More bird scaring antics from an individual associated with Potts Corner access

This character has been mentioned before and his clearance of a roost of over 4000 waders today involved some deliberate driving, accompanied by two greyhounds, straight at a splinter group of 250 which had the temerity to land again, .  Along with the pony and trap, an effective bird scarer but why?  What is the agenda of the people who control the access at Potts Corner and obviously know these people?  Soon after this picture was taken the vehicle turned round and it & dogs flushed the remaining waders which flew towards Pilling

Red Nab held 2 x 2CY and 1 x 1CY Med and the usual ad Little Gull

Monday sightings and Nuthatch surprise

First of all a nice sighting of one of our Grey Wagtails at Carsington Water, Derbyshire, at the end of August.  This was deemed to be passing through and, as such was a case of an adult (female) on the move (ringed autumn 2014)

Secondly all sorts of bits from today which are not in my own notebook, mainly on the small arrival of Goldcrest and Chiffchaff theme

The key sightings were probably two Nuthatch on Heysham Head along with a flushed Tawny Owl.  The latter was known to be there but certainly not Nuthatch, despite the habitat looking great.  One downer though is a plague of Grey Squirrel

The outfalls held the usual adult Little Gull, two Med Gulls and a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper

It's done it again

What looked to a spell of unbroken strong south westerlies this week has descended into nothingness with faint possibilities of something leach's petrel wise  Thursday am.    Despite Friday now being back on as a slack weather mist netting day it doesn't currently look like Yellow-browed warbler is on the obvious agenda.   At least there are possibilities for odds and sods on the outfalls.

Red nab/outfalls dropping tide
Little gull - definitely two adults
Med gull - 2x2cy, 4xad, 1x1cy

Medfest

An approaching low tide check of the outfalls and red nab saw a decent number of med gulls, notably a gang roosting on the SW point of red nab

Outfalls/red nab
Med gull - 5 x 2cy, 3xad and 3-4 mobile 1cy
Wigeon - 6 (first four two days ago - thanks pete)
Little gull - ad

The NR office is being demolished this morning

Getting late for both whitethroats

A bits and pieces day with a three net ringing session at Middleton, some coverage on Heysham head and around HNR office.   A decent amount of vis for a couple of hours mid morning.

Vis mig approximates
Meadow pipit - 200 se
Alba wagtail - 40 se
Grey wagtail - 7 se
Siskin - 1
Swallow -45 (small number in roost)
Starling - 4 s
Skylark -2 se

Grounded
Lesser whitethroat - 1 Heysham head
Whitethroat - one ringed Middleton
Blackcap - 3 scattered singletons located
Blue tit - largest flock of the Autumn ringed at Middleton!
Goldcrest - gang of c15 Heysham head but just one new bird caught at Middleton
Stonechat - report of male Heysham
Head two days ago

Red admiral south

Ringing
Included grey wagtail (4), blackcap, whitethroat

Quiet apart from the Med flock

A very low key session on Middleton as the wind swung into a very unhelpful WNW direction

Vis mig
Swallow - 2 (6 ex-roost)
Meadow Pipit - c20 SE
Grey Wagtail - 3
Siskin - heard

Cetti's Warbler singing regularly up to about 0745 along northern edge of western marsh reedbed

Ringing:  Grey Wagtail (1), Meadow Pipit (5), Chiffchaff (1), Robin (1), Great Tit (1)

Outfalls/Red Nab
Med Gull - 11 - 5 x 2CY, 5 x ad (one metal-ringed right leg), 1 x 1CY
White Wagtail - one adult male OE foreshore

Middleton marathon continues

Wind direction - SE

Swallow "roost" - just 2
Starling from the power station roost - 90

Vis
Grey Wagtail - 7 (1 at 0705, 2 at 0845, 1 at 0940, 2 at 1000, 1 at 1015)
Meadow Pipit - 42
Snipe 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Jay 3

Ringing (new birds)
Robin - 1
Goldcrest - 5
Reed Warbler - 1
Chiffchaff - 4
Reed Bunting - 2
Blackcap - 3
Blue Tit - 2
Meadow Pipit - 3
Grey Wagtail - 1
Jay - 1
Retrapped birds:
Reed Bunting - 1
Blue Tit - 1
Dunnock - 1

Pinkfeet make their presence felt as the warblers are reduced to a trickle

Wind direction - ENE to start then WNW at 1000hrs

Perfect ringing conditions this morning with flat calm and high cloud covering the sun.  The ringing was rather different than of late other than a decent haul of Meadow Pipit and Grey Wagtail.  The morning was almost 'phyllosc-less' until a belated Chiffchaff accompanied a small gang of Blue Tit. 

Vis
Swallow - only 1 and none had roosted
Grey Wagtail - 11 (2 at 0705, 1 at 0720, 1 at 0805, 2 at 0805, 2 a bit later, 2 at 0850, 1 at 1000)
Meadow Pipit - 101 plus 15 trapped
alba wagtail - 1
Chaffinch - 1
Siskin - 2
Carrion Crow - 8
Skylark - 1
Pink-footed Geese - 65
Haven't got the vis mig data to hand but included several flocks of Pinkfeet, a good Grey Wagtail passage, steady Meadow Pipit, a few Siskin and Carrion Crow but only one Swallow and Skylark

Ringing included the following migrants: Grey Wagtail (6), Meadow Pipit (15), a late Whitethroat, Blackcap (4), Goldcrest (5), Chiffchaff (1), Reed Bunting (2)

The Cetti's Warbler sang early morning

Reduced effort in clear northerly

Light northerly wind

Just three nets set at Middleton and they came up with three early morning migrant reed bunting, low single figures of chiffchaff and blackcap, one goldcrest, a couple of grey wagtail and a few meadow pipit.    The meadow pipit passage suddenly dried up about 0930 just as we thought it would 'get going'!

Two adult and one 2cy med were all the foreshore had to offer at low tide

Pink-footed goose - skeins of 20 and 60 south over Heysham skeer (thanks Malcolm)

Vis at Middleton NR
No geese heard or seen
Grey Wagtail 7 (1 at 0640 trapped, 2 at 0700 (1 trapped), 1 at 0720, 1 at 1050, 1 at 1130, 1 at 1145
Meadow Pipit 42 plus 11 trapped
alba wagtail 3
Snipe 3 (2 +1)

A Peregrine flew towards the power station.

Marginally possible for a ybw this side tomorrow?

More Middleton mipits

Wind direction - SSE (Upper air W)

Today's statistics were quite impressive, given the classic 'duff' early morning duo of (stronger than forecast) southerly wind and heavy black clouds over SW Cumbria.   This usually grounds nothing and knocks our main source of vis - cross-Bay - on the head

Heysham NR/Ocean Edge
Pink-footed Goose - heard to the west from HNR car park (belated IOA)
Med Gull - adult and 1CY
Robin - at least 10 ticking birds around HNR office/car park, suggesting an arrival which I don't think was replicated in the Middleton mist nets
Goldcrest - 2-3 heard Heysham NR car park area (no warbler spp in the 20 mins spent there)

Middleton NR
Cetti's Warbler - the western marsh male in song early morning

Vis was much reduced:
Meadow Pipit - 48
Grey Wagtail - 3 (none caught)
Swallow - 1 (only 5 came out of the roost)
alba wagtail - 1

Ringing
47 birds today - 40 new (39 -Ed?) and 7 retraps
Meadow Pipit 12 (2 adult birds today)
Chiffchaff 7
Blackcap 6
Goldcrest 4
Whitethroat 1
Willow Warbler 1
Blue Tit 1
Great Tit 1
Dunnock 1
Robin 1 retrap
Long-tailed Tit 11 (5 new, 6 retraps)

JR