Early morning migratory bits and bobs

Heysham Obs
The forecast was for a completely clear sky this morning, therefore adjusted the Middleton CES three hours accordingly.  First job was the clear frost from the windscreen i.e. an early start!

Middleton NR
CES was latterly spoilt by testing a motorcycle on the adjoining road from 0645hrs and nothing was subsequently caught in the best two nets.  Prior to that it was pretty good for this time of year with quite a few 'new' birds and returning Sedge Warblers from previous years which had not opened their account in 2013.  Highlighted by a Reed Warbler ringed elsewhere and a retrapping of the the French-ringed Sedge Warbler caught on the last CES, therefore nesting on site.  Three birds ringed elsewhere on each of the first three CES visits.  This has been the feature of this spring and so far the following birds ringed elsewhere have been caught/read in field:  Lesser Redpoll (4, plus an ex-cagebird ringed in Chelmsford!), Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Sedge Warbler (2), Reed Warbler, Med Gull (Belgian ringed bird released from fishing line), Twite, Kittiwake (an ancient bird ringed in SE Ireland) and I think another I cant remember

Lesser Redpoll - at least six lots north totalling at least 11 birds - the passage is dribbling on and on this spring
Swallow - c13 north
Swift - c5 north
Gadwall - 2 males and female
Greylag - 2

Seawatching (Pete and Ian)
Red-throated Diver - 2 in sp 'in'
Common Tern - 18 'in' - the highest numbers for many years
Common Scoter - c20 distantly on the sea
Swallow - c5 north
Grey Wagtail - late presumed migrant north

Brief run-round

Heysham Obs

Outfalls/Red Nab
Kittiwake - usual 2CY
Common Gull - 91 2CY
Bar-tailed Godwit - 32
Wheatear - nice bright large male

North wall
30 mins produced a single 2CY Kittiwake

Little Egret deja-vu

Heysham Obs
The adult male Black Redstart has perhaps mysteriously disappeared - maybe it was just a one-day migrant.

Non-op land
Wheatear - 2

Outfalls/Red Nab
Kittiwake - 2CY
Bar-tailed Godwit - 32

Offshore
An attempt to reap similar rewards to the unexpected skua movement in at least the north Irish Sea last night with a lengthy early morning seawatch failed miserably, but at least it produced a record flock of Little Egret - rather similar to last year's spring gang which also headed north
Little Egret - flock of 10 north-westish towards Barrow
Sandwich tern - 1

Recent pics from Sandra and John Truran
As well as the above Wheatear, these were taken (thanks for these):

brief bits

Heysham obs
Most of the day seemed to be spent driving too and from Millom on so-called 'A' roads.  A bit of coverage this afternoon but not including the Black Redstart in strong winds

Non-op land
Wheatear - two 'leggy' females

Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher still sitting
Common Sandpiper briefly

Outfalls
2CY Kittiwake

Breeding bird survey surprises

Heysham Obs

Power station non-operational land and area
Spotted Flycatcher - one on fence by office 0830ish
Wheatear - at least two in the non-op area
Black Redstart - superb adult male found by Reuben and watched by the three of us feeding in a flat gravelly area before seeming to fly towards the Power Station/storage yard
Oystercatcher - on 3 eggs
Ringed Plover - on 4 eggs
Grasshopper Warbler - confirmation of two territories on the tank farm

North wall
Sandwich Tern - 6 blogging offshore

Night migrant free zone

Heysham Obs
75 minutes of seagulls/sea and an hour of migrant searching left a clean page still in the notebook.  Nothing left from yesterday after a clear early night.

Heysham NR
Lesser Redpoll - 5+3 north, the latter flock refusing to enter a belatedly set mist net which was a pity one bore a left-leg ring
Common Blue

Swallow - 3 north

Moths
"Highlighted" by White shouldered House Moth and Brown House Moth on the same night!

A nice late spring migration morning

Heysham Obs
First decent numbers of Spotted Flycatcher this millenium!

Heysham NR & area
Spotted Flycatcher - c9 (2 ringed)
Garden Warbler - one ringed
Sedge Warbler - 5 ringed plus another migrant
Reed Warbler - 1 migrant ringed, singing male marsh
Whitethroat - 6 migrants ringed
Robin - two unringed birds unexpected
Lesser Redpoll - 3 late vis mig birds ringed

North harbour wall
Spotted Flycatcher - one mound
Willow Warbler - one sandworks
Wheatear - 4 large birds mound - not there early am
Arctic Skua - 5 dark morph in
Gannet - 5
Sandwich Tern - c10
Arctic Tern - one outfalls
Common Sandpiper - one around all morning
Common Scoter - c50 raft offshore
Kittiwake - flock of 6 in
Pink-footed Goose - c75 north
Swallow - c200 per hour 0800-0900, fewer later
House Martin - 10 north

Red Nab area
Grey Plover - 61
Bar-tailed Godwit - 15  (75 yesterday)
Dunlin - c120
Kittiwake - 2CY outfalls
Med Gull - 2CY off Ocean Edge

Work, rain and no proper coverage or trips to Margate

Heysham Obs
Not even a moth trap this morning as the light fitting was faulty

Outfalls
Med Gull - 2CY
Kittiwake - 2CY
Swallow - one north!

Mixed bag

Heysham Obs
Coverage today amounted to the Heysham NR CES, about 30 minutes of watching the sea plus a midday circuit of the mound area

Heysham NR
Willow Warbler - three presumed migrant females trapped and ringed very early on
No other evidence of movement other than a Swift and 2 House Martin heading NE

North wall/outfalls area
Shelduck - flock of 7 north (odd)
Black-headed Gull - flock of 12 2CY spiralled up Arctic-tern-style and headed north-east over Heysham Head (very odd - Scandinavia or Barden Res!)
Arctic Skua - very distant dark morph in at 0847hrs
Little Egret - one Red Nab
Whinchat - female Red Nab
Wheatear - ditto
Kittiwake - usual 2CY outfalls
Swallow - c70 north
House Martin - c15 north
Swift - 2 north
Linnet - N4 in 36V
No terns seen today  

No sea but seo

Heysham Obs
A 'first' was a session at Heysham without seeing the sea - a shame because the outfalls/offshore might have produced on the early morning incoming tide, especially with the huge squall covering the Bay.  Unfortunately survey work in deepest Yorkshire beckoned.  A bit of micrositing cloud movement led to a decision that the Middleton CES was viable by about half a mile!  It was a pretty good second CES session of the season for what is often a 'graveyard slot', undoubtedly assisted by the lateness of the year and even male Sedge Warblers still being on the move.  The first bird taken out of the nets was a British-ringed Sedge Warbler from elsewhere.

Middleton Nature reserve 0530-0915
Short-eared Owl - one was disturbed by gulls as they were gathering nesting material and flew a short distance before appearing to land on the high point towards Ocean Edge
Swallow - 17 north, mostly in last 20 mins
Reed Warbler - 6 singing males within earshot western/central marshes, two males caught were returning birds (ringed).  Unusually, one was singing full song whilst in the mist net and the other gave a burst of song whilst in the birdbag!
Lesser Whitethroat - presumed migrant male (wing length) caught
Sedge Warbler - 5 'new' birds caught, all but one presumed males on wing-length (but not recorded as such in ringing data before anyone queries!), including the British-ringed bird from elsewhere
Whitethroat - 3 ringed - at least one a non-territorial male