Ready and waiting but few birds

Heysham Obs
The rain alarm said clearance again at c0930, so swung into action.  The problem was that the large numbers of Goldcrests had melted away/migrated on during the clear early part of last night and three hours with a mist net "only" produced five individuals (all unringed).  Significant numbers of thrushes heading south over my house 0830ish were also not replicated here.  Should have stayed at home and monitored the vis.  Thanks to Malcolm for Middleton/OE details

Heysham NR
Goldcrest - only about 10 seen (5 ringed)
Chiffchaff -one collybita-type
Redwing - 60 dropped in in dribs and drabs from the east
Mistle Thrush - 2 SW
Starling and Fieldfare - zero

Middleton
Cetti's Warbler -singing male from same location as the other day (per Malcolm) - NE central marsh
Woodcock - one near solrec
Mute Swan - 4
Coot - 4
Moorhen - 15
Tufted Duck - 13
Teal - 16+
Snipe - 1
Pheasant - 1
Blackcap - male

Ocean Edge
Mallard - the usual three
Linnet - 35
Greenfinch - 10
House Sparrow - c20
Snipe - 4

Here is a pic of what could easily be lurking somewhere on HN reserve - a presumed north European Woodcock which landed in White Lund estate yesterday morning and remained between the plant pots most of the day.   Thanks to Paul Cocker

Get a grip!

Heysham Obs
Posted 30 seconds too late for it to register as 'Thursday' which of course this was:

Messed it up big-style today as the lone observer.  Comments that you see nothing sitting in hides during the passerine migration seasons represent minor fieldcraft errors compared to retreating into the office in driving rain and SE wind which started at dawn after a clear night.  It then clears up and the wind drops but you don't go outside again until three hours later to top up the feeder! Immediately became aware of "Goldcrests in every bush"!

I had one hour to rectify the situation before I had to go:
Goldcrest - c50 on a quick reserve circuit
Blackbird - c30 ditto
Song Thrush - 3 ditto
Starling - 700 S
Fieldfare - 130 SW
Skylark - 14 SE

The one mist net set for one round produced 4 x Goldcrest, 2 x Goldfinch and 1 x Greenfinch

Hooked beaks and claws day

Heysham Obs
A very short post-rain ringing session at the feeders produced a juvenile male Kestrel in the net - perhaps targeting a rat!

Earlier a Short-eared Owl flew south over the office area mid-morning but was chased away by crows, when it seemed to want to land in the tank farm, and carried on south.  Hopefully I can retrieve this species for the Patchwork Challenge having missed two this week

Middleton NR
Goldcrest - 5+
Chiffchaff
Couldn't hear any Cetti's Warbler but not there very long

North harbour wall
Goldfinch - 26
Linnet - 20
Meadow Pipit - 1 grounded

Moths
1 Silver Y the only inhabitant of the trap

Promising start then mediocre

Heysham Obs
Immobilised by a trapped nerve in the left leg is not a good recipe in an east wind, but a flurry of early stuff was followed by a very poor period with no sign of the anticipated Fieldfare wave (or later at High Tatham watching the Aire/Wenning flightline) and the more mobile members of the team also had rather meagre fare. 

The next three mornings look pretty wet for the first three hours or so but the recipe for dropping a few late odds and ends is certainly there.  However, this has been a most peculiar autumn with the awful 'in house' breeding season (notably, based on Heysham ringing totals in relation to effort, for Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit, Sedge Warbler, Greenfinch, Blackbird and even to a lesser extent e.g. Robin and Wren) compensated for by good numbers of presumed north European/west Siberian migrants inflating the ringing totals of e.g. Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and contributing about 33% of the all time grand total for Yellow-browed Warbler.

However, there still seems to be a lot of unfinished business with continental Chaffinch/Brambling as well as the anticipated Fieldfare arrival.  Sunday onwards looks good for vis mig.

Some more interesting ringing recoveries:
 

Grey Wagtail

Z835237          3          16.09.15          Middleton NR
Sighted            0          28.09.15          Blacon Chester (Cheshire) 91 km S  in 12 days

Z297587     Ist CY.   6/9/15         Heysham  NR, Lancs 
Read in field:         26/10/15        Etherow country park, SJ973911, Greater  Manchester 
Dare one say "typical" sightings of this species, but they are part of a growing cluster along/near the M56 corridor

 

Goldcrest

CXK886         5M       27.01.15          Langport Sewage Works (Somerset)
Recaptured      4M       04.10.15          Heysham         334 km N in 250 days

 

This, of course, has not only flown north from Somerset but south from an unknown breeding site.  The second adult bird ringed to the south of here caught this autumn

 

Lesser Redpoll

D519978         5          01.05.13          Humshaugh (Northumberland)

Recaptured      4M       12.10.15          Middleton 124 km SSW in 894 days

 

Heysham NR today

Long-tailed Tit - mainly unringed flock of about 17 (5 caught and ringed)

Coal Tit - one unringed bird and at least one south

Fieldfare - just 26

Redwing - just 43

Chaffinch - 45

Meadow Pipit - 8

Starling - 32

Pink-footed Goose - 175

Linnet - 2

Skylark - 5

alba Wagtail - 1

 

Grounded Heysham office area & tank farm

Song Thrush - 8

Blackbird - 10

Goldcrest - 5

Redwing - 1

 

Middleton

Lesser Redpoll - 2 ringed

Chiffchaff - 1 ringed

Goldcrest - 7 unringed birds caught

Redwing - 'a few' but just one ringed

North wall late morning
Linnet 19-21
Goldfinch 13-15
Twite 1
Robin 1
Reed Bunting  1
mostly on the seed, but not the Twite which was unringed and the gcs suggested 1CY

 

Insects

Red Admiral - 2 south very purposefully

Silver Y - one in trap

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice little selection

Heysham Obs
Considering general migration was at a very low level this morning, if lack of thrushes was anything to go by, quite a decent haul, but couldn't get any views of a possible Siberian Chiffchaff on Heysham Head with 3-4 mobile Blue Tit other than call x 3, brief pale underparts and a long tail. Binned as could not be relocated.  Ironically the calling collybita-type with LTTs gave excellent views!.

Middleton Nature reserve (thanks Malcolm)
Mute Swan - 2 pairs + 2 cygnets
Moorhen - 7
Coot - 2
Mallard - 3 (no Gadwall recently)
Teal - 52 (very flighty)
Cetti's Warbler - singing male NE corner of central marsh

Ocean Edge/Red NabShort eared owl - one rose from the high tide line on saltmarsh and headed north over caravans
Kestrel - 1
Common snipe - 3
Little Egret - 3
Rock Pipit - 1
Med Gull - 2CY

Heysham Nature reserve vis mig 0715-0915ish
Chaffinch - 79 SW
Brambling - 1-2 (two birds, one definite Brambling calling) SW
Linnet - flock of 6 SE
Meadow Pipit - 1+1+1 S
Starling - 284 in 6 flocks S/SW
Lapwing - flock of 9 high to SE
Woodpigeon - 9 SE
Greenfinch - 1 SW!
Swallow - juvenile blogging, then S (very late for here)
alba Wagtail - 1 SE
Bullfinch - 2 S

Grounded migrants HNR
Very little
Blackbird - 8
Goldcrest - 5

North Harbour Wall
Linnet - 17 around the feeding area and Sea Buckthorn bushes
Goldfinch - 2 with Linnets
Robin - 1 feeding area

Heysham Head
see above
Chiffchaff - 1
Treecreeper - 2
Redpoll - 2 S
Starling - 11 SW

Insects
Middleton NR
Red Admiral - 1
Common Darter - 6 including ovipositing pair

Heysham Head
Silver Y

Heysham NR - all in NE corner
Comma - three on ivy bloom
Red Admiral - 3 on ivy bloom
Speckled Wood - one very geriatric one
Migrant Hawker - 1
Common Darter - 1

(Comma - 1 below obs tower site
Small Tortoiseshell - 2 apparently setting off across bay north-westwards from NHW)

Moth trap
Singles of Large Wainscot and Angle Shades













1 red admiral
6 common darter, including pair depositing eggs in a soon to
be dried up puddle

Yellow-browed Warbler summary for LDBWS recording area

Heysham Obs
Apart from c40 Blackbird and 11 Song Thrush, not a lot happening this morning other than a grounded Reed Bunting and (with apologies to Floyd) another Brick in the toilet

YELLOW BROWED WARBLERS   North Lancashire

Some waffle here refers to pics which I have removed.  They are already either on this site or can be seen on the linked Dan Haywood site (along with sound recordings) or Fylde bird club site.  Please excuse the reverse order! 

25) 19/10/15
Ringed at Leighton Moss by the spring (John Wilson et al)

24) 17/10/15

Heysham NR – seen and heard by JR & PJM working its way inland along north side of reserve – unringed

23) 15/10/15 

Fluke Hall with a tit flock (?multi observed)

22) 14/10/15

Heysham Nature reserve.  Seen in field by Pete Marsh then caught in mist net by office  with LTT flock.  Photo Emma Garston – the only other observer

21) 14/10/15
One heard calling several times by the Middleton NR Tim Butler pond but bird could not be seen in dense willows  (Malcolm Downham).  Didn’t get chance to follow this one up

20) 14/10/15

Seen well with Long-tailed Tits and Chiffchaff in north Heysham garden (just in SD45A) c0915.  Not photographed.  Pete Cook

19) 11/10/15 Field record

Jean Roberts located a calling individual in the willows by the alder woodland.     Pete Crooks turned up just after it was located and started to wander across.  In the meantime, the next mist net round at the office produced another, so PC returned to the office to see the ‘in hand’ bird then went back to the alder woodland and also heard the original bird calling.  However, it was really difficult to get to grips with in dense willow and no definitive plumage details were seen – just a shape in the bushes.  It then disappeared as the captured bird was perhaps erroneously released at the same location 

18) 11/10/15 

Heysham Nature reserve.  Found in mist net by the office at the same time another was calling in the alder woodland at the other end of the reserve (see above).   Seen by Pete Marsh, Jean Roberts and Pete Crooks

17) 11/10/15

Leighton Moss spring area – one ringed & photographed John Wilson et al

16) 10/10/15

Trees and scrub surrounding Glasson boatyard – Ian Hartley  

15) 10/10/15

The first of three reports from the Griesdale Hide at Leighton Moss although at least one claim on 11/10 was a Chiffchaff but (after a gap without any reports) the sighting on 16/10/15 was by three experienced birders

14) 09/10/15

This was giving almost manically multiple calls from the north side of the reserve when found by Jean Roberts – typical, in my experience, of a new arrival.   Unfortunately it then flew towards the north-east corner of the reserve – this leads to an obvious ‘departure corridor’ down the woodland edged railway line and this bird was not seen again despite extensive coverage of the reserve on both remainder of 9/10 and during 10/10 (this I suggest rules out the 9/10 and 11/10 field records being the same bird).  Pete Marsh and Jean Roberts – plumage features seen briefly.

13) 09/10/15

Heysham Nature reserve.  One had just been found at the far end of the reserve, flying towards the NE corner bushes (the usual exit route for inland) then 15 minutes after observers left the scene this appeared in the net by the office from the tank farm (opposite) side.  In my opinion no chance of being one and the same.  Note this is not a trophy shot – no teeth showing!

12) 08/10/15

Galgate – centre of village – Stuart Piner garden – multi-observed & photos

11) 4/10/15 

Field record.  This was located on call by Jean Roberts below the old observation tower site.  Phoned Pete Marsh who was at the ringing base by the office and the bird then flew into the isolated willow above the office allowing PM to see and hear it calling three times.  At the same time an irruptive Coal Tit flock flew high from the north-east over the office and the YBW stuck its head out of the bush and headed south over the top of the mist nets perhaps encouraged to do so by the calling Coal Tits.  Clear view of the head and bits and pieces of wingbars etc in the bush,  plus multiple calls.   Not seen again despite a tank farm visit.  

10) 04/10/15

Fluke Hall/Fluke Hall Lane – multi-observed

9) 3/10/15 

Middleton Nature Reserve.  Found in mist net by Jean Roberts also seen by John Mason (see field records).  Released 0850hrs and flew south towards the sewage works and not seen again
 

8) 3/10/15 

Field record Middleton Nature reserve.   A calling YBW was located by Jean Roberts at c1150 heading fairly rapidly south through the bushes alongside the road at Middleton just after the nets had been taken down.  John Mason also heard it calling.   The behaviour and timing suggests this is a different bird from that released at 0850 but it was unfortunately not possible to see the legs

[3/10 Heysham NR – single call of what was considered to be a YBW heard along the top pylon path by Pete Marsh from the ringing base.  No further sight/sound.  Not good enough to claim]

7) 3/10/15
Sunderland Point by the Anchorage (Dan Haywood)  (presumably the same seen very briefly on 5/10?)

6) 1/10/15

Field record Heysham Nature reserve.   The one which got away ringing-wise  due to sun on the mist nets.  Heard calling then hovered against the sun-drenched mist net and landed on the tip of a dead bramble nearby.  Clearly seen to be unringed and quite a ‘bright’ bird with a strikingly white rather than fully yellow-suffused supercilium and wing-bars, similar to that caught on 11/10 (see above).  Lost interest in the mist net and disappeared into the tank farm to which there is no easy access from the reserve (lengthy drive around to PS plus security clearance) and therefore not possible to leave mist nets and go and search.  Pete Marsh only

5) 1/10/15

Sunderland Brows Farm photographed (Dan Haywood – present at same time as the other bird!)

4) 1/10/15

Tom Smiths garden, Sunderland, by toilet block.  Found by Tom Wilmer – multi-observed & photos

3) 30/09/15

Heard calling on Heysham Head (Rectory Wood)by Jean Roberts – could not be relocated two hours later (but Firecrest found!).  Not seen.

2)  29/9/15

Heysham Nature Reserve found in mist net by office.  Seen by Pete Marsh and Jean Roberts

1)   22/9/15
Field record.  Whilst in the middle of ringing a few birds, one called clearly from the bushes at the start of the top path and then gave a second  call a little further along the path.  Unfortunately by the time the ringer had finished with the catch about 6 minutes later, there was no further sign. Pete Marsh only.    

slim pickings in unhelpful weather

Heysham Obs
Nothing better than a new for year Brick in the moth trap.  Coastal coverage my Malcolm and Pete served up a Rock Pipit on Ocean Edge foreshore with 59 Wigeon and two Little Egret Red Nab.  Later a 2CY Med Gull was on Red Nab

Trickle

Heysham Obs
The ringer in charge this morning reported a trickle of Chaffinch but no other vis mig apart from 30 Pink-footed Geese

Grounded included three new Goldcrest in the nets but nothing else of migratory status

Outfalls: 2CY Med Gull

Definitely no Twite as yet on the north harbour wall (7 Linnet)

Moths included a late Setaceous Hebrew Chracter

Different!

Heysham Obs

Bit of north harbour walling this morning 0825-0900 then an outfalls check.  Best sighting of the day, though, was a Yellow-line Quaker in the moth trap - mega rare on the coast here but the commonest moth in woodland back home (no accidental transports!)

The Czech-ringed veteran Med was patrolling the north wall

Two recognisable Razorbill flew out and 4 whirring dots further out presumed same or similar

Chiffchaff calling by the office

The lunchtime IOM ferry saw a following 1CY Kittiwake and adult Little Gull milling around.  Two things far offshore looked like 1CY Shag but that is as far as it went at that range

Just added Dan's blog link - not before time - one of a handful of people in this area who know how to work a site and winkle out the elusive migrants

Moths included Yellow-line Quaker and Parsnip moth

A bit of a downturn in effort

Tuesday 20th October
This should have been covered despite the light north-westerly airflow.  On the other hand, Dan was recording very little at Sunderland

At Heysham c300 Redwing descended about 1145hrs before heading SW and there were c20 Chaffinch moving south in a 20 minute mid-morning vis sample, but nothing else

Wednesday 21st October
Rock Pipit - singles Red Nab and by OE slipway
Little Gull - adult in boating channel feeding in Heysham one outfall flow
Lapwing - 260
Little Egret - 3

Blackbird - c15 around office