New moth and a swan hatch

Heysham Obs
Early morning CES at Middleton characterised by a virtual lack of grounded migrants and a trickle birds, including returning summer migrants, already bearing rings.  This is exactly what CES should be about, but a little bit more excitement in the form of a few migrants would have made the early start a bit more interesting


The most popular topic for the vast majority of Middleton residents is the progress of the Mute Swan pair which bring their young on to the model boat pond.  Good news - they hatched at 0845hrs this morning after the female had been sitting tight during the whole of the early morning. 


Justine found a new moth for the area in the form of the small but distinctive Grapholita jungiella
in the grassland on Middleton. 


Otherwise it was rather frustrating.  A "very large bird" spooked the gulls at exactly the wrong moment when I was tied up with vehicle movement to let a tanker into the sewage works.  A dog walker said it was "big with a long neck and wings like an eagle" (splayed), but it had gone east over the crown of the hill and was not visible by the time.  Number two was an almost certain Hobby sighting by Pete C as it targeted northbound Swallows over Middleton (as seen from the model boat pond area), but not in the direction I was looking at the time.


Middleton NR
Grasshopper Warbler - intermittent very early song from three sites
Whimbrel - two north
Swift - three north
Grey Heron - one high and purposefully north
Kestrel - one high and purposefully from the south-west, then heading east (quite a bit later than the abovementioned falcon)
Swallow - 54 NE
Sedge Warbler - no evidence of any females arriving, with seemingly all the males in continuous song, including regular song-flight.  One female (on wing length) was caught at the end of the CES session , presumably (the only?) newly arrived migrant of the morning
Greylag - 2
Mute Swan - see above; didn't see how many young but 5+


Sea 0600-0700
Sandwich Tern - flock of 6 out


Heysham NR
Presumed migrant Willow Warbler ringed


Moth
See above


















   

Blank?

Heysham Obs
Did anyone cover the sea this early morning, please?


Moths
Two Small Square Spot were new for the year

A day to get on with some paperwork

Heysham Obs
Early morning seawatcher(s) produced a meagre selection with at least a bit of variety in conditions which were too clear and a wind which was 'too far round' to the west north west

Sea
05:15-08:30 (thanks Mark)

Arctic Skua - 1 dark in at 06:20
Gannet - 2 in, 4 out
Kittiwake - 5 in, 1 out
Red-throated Diver - 3 in, 1 out
Guillemot - 1 in
Razorbill - 2 in
Common Scoter - c30
Eider - 6 in, 2 out
Grey Plover - 2 out
Dunlin - 6 in
Swift - 1 in
Swallow 7 in

Red Nab - Whimbrel 4, Wheatear 1

Subsequently just two extra Gannet


Middleton NR
Lesser Redpoll - one flying about, but not display flight calls
Reed Warbler - at least 4 singing males
Gadwall - 3
Little Ringed Plover - pair


Moths
Common Wave and Flame Shoulder in Heysham toilet.  Muslin Moth and Poplar Hawk-moth in Middleton actinic

Fifteen minute cameo

Heysham Obs
About an hour was spent watching the sea just after high tide as per the forecasted change in wind to SW.  It appeared, however, to have hanged a bit earlier than that and some stuff may have been missed as the action was all in the first 15 minutes.  In order of appearance 0915-0930:


Sea 0912-1010 intermittently
Black Tern - singleton slowly but rather distantly 'in'
Common Scoter - flock of 9 'out'
Gannet - flock of 7 'in' at the same time as two more distant birds 'out'
Great Skua - one out at a rapid rate of knots low over the sea down the 'shipping lane'


Outfalls area/Red Nab
LOTS of large gulls but nothing of interest
Little Egret - 3 around
Whimbrel - 4 Red Nab


Moth
Brown House Moth

Routine seabirds

Heysham Obs
The early morning sea-watch was quite entertaining if you like going to Bempton Cliffs, but not a lot of cutting edge fare


Sea 0700  (too late?)-0820
Gannet - 57 out plus at least 5 others heading in which had not u-turned - some very close views of all ages
Arctic Skua - two dark morph together messing about just beyond the red buoy but either went in behind the wave troughs or didn't pass during the 45 mins subsequent to sighting
Fulmar - one out
Shag - 2CY on the water then flew in and across in the direction of Grange - most unusual this time of year
Razorbill - 2 together in
Guillemot - one in
Auk spp - 4 distant together in
Kittiwake - one 2CY in
Arctic Tern - 3 out together

Evening sea watch
Manx shearwater - 35 out
Great skua - 2 out
Little gull - ad out
Whimbrel - 1

Young Coots on MNR

Effort produced minor rewards

Heysham Obs
With the sea it was a case of 'better have a look just in case' and the answer, after an early Arctic Skua, was negative until the inevitable decent record per four-five hours of dross (for the third observer-shift) materialised in our second Dark-bellied Brent Goose flock of the spring - presumably SW Furness departees.  Thanks Andrew.


The other 'decent' record involved a rather large and grey Willow Warbler.  This was caught during some guying-up of mist net rides at Middleton which had been flooded out during the winter.  Unfortunately the mobile phone pic did not come out (three hands needed!).    


Sea
Dark-bellied Brent Goose - flock of 7 NE into the Bay (thanks Andrew)
Whimbrel - 3 NE
Arctic Skua - dark morph on, then in
Swallow passage - virtually zilch - 5/hr


Grounded
Wheatear - 6 Ocean Edge and area
Whinchat - female Middleton NR late am
Willow Warbler - large grey bird ringed along with two other presumed migrants
Sedge Warbler - 'impression' of migrants at Middleton with four ringed in a short time

Evening skuas enhance the day

Heysham Obs
Managed to negotiate the outfalls seawall barrier to be moved back to Heysham 2 outfall (thanks to Mark for most of the work here), therefore viewing from the region of Heysham 2 outfall will now be possible.  There will be no access, however from Gate 38 (see sidebar) or any further along the seawall as this is a construction site as they repair Heysham One outfall (which might also send all the birds on to Heysham 2 !)


A bit of poor-quality "windy weather" seawatching this morning in conditions which were too clear, better later on


Sea 0630-1030 on and off, on and off during the day then 1745-1845
Gannet - at least 40
Manx Shearwater - 3 (IOY)
Sandwich Tern - 3
Fulmar - 1
Sanderling - 2 heading south accompanying about 35 Dunlin (IOY)
Swallow - 4 NE
Great Skua - 2 out then perhaps on 1835 hrs
Arctic Skua - dm in 1825hrs


Ocean Edge/non-op land
Wheatear - 8
Little Egret - 3 on Red Nab

Middleton NR
Little Ringed Plover - no sign of yesterdays mating pair in poor weather

Purple patch on the sea

Heysham Obs
The period 0735 to 0805 was either the back end of a spell of a decent un-watched early morning seawatch or just hitting the right time.  It was absolutely dead from 0805 onwards as the dropping tide started to expose sandbanks   Beware: both the Kittiwake flock and the Pomarine Skuas MAY have been missed by people using telecopes on 'half horizon' whilst seawatching.  I never use a scope when on my own in spring and regularly scan the sky with the scope at ready.  Ok you may miss some low over the sea distant small stuff, but can you identify it anyway & you certainly do not miss any flying skuas/Gannets etc?


Sea 0735-0835
Pomarine Skua - three full-tailed lm adults were on view for 'ages' from about 0802hrs as they slowly circling round gaining height until lost as tiny dots with tails over Morecambe.  I'm assuming they went overland but inland conditions were not perfect with low cloud around e.g. Ingleborough
Arctic Skua - in contrast the three birds were in blogging mode.  Dark and light morph got up off the sea and flew into the bay and landed again (0740).  Five minutes later another dark morph flew low into the bay further out and again landed on the sea.  Unusual behaviour in what were good migration conditions over the bay and no obvious food source in the absence of terns
Kittiwake - flock of 35 high in the sky and spiralling around heading north up the centre of the bay but not gaining any further height
Whimbrel - 5+1 'in'
Common Scoter - 18 out
Gannet - singleton out at the same time a flock of 9 were heading in
NO terns!

Middleton NR
Pair of Little Ringed Plover displaying and mating in suitable habitat
Wall Brown - one by model boat pond - looked like male

Moths
Rustic Shoulder Knot was new for the year

Low-key May continues

Heysham Obs
Struggling with any semblance of proper coverage so far this month - at least the forecasted weather this week points towards just one thing - seawatching - instead of making the wrong early morning decision during 'not quite right' easterlies, as has been the case on two occasions recently based on events nearby.

Sea intermittently mid-morning
Sandwich Tern - 3
Arctic Skua - dark morph out
Swallow - c20/hr north
Swift - one north (IOY)

Others
Little Egret - one Red Nab - why are there so many hanging around the Lune Estuary and up to here?
Wheatear - 13 Ocean Edge and area

Moths
Least Black Arches good for here

Isolated quality!

Heysham Obs
No early morning coverage seemed justified when a half hour seawatch 1000-1030 produced nothing to trouble the notebook.  Pete Crooks then put in 1.5 patient hours and had three sightings:

Common Scoter - 33
Black Tern - one in (the only tern!!)
Pomarine Skua - light morph on the sea, then got up and flew out, climbing all the time

Then a phone call from elsewhere suggested we had missed some early morning landbirds.......................

Then later on the blog title became even more appropriate - summer plumaged AMERICAN BUFF-BELLIED PIPIT at nearby Cockersands - found by Stuart!   

Moths
Male Muslin moth was a nice less than annual visitor