed or Fri (Pete). Please tip-toe past the door if you are entering the hut but cant check the trap!!

Heysham Obs
First ever visit without going into the office, I suspect, as a mobile phone call changed the direction of the day!

Red Nab
2 x 2CY Meds, one with almost black head

Middleton model boat pond (nowhere near enough time)
Red-veined Darter - 2 on eastern side, one western side, 2 x darter spp (One prob RVD, the other prob Common D), 1+ Common D along south shore

Elsewhere
2 x Hobby north over Bolton-le-Sands mid-am.

Webs rush round & CES & a few insects

Heysham Obs
WeBS
No Black Guillemot at high tide in calm weather
One 2CY Med on the remnants of Red Nab
Swift - c40 between HNR & Middleton but swirling around rather than moving

CES
6 young Dunnocks, an unringed female Lesser Whitethroat & even more surprising, an unringed male Bullfinch

Moths
Reasonable catch included Small-clouded Brindle, Rivulet, Double Dart, Map-winged Swift and the micro Eucosma campolilana

Middleton
Red-veined darter - 3 males on the model boat pond early afternoon - one on the rather windy eastern side & two on the more sheltered western edge

Elsewhere
3 Green Sandpiper Aldcliffe area

All at sea!

Heysham Obs
North Harbour Wall 8am
Mediterranean Gull - 1 adult and 3 1st summers
1st summer Kittiwake
1st summer Little Gull
summer plumaged Red-throated Diver - very unusual for this time of year
Insects
Red-veined darter - 2 males on the model boat pond at least lunchtime

More to come e.g. Midd IE WeBs from Malcolm

Ragwort isnt just for Cinnabars

Heysham Obs
Outfalls area low tide
Med Gull - Ad summer plus 1 x 2CY

Moths
Dark Arches and Treble Bar new for the year. Also Shaded Pug
Eucosma campolilana, a local ragwort feeder, made its first appearance of the year and can be seen below (thanks John).

Elsewhere

Spoonbill - still in the Sunderland Point area. Same? at Leighton early morning only. Osprey Leighton

Too northwesterly

Heysham Obs
.........but only just, creating false anticipation for seawatching (and continuing the negative headlines)! An early morning seawatch was limited to 'seagulls'. Shag most unusual for June but have been odd recent records from Walney

North harbour wall
Shag - 1st summer on the sea, then flew round the wooden jetty at about 1005hrs
Fulmar - 2 out and across
Black Guillemot - one flew offshore from the harbour entrance

Outfalls area
Med Gull - 2CY
Little Gull - 2CY

Elsewhere
Spoonbill EM Pool early morning at least. 3 skuas, thought to be Poms. but not completely certain, off JBP heading towards Grange at c0945-0950hrs

Missed most of the boat?

Heysham Obs
Jon's Pomarine Skua was just missed (flying out at the Stone Jetty at 0840hrs after circling around for a bit wondering what to do). It was a light morph with broken/half-grown blunt-ended tail projections - typical of late spring passage birds and presumably a "sub-adult". Quite a bit of stuff on the early dropping tide off Heysham but it was mostly rather distant "across the mouth" of the bay.

Seawatch 0900-1010hrs, mostly from Ocean Edge foreshore
Manx Shearwater - 27 out, including a straggling line of 18
Fulmar - 2 out
Gannet - 5 out (one 'flock')

Outfalls/Red Nab
Little Gull - a 3CY was new-in and unusual at this time of year (Leighton Moss bird?) and was accompanied by presumably the long-staying 2CY (but could have been one of the Leighton 2CY?)
Med Gull - few gulls on red nab but included one 2CY Med
Black Guillemot - one offshore from the north harbour wall

Elsewhere
Pom Skua off the Stone Jetty 0840hrs

Nothing seen, nothing heard, nothing caught

Heysham Obs
.............and no moths prior to a concerted effort to find a postable item at 1600hrs. 'Alleluia' in the form of an adult Med Gull on the mudflats off Ocean Edge

Elsewhere
Spotted Flycatcher calling outside the window at High Tatham as I am typing this. No young Long-eared Owls calling on Leck Fell whilst returning from moth trapping at about 0015hrs. Dead elsewhere.