Chiffs and Chaffs

Heysham Obs
A routine morning again saw conditions a little too windy, certainly for any Grey Wagtail ringing.  I'm confused with Chiffchaffs.  The only time we get the 'swee' or 'swe-oo'-calling birds at Heysham is when there is more than a hint that there has been trans-North Sea migration e.g. a good chunk of the back-end of last autumn and definitely in the post-3J season.  This autumn, which has not been very easterly to say the least, has produced not a single calling Chiffchaff giving other than the usual monosyllabic collybita-type call - yet we have e.g. ringed record numbers by this stage of the autumn, so they are about.  However, peer-reviewed publications insist that the rather strident 'swee' and 'sweoo' calls are given by "young birds" of British origin.   Why not at Heysham, as a fair chunk of the birds ringed have been locally-produced young and 'early' passage youngsters?   Opinions, please, to PMrsh123@aol.com

Ringing/grounded by the office
Chiffchaff - 4 (2 ringed)
Goldcrest - 1
Robin - little obvious evidence of migrants but two 'new' birds ringed
Green Woodpecker - one tank farm

Vis mig 0720-0920
Dominated by an early movement of Chaffinch with some probably missed
Chaffinch - 215 SW
Meadow Pipit - just 20 SE
alba Wagtail - exactly 50 SE
Grey wagtail - 4 SE
Linnet - 1 SE
Redpoll spp - 1 SE
Swallow - 19 S
Goldfinch - just 4 SW
Siskin -  2 SW
Greenfinch - c15 SW

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Knot - 2,700
Bar-tailed Godwit - 750
Grey Plover - 335
Redshank - 313
Shelduck - 72
Med Gull - adult and 1CY
Little Gull - ad & 2CY
Arctic Tern - seemingly just one juv left on outfalls
Linnet - 72
White Wagtail - at least 3 grounded (& 25 Pied/unspec)

North harbour wall (via Mark)
Med Gull - 2 adults including Czech-ringed bird

Early Brick

Heysham Obs
Messy south/south-westerly weather again this morning with bits of vis mig trickling through (sampled 0945-1015) and grounded Meadow Pipit on Ocean Edge

Vis mig office 0945-1015
This was prompted by 13 Meadow Pipit coming in-off and joining 15 grounded birds (plus 4 albas) whilst covering Ocean Edge 0925-0940
Grey Wagtail - 1+1 (second bird landed by obs t pond)
Meadow Pipit - 27
alba Wagtail - 9
Goldfinch - 12
Chaffinch - just 8

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Greenshank - one OE saltmarsh creek (plus 11 Dunlin)
Shelduck - down to 61!
Knot - 250 Red Nab
Med gull - much reduced number of gulls on Red Nab & just 1 x 1CY and 1 x Ad
Little Gull - both 2CY and Ad on Red Nab
Arctic tern - just 2 juvs could be seen on the outfalls whilst scoping from OE foreshore

Grounded Heysham NR
Chiffchaff - two
Goldcrest - 5

Mammal
Grey Squirrel alder wood

Moths
Brick was a major surprise as they are usually a scarce late autumn species here

Thanks Alan

Ducks provide todays very minor highlight

Heysham Obs
This weather is a waste of precious late September migrant time in this area - you need a real 'hooley' or some nice easterlies, not this "nothing" weather which is too windy for mistnetting but not windy enough to stop migrants tricking through, therefore 'routine coverage' for an hour or so is the order of the day.  There was quite a bit of vis mig this morning

Moving on to next Wednesday, there is an event which seems to be likely to take place in a shirt-sleeves 'indian summer' with a lightish south-easterly and temperatures in the late teens.  Hope there is not too much heat-haze!   See sidebar for details

Vis mig by the office 0715-0815 (minus about 7 minutes)
Meadow Pipit - 220 SE
alba Wagtail - 27 SE
Grey Wagtail - 5 SE (1+2+2)
Chaffinch - 47 S/SW
Swallow - 3 SE
Goldfinch - 24 S
Reed Bunting - 1 S

Inshore
Shelduck - "dramatic" increase from just two in recent days to 87 Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Med Gull - 2 x ad, 1 x 1CY, 1 x 2CY Red Nab
Little Gull - ad outfalls. then Red Nab
Arctic Tern - seemed to be 3 x juv and 1 x adult but difficult to be certain as very mobile

Middleton NR model boat pond
Tufted Duck - 6 - ducks have been conspicuous by their absence on Middleton NR in recent weeks, notably Teal and this suggests an increased element of disturbance (not by bird ringers as it has just not been calm enough since late August)

Grounded
Chiffchaff - 2

Moths
A good catch for this time of year as is often the case in (sheltered) south-westerlies.  Highlighted by a rather belated first Red Underwing of the year, also the first Red-line Quaker.  Also now TWO Lunar Underwing (both different from the previous two), 6 Treble Bar, Acleris emargana, Parsnip Moth, 2 Common Marbled Carpet, 5 Pink-barred Sallow, 2 Green-brindled Crescent, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Silver Y and 4 Black Rustic 

Elsewhere
A very quick trip to Sunderland saw 1 x juv Curlew Sandpiper (on its own) off the toilet block and a collection of gulls at the mouth of the main creek on Lades Marsh included 2 x ad and 2 x 1CY Med Gulls

Robin migration and lots of Speckled Wood

Heysham Obs
In September 1992 we ringed a Thrush Nightingale and the same day produced a Speckled Wood - the latter was almost as unexpected as the former!  Fast forward to this morning and there was a squabbling 'kettle' of 12 Speckled Wood competing for a warm sheltered spot on the top path

Inshore
Fairly dead walk around the circuit produced:
Arctic Tern - 2 juvs and 2 adults, net loss of birds from yesterday's strong winds
Common Tern - one juv
Little Gull - adult
Med Gull - 2 1CY and one adult

Grounded
One of those mornings when you feel short-distance 'british' migrants are passing through but you are not monitoring it properly. At this time of year, that usually means "a lot" of ticking Robins (& perhaps the odd migrant Wren) which are conversely absent on a beautiful still clear morning along with any other grounded migrant.  At least 25 Robins were heard between the cream store and Red Nab
Goldcrest - at least 7 along the dog track/nature opark but only one on the reserve
Chiffchaff - one reserve
Robin - see above
Green Woodpecker - heard/seen about once a week at the moment - it was in the tank farm this morning

Vis Mig
A late arrival due to traffic problems but a 'mobile' vis mig (therefore underrecorded and reliant wholly on sound) whilst doing the circuit produced (0830-0930)
Meadow Pipit - minimum 52
Grey Wagtail - 2
alba Wagtail - 7
Chaffinch - 16
Goldfinch - 28 (also moving along the seawall)

Insects
Another Lunar Underwing graced the moth trap this morning along with reduced numbers of the usual suspects (see yesterdays catch) along with a late Sallow and Eudonia angustea.  A lunchtime circuit of the reserve produced 25 Speckled Wood, late Meadow Brown, 2 Comma, Migrant Hawker (first for a bit) and two Common Darter

Back from the dead

Heysham Obs
Lunar Underwing was a very common late autumn moth in the 1990s with up to 850 or so per year (yes, these need putting on MapMate!).  However, it all started to go wrong in the noughties with a moderate 224 in 2002, followed by 2003 (60), 2004 (44), 2005 (81), 2006 (19), 2007 (4), then none until this morning.  It has declined all along the Lancashire coast which getting towards the northern edge of its range

Outfalls area early morning, lunchtime & mid afternoon
Arctic Tern - 2 adults, 5-6 juvs
Common Tern - one juv
Little Gull - 2CY (beware, it has not grown its diagnostic post-moult 2CY outer primaries and looks superficially like a "round-winged adult") and adult
Med Gull - 4 1CY, 1 2CY and 2 adult
Kittiwake - 1CY behind the IOM ferry
Wheatear - one OE foreshore, one on the NHW mound

Office area
Goldcrest - 1
Chiffchaff - 1

Late afternoon seawatch
Gannet - 1 2CY

Moths
Good catch for this time of year with the first Lunar Underwing (see above) and Green-brindled Crescent of the year, 4 Black Rustic, 4 Treble Bar, 2 scruffy Square-spot Rustic, a Frosted Orange, a Setaceous Hebrew Character, 9 Pink-barred Sallow and a Light-brown Apple Moth (which seems to have crashed a bit the last two years)

Desperately seeking Swallows

Heysham Obs
An unexpectedly productive morning started with two "shapes" flying about along Moneyclose Lane in the dark at about 0615hrs.  They didn't look quite right for bats and a quick reverse and full beam revealed two Swallows hawking backwards and forwards (as at least two have been doing in this area for the last few days, so they 'know the area').  Is this evolution in action or just a desperate shortage of food to get into condition for migration?

Grounded
Robin - at least 8 ticking birds within audible range by the office and others (10+) on a circuit of the reserve
Chiffchaff - 3 by the office first thing and two in the NE corner
Garden Warbler - one NE corner
Reed Warbler - juv NE corner
Sedge Warbler - juv NE corner (with the above for a short time)
Song Thrush - at least 5, 3 flew inland
Goldcrest - at least 4
Treecreeper - one alder woodland
Water Rail - one calling from reeds in NE corner

Vis mig 0630-0900
Quietish, but a trickle of most of the usual stuff, including 3 Grey Wagtail.   Didnt really have time for ringing, but kept an eye on trainee John whilst he operated a couple of nets.  A smattering of finches and two more Dunnocks taking this unobtrusive species on its way to a record annual ringing total, but it was too windy to catch Grey Wagtail which need completely still nets. 

Inshore stuff
Med Gull - 2 adults
Kittiwake - 1CY wooden jetty area
Commic Tern - 4-5, including 2 adult Arctic and one juv Arctic
Wheatear - one
Turnstone - c200 wooden jetty

Half Moon Bay (evening)
Wheatear - 1

Whilst aimlessly checking out links, I came across Michael Foley's blogsite with a pic of (an additional) close Leach's Petrel on 14th Sept. Fortunate indeed, as the wind had dropped down by then - the closest I managed to see one was about 1/2 mile! I've added a link to this site.  Michaeil site has  additional Gannet and Sabine's Gull shots from Heysham and some nice photography from elsewhere.

More than one Greenshank at last!

Heysham Obs
Strange how some common species can be unexpectedly scarce at seemingly suitable local patches - Greenshank and Golden Plover are two examples here..................and Black-tailed Godwit seems to have reverted to its 'notable' status this autumn, especially with all the work-related extra attention given to waders

Ocean Edge/outfalls area on and off all day
Greenshank - two Ocean Edge saltmarsh creek - the first time more than one has been recorded here!
Little Gull - ad & 2CY
Arctic Tern - 4 juvs and an adult early on but these seemed to disappear during the afternoon
Common Tern - one juv
Med Gull - 4 adult, one darvic-ringed 2CY (no chance of reading it but it was 'darkish' with white letters), 2 1CY
Kittiwake - single adult behind the IOM ferry
Turnstone - 52 Red Nab at high tide
Bar-tailed Godwit - there have been quite a few juveniles remaining close inshore feeding in the creeks this autumn, 'replacing' the Black-tailed Godwits doing exactly the same thing last autumn - Black-tailed Godwit have been conscpicuous by their absence.  This is additional to a large synchronised "tideline" flock of Barwits which seems to comprise mainly adults

Vis mig by the office
House Martin - 3 south mid-afternoon
The meagre haul in the morning will be posted later but did include a group of three Grey Wagtail, one of which was caught and ringed in a very optimistic mist net which was otherwise devoid of avian life

Grounded
A fastish walk round Heysham NR produced 2 Chiffchaff

Half Moon bay (Evening)
Wheatear - 1

Moths
Nothing startling; included Treble Bar with Pink-barred Sallow taking over the 'commonest species' mantle

Corvids of ill-omen?

Heysham Obs
Considering this is/was THE opportunity to catch a significant number of Grey Wagtails, we did really badly this morning with too much activity below the flightline sending birds over the top of the net (starting with an ill-timed car door slam from myself).  Unless they fly in down the 'corridor' on the usual NW to SE flightline at a fairly low level, you rarely catch them.  We usually manage to catch at least 50% of those recorded, this morning saw 4/17!  Blame the Ravens?

Vis Mig on and off 0615-1100hrs
Raven - a tight flock of 12 headed SW at 0645hrs and then about an hour later, a tight flock of 10 (plus a single corvid spp some distance away which may have been a Raven) also headed SW - what was presumably this latter flock (certainly 10 "large black birds") was seen far to the west by the Caton Moor vis migger, therefore they were not the same flock circling round out of audible range and losing two of their number.  One previous record of a big flock but this is the first time any have been seen on the usual corvid NE to SW coastal flightline
Jay - flock of four headed south
Meadow Pipit - 359 S/SE
Chaffinch - 67 S/SW
Linnet - 1
Grey Wagtail - 17, all singletons apart from two lots of two
alba Wagtail - 18
Reed Bunting - 4
Swallow - 40
Goldfinch - just 5, conspicuous by its absence this morning
Siskin - 10
Skylark - one 'hearing'
Mistle Thrush - flock of 5 SW (first movement of the autumn)
House Martin - 1
Dunnock - 4 high to south

Grounded
not a lot
Chiffchaff - 2
Goldcrest - 1
Blackcap - 1
Song Thrush - at least 4, possibly 6 soon after dawn

Outfalls/Red Nab (thanks Pete and Mike) totals
Arctic Tern - 6 adult, 3 juv
Common Tern - 2
Little Gull - ad & 2CY
Med Gull - 2 ads & 1CY
Kingfisher - male Stage on outfall
Pink-footed Goose - 21 S at 1238hrs
Dunlin - 24
usual mixed flock of Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit and Knot awaiting my six-hour vigil plotting their movements!

Half Moon Bay (evening)
Wheatear - 4
Rock Pipit - 1


Moths
Included Rusty Dot Pearl and Silver Y

Dampish!

Heysham Obs
A short spell of mist-netting this afternoon produced the day's highlight - a candidate for the last Lesser Whitethroat of the year

Outfalls/Red Nab
Arctic Tern - c4 juvs
Common Tern - one juv
Little Gull - 2CY
Med Gull - 2 1CY and adult

Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Greenshank - 1CY with Redshank roost

No obvious vis mig over here in the torrential rain this morning

Half Moon Bay (evening)
Wheatear - 4


Moths
Two Silver Y plus another Pink-barred Sallow & Black Rustic & 2 Common Marbled Carpet completed the meagre haul

Butterfly
One Speckled Wood ventured forth next to the office

Pulsating Swallows

Heysham Obs
A bit of a bonus to have anything to say this morning as the weather was far from promising with the approaching front far too north to south in alignment
The office vis mig site, usually chosen for comfort, nearby refreshment and the ability to double-up with mist-netting appeared to be on a major Swallow flightline this morning, with the impression that we were receiving birds which had left various roosts in gangs and continued in a series of clusters on the 'vis'.  The office area is usually pretty poor for hirundine passage with far more of them hugging the coast and also usually later in the morning.  The morning session finished early in order to say farewell to "Hairy Joe" Lambert in Wray church and recall fond memories of yarns which included an encounter with a presumed Eagle Owl whilst "acquiring" sea trout in a most sustainable manner - Joe was a good conservationist - from the Roeburn

Vis mig by the office 0645-0940 (mainly SE)
Meadow Pipit - 84
Chaffinch - 56
alba Wagtail - 4
Goldfinch - 42
Swallow - 466
Reed Bunting - 1
Great-spotted Woodpecker - two individually high to the south
Dunnock - two flew south together
Grey Wagtail - 4
Merlin - female south
Greenfinch - seemed to be some high vis this morning with at least 26 south
Skylark - 2
Siskin - 2
Collared Dove - 3 east
Jackdaw - 2
Grey Heron - one SSE
Rook - 4 (unusual here)

Grounded
There were four Chiffchaff early on but absolutely nothing else e.g. no Goldcrest heard

Inshore
Access to Heysham one outfall a bit difficult due to a crane on the seawall and all that was reported was a single Arctic Tern.  Anyone improve on this please?  Thanks.

Half Moon Bay (evening)
Wheatear - 4


Moths
Black Rustic was new for the year