Unexpected moth mayhem & earlyish Whinchat

Heysham Obs
An early start to see if there were any migrants/bit of ringing was thwarted by a wind & rain very much in the north, or slightly east of north - a 'blow on to the brambles' direction for the office mist nets, even when relatively light.  Therefore plan B was an early 'routine' check of the moth trap - surely not many with the wind slightly into the window - and a rather too rapid opening of the door was greeted by a mass flight, largely Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing and assorted grass moths.  Just under two hours later, the catch was logged and released!

Moth trap
Highlights were Toadflax Pug (unfortunately escaped - sorry Brian), Agriphila latistria, Ancylis badiana, Pale Mottled Willow (scarce here), the first Treble Bar & Eudonia angustea of the autumn, Slender & Golden-rod Pugs, Grass Emerald (late worn specimen), Barred Rivulet, Bordered Beauty, Mirificarma mulinella and a Nutmeg.  Cochylis atricapitana and Cochylis dubitana could be compared side by side.  That bane of late evening mist-netting, a Dor Beetle, was an unusual visitor.

Birds by the office
At least four 'ticking' Robins, the first multiple numbers of the autumn, c5 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Whitethroat & Lesser Whitethroat.

Coastal stuff
Med Gull - juv seaward end Heysham one, adult winter Red Nab/Ocean Edge, two adult winter heliport roost
Little Gull - ad on mud by Heysham 2 outfall, then unusually in the heliport roost
Wheatear - 2 Ocean Edge foreshore, 3 heliport
Whinchat - one heliport

Vis mig
Swift - one south
Meadow Pipit - one south

More autumnal signs

Taken today by Janet - the bottom bird is the Czech-ringed Med Gull.  Thanks Janet

Coastal stuff south of harbour
Sandwich Tern - one adult Red Nab - first of the autumn on there
Little Gull - adult outfalls
Med Gull - juvenile outfalls
Wheatear - outfalls seawall
Eider - female by wooden jetty
Turnstone - 44 wooden jetty
Oystercatcher - 2,585 Red Nab
Black-headed Gull - 368 ad, 6 1CY Red Nab

North wall
Czech-ringed Med Gull
Wheatear sandworks

Passage
Swift - 8 south
plenty of Swallow & House Martin but seemd to be blogging

By the office (one hours ringing - wind got up)
Coal Tit - juvenile ringed - most unexpected as not thought to nest locally and early for any movement
Whitethroat - juvenile ringed
Chiffchaff - juvenile ringed
Lesser Whitethroat - at least 2 around

Moths
Mostly noctuids in the fairly strong overnight wind and highlighted by another Ear spp, Lychnis (rare here), Fen Wainscot and the first Setaceous Hebrew Character of the autumn

Two adult Med Gulls in different stages of moult photographed by Mike Watson on 7th August - the upper bird is the returning Czech-ringed adult and this was also on the north wall, with the second bird today.  Thanks Mike

Med Gull - two adults, including Czech-ringed bird, on the north harbour wall, prompted by phone call from Mike Watson!
Little Gull - adult on sea by Ocean Edge
Lesser Whitethroat - unringed bird by the office

Butterflies
Four Red Admiral & 6 Peacock & 2 Small Tortoiseshell on the office buddliea

Moths
Reduced catch included a good total of 14 Silver Y and the gorse-feeding Mirificarma mulnella which was also the unidentified moth from three nights ago!

Quickfire bird coverage & more slow-slow moths

Silver Y on ragwort today.  Thanks Janet

Heysham Obs

A couple of mist nets were up for an hour before the wind got up, 5 minutes were spent scanning Red Nab/outfalls, the distant horizon by the windfarm was scanned for 5 minutes ('seawatch' tick box), the outfalls were scanned again in the early afternoon wind/rain for 5 mins and the moth trap was again a fairly lengthy job with about 200 therein.

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - adult
Whimbrel - 1
Little Gull - yesterdays ad on stage 2 outfall early afternoon

Office area
Just two Willow warblers calling & an hour's ringing only produced a new Whitethroat & Wren and a retrap Lesser Whitethroat.  Two Raven flew over, the first for a bit as they dont seem to have nested at 'this end' of the bypass this year

Moths
Highlighted by the fourth record of Yellow-barred Brindle and the very localised (and getting scarcer here?) Agriphila latistria, with the next level of interest comprising Barred Rivulet, Nutmeg, Bordered Beauty and another 'plume 1523'.  Straw Underwing seems to be closing out for the year after a bumper crop of about 420 in the trap!

A small day

Heysham Obs
The outfalls/Red Nab far from 'dead' today with a moulting adult Little Gull (just starting inner primary moult & head moult half-complete) new in.   New for the year was a Small Wainscot in the moth trap

Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge incoming tide
Med Gull - 2 juvs (which flew off together towards Sunderland) and two winter adults.  The juvs were unringed, not sure about adults
Little Gull - moulting adult
Whimbrel - 1
Turnstone - 16
Ringed Plover - 9 (no sign of (potentially) returning colour-ringed bird)
Greenshank - one Ocean Edge saltmarsh - flew off south

Migrants
No birders/ringers first thing today and an arrival at 1000hrs produced 5 Willow Warbler, a Sedge Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat in the vicinity of the office in deteriorating weather.  Probably too clear & calm at dawn for new arrivals and plenty of departure weather overnight for yesterdays birds!
Wheatear - 3 Ocean Edge foreshore (2 yesterday at the heliport)

Moths
Much reduced catch with Small Wainscot highlighting.  Two actinics left in the northern part of the reserve produced a Juniper Pug but none of the wetland specialities

More early migrant landbirds

Heysham Obs
Small ringing efforts at both Middleton NR (east side) and the nets by Heysham NR office revealed a passage of Sedge and Willow Warbler.  The operator of the NR office nets got up a little too late (as yesterday!) & again arrived to 20+ Willow Warblers calling in the surrounding vegetation with 6 ringed as soon as the nets were set and the rest then disappearing into thin air pretty quickly, as is often the case with a migrant 'should-have-been-here-an hour-ago' fall.  The Middleton NR people were more conscientious and ringed 12 Sedge Warbler in the early morning (a good total for August, by which time the locals have departed).   Unfortunately, the weather was by no means 'safe' with large black clouds around and the number of nets at each site was carefully limited and taken down rather early as the wind increased from the west.  Warbler spp ringing totals were: Sedge (12), Willow (9 + 2 retrap), Grasshopper (1+1), Reed (1), Blackcap (2+1), Whitethroat (3+1), Lesser Whitethroat (1)

Middleton NR
Grasshopper Warbler - 2 singing males (one retrapped) and an unringed juvenile caught
Reed Warbler - one juv caught

Heysham NR
Willow Warbler - at least 20 around the office at 0655hrs
Sand Martin - one south
Swift - 2 south
Green Sandpiper - one south at 0830hrs (appeared to come out of the NR marsh which is good enough for the BTO Business challenge!)

A birder reported the outfalls area as 'dead'

Moths
Over 50 species of 'macro' is really good for here and these included Fen Wainscot, Sallow Kitten, Bordered Beauty (2), Barred Rivulet (3), Dingy Footman (2), Silver Y (13) and Golden-rod Pug (2).  The micros were highlighted by another 'plume moth 1523'.  Would have been even better if I had left some egg boxes under the window, instead of all being piled up at the door end after yesterdays haul!

Willow Warblers, Large Yellow Underwings and Silver Ys

Heysham Obs
Grotty weather led to a later start than usual this morning & arrival at the NR office was greeted by a lot of hoo-eting and half-hearted Willow warbler songs.  Two nets were quickly erected by the office and a small catch of 5 Willow Warbler, two Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat & a few Greenfinches and odds and ends was made

Office/tank farm area
Willow Warbler - c25
House Sparrow - 2 in the tank farm
Lesser Whitethroat - at least two
Whitethroat - 2 ringed, no other evidence of any

North harbour wall
Whimbrel - 1
Med Gull - 2 adults, including first definite sighting of Czech-ringed bird this autumn

Moths
For here, a significant influx of Large Yellow Underwing (38) plus 11 Silver Y.  Interest was limited, but did include the first Tawny-speckled Pug of the year and another Ypsophola scabrella

Elsewhere
Singing adult male Crossbill still at Thrushgill plantation entrance - please dont tape lure- absolutely no need - also 2 others flew towards main plantation (one scruffy Ringlet)

A few routine observations

Heysham Obs
Most people otherwise occupied today - in my case one for the cricket buffs talking to ex-England/Derbyshire bowler Harold Rhodes about 20:20 cricket and nesting Spoonbills - another person who has been in the public domain who has taken up quite serious birding in later life.  This was at the funeral of a lifetime friend of my parents (posted by Pete Marsh).

Janet spent some time photographing birds around the Red Nab area and here is a female/juvenile Chaffinch

Thanks Janet

The moth trap was not checked until 1030 and held nothing memorable other than perhaps Red-barred Tortrix (per John)

Elsewhere

Adult Yellow-legged Gull and juvenile Med Gull Lune Estuary, Glasson area

The meagre fare cliche

Willow Warbler Ocean Edge today - thanks Janet

Heysham Obs
A reasonable look around Ocean Edge/Red Nab etc just after high tide produced:
Little Egret - 1
Med Gull - just one adult
Whimbrel - 3

Moths
Reduced catch but still 36 species with Ancylis badiana the star

Butterflies
Single Wall Brown seen at Middleton today, on the track to the south opposite the model boat pond car park.  3 Small Coppers also seen - thanks for passing these recorsd on

Vegetative dilemmas

Heysham Obs
Nice pic by Janet of a Peacock on buddleia followed by a Small Copper on ragwort this afternoon.  I planted the buddlieas by the office about a couple of millenia ago and every year they attract large numbers of butterflies which are enjoyed by many people.  Should they, however, be part of a nature reserve?  Unlike a certain large reserve in the north of the county, they are politically correctly kept out of the butterfly transect, so no "artificial" bolstering of numbers here.  Ragwort is a real dilemma.  There is a stables nearby - enough said - and in order to sell the baled hay from the biannual mowing regime to help fund on-going management work, its got to be ragwort-free.  So there is some selective removal on the reserve.

The problem is that, along with the oft-quoted and obvious Cinnabar moth, there are many others whose larvae feed on ragwort, including two regulars in the moth trap, Cochylis atricapitana and the misleadingly named Golden-rod Pug.  As can be seen from the pic, it is also a valuable nectar source, especially late in the autumn.

 Thanks Janet.

Ocean Edge/outfalls area
Med Gull - juvenile on the beach & very distant ad around the outfalls

Moth trap
Another good catch including Ypsophola scabrella and a large plume moth of very localised (northern) distribution with a ridiculously long name -Oidaematophorus lithodactyla