Belatedly quick round of the basics

Heysham Obs
Other than ringing, which wasn't possible unfortunately - loads of birds now next to the office now the feeding regime has been resumed, only time for the absolute basics of quick incoming tide scan of the outfalls/red nab, the moths.......and topping up the feeders!  PLEASE can someone else do this tomorrow?

Outfalls 11ish - a little too late
LOADS of gulls again - could easily have missed something as they were streaming off to the high tide roost during the observation.

Med Gull - at least 10 x ad/3CY, 1 x 2CY
Sandwich Tern - ad
Little Gull - at last saw ?the  Ad summer (but not the recent 2CY)
Whimbrel - at least 4

Moths
Far too late a check and obviously a really good night with still 150 odd in the trap of 45 species.  Included Small Dusty Wave, Dingy Shears and the footman ratio of 13 Dingy to one Common!  Very few micros left.

Thanks for the decent pics after my SDW record shot, Janet

Garden warbler

Heysham Obs
A short mist netting session by the office was unusually quiet, but it doesn't help if the feeders have been empty for two days!  The absence of Common Whitethroat was particularly noticeable - the locals seem to have moved on with no migratory replacements

Garden Warbler was notable so early in the autumn - don't breed in this area, otherwise just a couple of Willow Warbler and a Robin ringed

Moths
After none in SD45 until two days ago (Middleton actinic), another Epinotia bilunana turned up in Heysham toilet trap this morning!

Updates for yesterday and today pic-wise definitely tomorrow - sorry Janet.

First juv Med

Heysham Obs
Will sort the posting out tomorrow - also a Sandwich tern

Too hot!

Heysham Obs
A lot of ringing effort this morning with only the Middleton CES (east) side being up to scratch although the west side did produced a 'control' Reed Warbler and a baby Lesser Redpoll, confirming the territorial pair had been successful.  The resident male Cetti's Warbler was also caught

Lots of lively hot moths as well and these included a surprising first for the 10km square - it occurs all around it! - Epinotia bilunana (SD45).  This was in one of two Middleton actinics which also produced two Silky Wainscot

Common Sandpiper on the model boat pond late pm (thanks Janet)

Still a dearth of seagulls

Heysham Obs
Not quite sure what is going on with the smaller gulls - the outfalls only seem to be attractive intermittently and conversely a lot more are scattered over the mudflats all the way to the Lune Estuary than is usual on an incoming tide (usually a dropping tide feature)

Red Nab/outfalls/Ocean Edge mudflats area incoming tide
Med Gull - 3 x ad, 1 x 3CY, all unringed
Kittiwake - ad & 2CY
Curlew - 282 on Red Nab plus another 50 or so on the mudflats
Whimbrel - 7 on Red Nab
No sign of Little Gull
No sign of any small calidrids or Grey Plover along the incoming tideline

Moths
Barred Yellow was nice and a good series of pugs including Slender, Golden Rod and a worn large one which needs checking carefully

Middleton late evening
Swallow - small roost of about 16 adults
Grasshopper Warbler - 3 singing males
Grey Wagtail - very unseasonal bird heard calling in direction of sewage works

More intertidal disturbance

Heysham Obs
Unusually, the Red Nab end today (and perhaps responsible for nothing on there yesterday?).  Single male with one white dog and one ginger terrier with a black back - the dogs were running all over the mudflats off Red Nab.  If anyone from Ocean Edge knows this gentleman, please could you have a quiet word and draw his attention to the informative notices along the seaward edge of the site.  Thanks.

Red Nab/outfalls etc
Kittiwake - 2CY
Med Gull - just one adult
Little Gull - 2CY really inconspicuous sat alone on the mudflats!

Moths
Nice catch with Bordered Beauty the highlight

Ringing
Three rounds by the office produced about a dozen birds before it became too windy

Disappointing all round for visiting birders

Heysham Obs
Visiting birders had an unfortunate double whammy this morning with a visit to the newly secured heliport seawall seeing two 30 something females wandering about in there with no apprehension by security staff and no birds.  Secondly something must have flushed the gulls off Red Nab and a visit to the outfalls near a (lowish) high tide only produced the Ad and 2CY Kittiwakes

Moths were slightly better if you are a fan of Dingy Shears and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing - first of the year for the checker and definitely FFY in latter case

Routine high tide check from Ocean Edge

Heysham Obs
A bit tricky because of drizzle preventing a check along the tideline

Ocean Edge vantage point
Med Gull - x 5 ad
Little Gull - x 1 2CY
Dunlin - 12
Curlew - 210
Little Egret - 7

Moths
Decent variety, nothing of note

More unringed young warblers by the office

Heysham Obs
The office nets are about feeders and a few local-ish or so we assume warblers at this time of year but just two days after a previous ringing effort there, 30 birds were caught, 28 of which were unringed.   Lots of birds were seeing and avoiding the nets as well in the bright sunlight.  Totals of unringed birds:  Chiffchaff (4), Whitethroat (3), Blackcap (3), Sedge Warbler (1), Greenfinch (7), Goldfinch (3), Chaffinch (2), Great Tit (2), Blue Tit (2), Dunnock (1)

Outfalls/Red Nab/mudflats off OE just after HT
Med Gull - 6 ads
Little Gull - 2CY
Whimbrel - 1
Bar-tailed Godwit - one with Curlew on Red Nab

Mammals
Pigmy Shrew - 1 found dead on path below Princess Alexandra Way.

New moth and the low tide med gathering kickstarts

Heysham Obs
Not a lot on a dropping tide check of outfalls but a later check of the wooden jetty area and Heysham one outfall by Phil saw a gathering of Med Gulls in the usual place between Heysham one and the wooden jetty and also a return of the two Little Gulls ...but no terns and the 2CY Kittiwake may have succumbed after yesterdays health check.  Later on there were 15 x adult, 6 x 3CY and one x 2CY meds! The toilet moth trap was surprisingly good, including the inexplicably scarce Elephant Hawk-moth!

Outfalls/Red Nab early on
Med Gull - unringed Ad

Outfalls low tide check by Phil Simpson
Med Gull - 8 adults (6 between wooden jetty and heysham one, 2 between outfalls) early afternoon then by late afternoon a minimum of 15 x ad, 6 x 3CY and 1 x 2CY - these were definitely not present yesterday!
Little Gull - adult and 2CY
Kittiwake - adult

Moth trap

Aethes rubigana new for the site and Elephant Hawk-moth, True Lover's Knot, Herald, Anania coronata of note