Oversleep & just desserts

Heysham Obs
Other than a bit of a mobile tern i.d. guide in the harbour mouth for a short time, little to commend the retreating tide this morning, starting at an unforgivable 0800hrs! Please could the birder who passed me at the (ex)heliport post any Gannets or similar dross as we are a bit desperate for variety this month. Thanks.

North wall 0800-0840, outfalls 0845-0850hrs
Common Tern - 2 juvs harbour mouth, then out [one later on outfalls]
Arctic Tern - one juv as above
Common Scoter - flock of 3 out
Fulmar - one very distant out
Med Gull - juv harbour mouth, juv Heysham 2 outfall & 2 x ad Red Nab in afternoon

Afternoon seawatch 1430-1530ish
Spent most of the time on the phone!!
Sandwich Tern - 2 out
Kittiwake - 1st W out

Elsewhere
Bonxie off Cockersands 0925ish. Wood Sandpiper Conder area this evening. Juv Spoonbill still Allen/EM Pools.

Black Rabbit pulled from toilet wall!

Heysham Obs
Moths
New for the reserve and second record for SD45 was the oddly named "Black Rabbit Moth", Ypsolopha sequella.

From the same family, Ypsolopha scabrella was the 3rd reserve record.
The rather local "grass moths" Agriphila latistria and Agriphila geniculea continued to perform.
Treble Bar, thin on the ground earlier this year, made a welcome reappearance with two fresh second brood specimens

Ocean Edge foreshore & north harbour wall late afternoon
Med Gull - 2 x Ad, 1 x juv Red Nab, ad north harbour wall
Black-tailed Godwit - 2

Black tern - juvenile off north harbour wall heading towards outfalls (near HT)

Shag - juvenile by wooden jetty - first of autumn

Elsewhere

Juv Spoonbill Griesdale Hide Leighton Moss

Common Tern highlight

Heysham Obs
Its getting a bit desperate as regards variety - hopefully Friday will see a few waifs and strays

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Med Gull - 2 x juv, 1 x Ad
Common Tern - one juv
Whimbrel - 1

Moths
Rush Veneer

Elsewhere
Juv Spoonbill Leighton

Hefty showers and a bit of vis

Heysham Obs
An 'early' start today for a change

Ocean Edge foreshore/Red Nab/outfalls 0800-0850hrs (low tide)
Tree Pipit - one SE
Meadow Pipit - 5 SE - first of autumn
Grey Wagtail - one grounded briefly, then SE. First perceived autumn migrant
Swallow - 14 S
House Martin - 1 S
Med Gull - 2 x juv, 2 x ad but a lot of gulls not visible at low tide
Sandwich Tern - 3 'out' along the low tide channel
Black-tailed Godwit - 9
Ringed Plover - 26
Dunlin - 11

Hey NR office area
Single Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff & two Willow warbler mid-morning

The seaward end of Heysham One outfall looks a real low-tide magnet for the Sabs Gulls, Blk Terns etc we are going to get on Saturday!

Elsewhere
Spoonbill Allen Pool, then NE, then back again! Juv Wood Sandpiper Glasson this evening

Nice day highlighted by a Greenshank!

Heysham Obs
The CES indicated that yesterdays migrant influx had moved on

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls 1100-1200
Med Gull - significant reduction in gull numbers saw 2 x adult (unringed) and 2 x juvenile/1st winter
Black-tailed Godwit - 16
Greenshank - juvenile Red Nab
Swallow - 32 south (including group of 25)
Sand Martin - one south

Elsewhere
Osprey Leighton Moss, Wood Sandpiper Conder Green area briefly

Med fest but indications a pre-rain passerine fall badly missed

Heysham Obs
Greeted on a far too late arrival by 3 Whitethroat in the buddliea below the office, at least 6 calling Willow Warbler by the office, a Sedge Warbler in the bramble next to the car park and 4 (remaining?) Wheatear dodging the dogs on Ocean Edge foreshore [plus another 6 on or around the heliport at high tide]. Par for the course in these conditions (a fresh SE wind prior to the rain) but thought the rain was happening a lot earlier (i.e. in the night) so no alarms set by any ringers/observers. Casual 'vis' comprised 14 south bound Swallows
during scattered coverage (e.g. WeBS)

Incoming tide Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
This was covered very thoroughly by Mark Prestwood by the outfalls and Pete Marsh on Ocean Edge foreshore. Unfortunately the colour-ringed Med could not quite be clinched (camcorder needed!)
Med Gull - at least 6 quite possibly 7 adults, including green-ringed bird starting with a definite letter 'A', then a probable 4, then at least one '1', the latter part of all this being very uncertain. If anyone sees it, please try and sort out the top one or two characters first. Also 5 juveniles, one of which was virtually into 1st winter plumage and therefore quite hard to pick out on Red Nab amongst the Black-headed Gulls. No other ages seen in careful search.
Black-tailed Godwit - 6
Whimbrel - 1
Common Sandpiper - 1

North harbour wall/heliport high tide
Med Gull - adult patrolling the wall amongst all the anglers but couldnt get decent view yo see whether it was the above-tarsus-ringed Czech bird or the other regular wintering adult
Cormorant - 39 on the wooden jetty - a good total for August

Elsewhere
'Ad-type' (surely the 4CY?) Yellow-legged Gull Glasson, juv Wood Sandpiper Conder creek, 2 ad Meds Glasson, juv Spoonbill EM complex

High tide, jetskis and holidaymakers having a good time

Heysham Obs
Ocean Edge/Red Nab etc
Med Gull - juv on the sea was the only notable bird on a visit which was a little too late with very little of Red Nab uncovered

Half Moon Bay woodland
Perhaps the same Jay party as recorded recently on Moneyclose Lane were seen this morning (3 young or 4 young in a single parent family!)

Insects
A Red Underwing was disturbed during the butterfly transect, unfortunately in SD45E where already recorded (once) in the moth trap this year. Butterflies on the HNR transect highlighted by 6 Brimstone, 6 Gatekeeper still, 5 Small Copper and 4 Small Tortoiseshell on the fleabane in the NE corner. Two Common, single Migrant and Brown Hawkers seen on transect route

Elsewhere
Nothing yet of note

Incoming tide check highlighted by distant Bonxie

Heysham Obs
Ocean Edge foreshore/Red Nab/outfalls 1125-1200hrs
Bonxie (Great Skua) - distant bird appeared after IOM ferry started coming in, circled around then appeared to land on the sea
Gannet - one imm
Med Gull - just the one juv on Red Nab
Black-tailed Godwit - one Red Nab
Ringed Plover - 47 on shingle Ocean Edge south beach; no obvious colour-ringed birds (some hard to see) but metal-ringed male

Elsewhere
Two Spoonbill still on Eric Morecambe complex. 4CY Yellow-legged Gull by red buoy 14 as seen from Sunderland tidal road late afternoon. Wood Sandpiper briefly on Conder Pool earlier on

Another guillotined check

Heysham Obs
A spray-filled high tide check produced
Ringed Plover - exactly 50 on OE west field, 25 definitely unringed, then all flushed before could be checked
Med Gull - adult drifting around OE foreshore
Gannet - one along horizon
Manx Shearwater - I think it was - split second on the horizon

Elsewhere
2 Spoonbill Leighton Moss. 45 Little Egrets left roost in morning. 4CY & JUV Yellow-legged Gull off Fishnet Point, Glasson this late afternoon (& Ad & juv Med).

5 minute guillotine

Heysham Obs
Pressing work issues kept the birding to a 5-minute high tide sweep of the outfalls & Red Nab & Ocean Edge foreshore

Little Egret - One OE saltmarsh creek
Med Gull - 2 juvs on outfalls, ad & 2CY on Red Nab
Black-tailed Godwit - none seen for the first time for a week or so
Grey Heron - juv Red Nab

Moths
Old Lady was a welcome visitor and Dark Spectacle was another rather uncommon addition to the year list

Elsewhere
Note that this wind might produce a Black Tern or two later on today. Ad Curlew Sandpiper Glasson still, Marsh Harrier and Hobby past Cockerham Sands Carvan Park & Med Gull Jeremy Lane. Common Scoter Barnacre reservoir (no general access)