Adult Yellow-legged Gull

Heysham Obs
An adult Yellow-legged Gull with 4-5 old primaries and a single small mirror on P10 was a very restless and mobile visitor to Red Nab for about 10 minutes before heading out into the shipping channel. Underwing views not possible as it always faced into the strong wind in flight.  At the large end of the spectrum with the custard yellow legs contrasting with the deeper orange/yellow legs of nearby LBBGs.  Surely this bird is still going to be doing the rounds for a bit in wing moult but it was certainly not settled on Red Nab and obviously hasn't been there during several recent periods of intense scrutiny.  I'll just go and check now as the tide is starting to move and hopefully get a phone-scope shot if its there.  Apologies for making a fuss over this but they are not common up here and perhaps outnumbered by hybrid look-likes

Morning low tide check
Yellow-legged Gull - adult - see above
Med Gull - 2CY and 2 1CY.  4 x 1CY later, but too late for the surging tide which had covered red nab!
Little Gull - adult summer or certainly summerish at long range

Another small fall

Heysham obs
All second hand info today and not complete

A ringing session at Middleton saw double figures of new willow warbler and Whitethroat, low single figures of the other usual warbler species including the first ever moulting adult garden warbler.    The nets also held single tree pipit and an early grey wagtail - unfortunately the colour rings hadn't been sorted out for this autumn!

2CYs coming out of the woodwork

Heysham Obs
Quick scans of gull flocks with birds at all angles but mainly facing away with a slight heat haze are a recipe for missing Meds, especially 2CY.  A pretty careful check of the gang on Red Nab, remaining stuff on the outfalls AND the stuff off Ocean Edge saltmarsh (missed by many visiting birders) produced a fair amount today, including a re-sighting of the Czech Juv.  This was more advanced into 1st winter plumage than any I have seen previously at this stage of the autumn (earlier fledging than usual more northerly sources?)

Red Nab/outfalls/Ocean Edge latter stages of incoming tide
Med Gull - 5 x ad, 5 x 2CY, 4 x juv, including Czech ringed juv
Little Gull - summer adult on mudflats south of Ocean Edge
Whimbrel - at least two

Ringing
The two CES sessions were bedevilled by a stronger NW wind than forecast and, despite a few migrant Willow Warbler around, were highlighted only by a single Garden Warbler and a pair of unringed adult Bullfinch - not the first time this has happened with a species with odd dispersive timing

In an ignominious but inexpensive day for ringing, the Swallow roost did not materialise tonight but we did ring almost half of them..........5.   Time to leave alone and hope it builds up.  No sign of the Long-eared Owl - careful check of nearby willows before dusk 

Moths
Highlighted by Toadflax Pug

Older Meds return

Heysham Obs
An early low tide visit with the longshot of a Stormie feeding on the seaward end of the outfalls and then a short check on the early stages of the incoming tide (nothing new added on this visit)

Outfalls/Red Nab
Little Gull - ad summer seaward end Heysham 2 outfall
Sandwich Tern - presumably the adult on Red Nab
Med Gull - 5 x ad, 4 x 2CY, 3 x 1CY - all but two of the juvs on Red Nab
Curlew - 310

YESTERDAY: 4 x Common Scoter (unusual this time of year) and another Gannet off the north wall lunchtime (thanks Tom)

Moths
Not a lot but did include Barred Rivulet and not a single Large Yellow Underwing!

No extras in the strong wind other than more juv Meds

Heysham Obs

Ringing recovery
The juv Med seen here on 31/7/16 (but not definitely since) ringed as follows:
ZKR4/Praha ET05047
Karvina, Melcina Fishpond, North Moravia, Czech Republic 49 88N 18 50E  Nestling   22/5/16 

Thanks to Josef for a quick response

Outfalls/Red Nab
Almost as though various birds present on and off recently (including the same Sandwich Tern??) reappeared on the outfalls during the strong winds and rough seas.  The exceptions being the older age class Meds which seem to have mainly moved on

Med Gull - 2 x Ad, 5 x juv
Little Gull - adult
Sandwich tern - adult
Kittiwake - 2CY
Gannet - adult at long range but no time to do any seawatching as such

Moths
Decent variety including Mouse Moth (rare these days), two White-line Dart, Barred Rivulet, Double Lobed

Welcome Spotted Redshank

Heysham Obs
A funny fairly lengthy check of the outfalls/Red Nab on the incoming tide - couldn't find any adult or 3CY Med Gulls!   Doubled checked that it was not an inadequacy at checking head-on easterly wind gulls (more used to tail-on!) and could only find 2 x juv and one x 2CY Med amongst 850 Black-headed Gulls. 

A look down the incoming tideline towards the Lune Estuary was similarly disappointing with just 8 pristine adult Grey Plover which soon flew off, leaving 'just' Oystercatcher and Curlew.

A switch to Ocean Edge saltmarsh saw a pale blotchy bird with the pre-roost Redshank which materialised as an almost moulted adult Spotted Redshank - a really nice record for here.  It flew towards Potts Corner with about half the Redshank but well worth looking for this next few days

A fairly major ringing operation was slightly better than 'the day after it all happened', but the grand total from 9 nets was pretty well the same as from three yesterday and was supplemented by a decent arrival of 14 unringed Greenfinch next to Heysham NR office and highlighted by three Garden Warbler (two Middleton and one Heysham)

Outfalls/Ocean Edge area
Med Gull - 2 x juv, 1 x 2CY
Whimbrel - 1
Spotted Redshank - 1 adult
Grey Plover - 8

Ringing
61 new birds, but rather different composition to yesterdays warbler fest.   New birds included:  Whitethroat (9), Lesser Whitethroat (2), Garden Warbler (3), Blackcap (3), Reed Warbler (1), Sedge Warbler (1), Willow Warbler (6), Chiffchaff (2), Grasshopper Warbler (1),  Greenfinch (14), Goldfinch (4)

Moths
Least Yellow Underwing and Canary Shouldered Thorn were added to the year list and a check of yesterdays total saw Grass Emerald and Barred Rivulet notable   

Decent fall and juv Long-eared Owl surprise

Heysham Obs
Two ringers, one with a knee injury, were available today so just three nets were put up on Middleton and that was enough!    Whitethroat were in good numbers, including at least five around Heysham NR office (after none recently) and juvenile Blackcap were also on the move.  The status of the two young Grasshopper Warbler caught late on in the ringing session was uncertain - possibly migrants rather than wanderers from territories outside the ringing area

Red Nab/outfalls
One sweep
Med Gull - 2 x juv, 1 x 2CY, 2 x Ad
Sandwich tern - adult

Middleton ringing central marsh
Twenty birds were caught in these nets on the timed CES yesterday and the only retrap of a bird ringed yesterday was one of the Long-tailed Tit flock.  Therefore stuff is really on the move with newly-ringed birds including:  Whitethroat (18), Blackcap (10), Sedge Warbler (5), Willow Warbler (4), Lesser Whitethroat (3), Grasshopper Warbler (2), Reed Warbler (2), Chiffchaff (2), Garden Warbler (1), Reed Bunting (2). Just 7 retraps out of 61 birds and only 8 birds caught which were not warblers.

Swallow roost Middleton
Single net used.   Roost very scattered with birdsw using three or more sites and totalling no more than 30 (& 6 or so House Martin).  9 Swallow including one ringed elsewhere, one Pied Wagtail and one juvenile Long-eared Owl were caught!!

 

 

 

Moths
Included Bordered Beauty

New generation Czech?

Heysham Obs
A red-darvic-ringed juvenile Mediterranean Gull expertly read by Pete Crooks this morning is almost certainly of Czech origin.  Hopefully it will be soon joined by our returning 12 year old Czech bird which first appeared as a juvenile in 2003 and was last seen as usual at the back end of February this year

Outfalls/Red Nab near high tide
Med Gull - 3 x juv, 2 x ad, 1 x 2CY
Whimbrel - 11

Nothing yet from the ringers on Middleton but a juv Lesser Redpoll of notable local breeding origin was retrapped

Early morning check in the heat haze

Heysham Obs

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Little Gull - adult summer
Med Gull - 2 x 2CY, 2 x 1CY, 2 x ad/3CY

Moths
Sallow (NFY), Drinker and four Slender Pug of note

Ringing by the office
Unremarkable with the only new migrants being a Willow Warbler, Whitethroat and Blackcap.  Very little on the feeders

Evening visit to Middleton
Swallow - c40 in the roost - seemingly mainly juvs
Grasshopper Warbler - singing male central marsh

Same time, same check, tide a bit further in

Heysham Obs
Didn't realise how much this morning's check would be on the drop as opposed to near low tide.  How time flies.  No good for eg seaward end Hey one and in the circumstances saw more than might have been expected with stuff scattered far and wide.  Didn't bother later on it what would have been an awful heat haze.  Meany to check for the Guillemot - forgot!

Little Gull - the/a Ad summer on mudflats by Heysham 2
Med Gull - the three flighty juvs plus 4 Ad/3CY
Kittiwake - 2CY
Whimbrel - 2
Greenshank - heard but didn't see - probably out of sight OE saltmarsh channels?

Moths
Spruce Carpet pretty rare here and Barred Rivulet a f.f.y.  Half a dozen Silver Y and the first Light Brown Apple Moth for a bit

Anyone able to do the moth trap in the next three days please - especially Sunday?