Three more Yellow-brows!

Yellow-browed Warblers
1) By the ex-observation tower pond Heysham NR - an area not checked yesterday along with another bird and two distant calls I would have liked a better view of.  No access possible.
2) Ringed Middleton (pic)
3) Found by Malcolm along the SE perimeter willows on the golf course; access from Middleton

Heysham NR
Chiffchaff - 2
Brambling - flock of three over first thing
Song Thrush - c12
Redwing - just two
Blackbird - 15
Goldcrest - 15
Blackcap - 1

Vis Middleton
GreyWagtail 3
Redwing 28
Brambling 1
Pink-footed Goose 31
Siskin 1
Jackdaw 9
Alba Wagtail 5
Song Thrush 2
Skylark 7
Meadow Pipit 47
Great spotted Woodpecker 1

Ringing
New: Yellow-browed Warbler 1, Robin 1, Redwing 4, Grey Wagtail 2, Goldcrest 6, Blackcap 3, Blackbird 3, Water Rail 1, Reed Bunting 4, Chiffchaff 2, Coal Tit 1, Long-tailed Tit 1, Blue Tit 2

Yellow-browed Warbler fest

This morning took Yellow-browed warbler to a new level with at least 5 and quite possibly 6 birds involved

1) Two with Long-tailed Tits below HNR classroom heading southish through the bushes
2) One with Chiffchaff in willows next to alder copse - almost certainly headed for the NE corner with Blue Tit or just went quiet as they can do - quite difficult to watch these bushes
3) One ringed Middleton NR
4) One calling a lot by the gun club, Middleton - just possibly the ringed bird but no ring noticed
5) One in the newly christened dog-infested 'chavvy scrub' inland from the half moon bay car park (found after a nice break at the excellent half moon bay café)

Bird 5) - photo Dan Haywood

Bird 3) Middleton NR

 



Heysham Head and scrub behind car park at half moon bay (Dan)

Blackcap 2-3
Yellow-browed Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 1
Goldcrest 6
Redwing 10 then N

Coal Tit 2 gorse-hopping N
Long-tailed Tit 10 as above
Song Thrush 2

Swallow 2 E
Redwing 36 N
Mistle Thrush 5 N
Meadow Pipit 143 mostly E (but also N & NE)
Skylark 45 E
Lesser Redpoll 10 E
Siskin 8 + E
Goldfinch 5 SE
Greenfinch 4 E
Chaffinch 12 SE, E
Pink-footed Goose 14 N, 35 SE
alba wag 6 N, 4 SE

 

Heysham NR wetland area and surrounds

Yellow-browed Warbler - 2 together as above and a singleton (0800ish)

Chiffchaff - 4

Redwing - 400 inland - all in first 15 mins

Blackcap - 1

Goldcrest - c15

Coal Tit - flock of 5 headed south

Brambling - one east first thing (IOA)

Blackbird - 10 - less than yesterday

Middleton NR vis 0930-1130
Meadow Pipit 36
Skylark 30
Siskin 5
Lesser Redpoll 1
Song Thrush 1
Chaffinch 1
Redwing 76
Fieldfare 9
alba wagtail 3
Grey Wagtail 1
Blue Tit 5
Linnet 1
Goldfinch 2

Ringing
Sparrowhawk (1), Grey Wagtail (1), Wren (1), Robin (2), Redwing (13), Yellow-browed Warbler (1), Chiffchaff (2), Goldcrest (6), Chaffinch(2), Reed Bunting (10)

 

         

An early snow bunting and a late willow warbler

A Snow Bunting flew se over Heysham head this morning and two Yellow-browed Warblers were found in fairly quick succession at lunchtime. On the warbler front, a late Willow Warbler was more unexpected than YBW.  Of more long term significance than these fly by day/nights was a singing Cettis warbler in a new area

Grounded
Heysham NR
Chiffchaff 8, Yellow-browed Warbler  1 (in willows next to south side of entrance road - settled and present 1.5 hrs at least), Goldcrest  c20, Redwing 5, Song thrush 7, Blackbird 25, Siskin 2, Jay 3, Coal Tit 5

Middleton NR
Cetti's Warbler - singing male SW corner near caravan site boundary
Yellow-browed Warbler - one (unringed)  in bushes alongside caravan site SW corner
Vis:
Song Thrush 2
Redwing 79
Reed Bunting 6
Snipe 3
Goldcrest 1
Meadow pipit 5
Chaffinch 1
Grey Wagtail 6
Mistle Thrush 2
Greylag 9
Linnet 6
and a Little Egret flew north.
 

 

Heysham Head

Blackcap 2
Chiffchaff 4
Goldcrest c10
Grey Wagtail 1
Coal Tit 4 hopping south
Blackbird 8 continental-looking
Song Thrush 2

Vis mig

Middleton details with Jean

 

Heysham Head

Snow Bunting 1
Reed Bunting 1
Swallow 2
Chaffinch 3
Grey Wagtail 3
Pink-footed Goose 9
alba wag 17
Mistle Thrush 18
Skylark 27
Meadow Pipit 32

Middleton Ringing
Ringing was quite slow this morning with birds caught in small numbers throughout the five hour session.  There were 40 captures in total:
Redwing - 5
Blackbird - 1 (a large, probably continental, bird)

Song Thrush - 2
Reed Bunting - 9
Wren - 2
Goldcrest - 2 + 1 retrap (the only retrapped bird of the day after 8 consecutive days' ringing at this site)
Blackcap - 3
Great Tit - 1
Blue Tit - 2
Grey Wagtail - 1 (the only one captured of a number of passage birds today)
Pied Wagtail - 4
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldfinch - 1
Siskin - 1
Willow Warbler - 1 (a very late individual whose identification was scrutinised carefully by three ringers

ajd

More easterlies and migration...and a bit of cloud

The key things today were cloud cover with drizzle just inland of us and this dropped a few more Yellow-browed Warblers with two in the recording area and one just outside to the south and a really big gang of alba Wagtails (at least two very obvious adult White) on Ocean Edge foreshore............but the juv Sabine's Gull was nowhere to be seen after a good innings

Ocean Edge foreshore grounded
alba Wagtail - 125
Meadow Pipit - 30
Skylark - 2
Linnet - 16
Med Gull - the only interest on a prolonged long range scan of the outfalls was a single 1CY

More grounded migrants
Yellow-browed Warbler - one seen and heard by the pond along the footpath to Red Nab (Brian Tollitt) and one caught and ringed at Middleton NR (thanks to Joanne for the pic who was then inspired to go and find her own just to the south of the recording area (see pic LDBWS sightings thread))!

Middleton vis mig
Redwing 30
Song Thrush 1
Snipe 2
Pied Wagtail 24
Siskin 33
Grey Wagtail 3
Meadow Pipit 13 (a lot more over Ocean Edge)

Sabine's remains and another Middleton vis/ringing session

The juvenile Sabine's gull switched outfalls this morning as Heysham two's food source seemed to be temporarily suspended as per 'outage'.    Three rock pipit were along ocean edge foreshore but nothing else of interest eg no meds.

Middleton saw the following
Field fare - singleton IOA
Redwing - 44
Most of the trickle of vis consisted of pied wagtails (40) and a slight upsurge in meadow pipit (58), Song Thrush (2), Snipe (16), Lesser Redpoll (2), Chaffinch (1), Siskin (4), Skylark (1), Grey Wagtail (4), Reed Bunting (3).

Ringing included 5 Redwing, 8 Pied wagtail, 15 long-tailed tit, two chiffchaff, one blackcap and three reed bunting

Sabine's stays and Ring Ouzel arrives.

The juv Sabine's Gull was feeding on Outfall 2 again and sometimes resting on the sand nearby. Here are a couple of superb photos by Mark Nightingale showing all the plumage details and comparison with Black-headed Gull:

 

Also on the Outfalls was an adult Little Gull and 2 x 1CY Mediterranean Gulls.
Two Rock Pipits and 6 Siskin passed through the Red Nab area.

It was a calm start this morning at Middleton Nature Reserve but by 10am the ESE wind was up to force 4 so ringing proceedings had to come to halt.

Pre-dawn a number of Blackbirds were chacking and shortly after dawn, 4 Redwing rose from their roost. A Cetti's Warbler gave a short burst of song and a Water Rail squealed. The 7 o'clock Grey Wagtail evaded the nets once again. A bit of excitement was afforded by the sudden arrival of a Ring Ouzel which disappeared just as quickly somewhere behind the small brick building on the north side of the reserve.

Visible migration was far more meagre than the last few days and consisted of the following:
alba wagtail 62 (largest flock = 17)
Reed Bunting 2
Swallow 3
Chaffinch 1
Goldfinch 7
Meadow Pipit 29
Song Thrush 2
Siskin 1
Skylark 4
Grey Wagtail 3
Snipe 1

Ringing consisted of:
Blackcap 2
Goldcrest 1
Blue Tit 1
Reed Bunting 3
Blackbird 1 (a fine young male continental Blackbird with long wings and a black bill)
Pied Wagtail 3
White Wagtail 1

JR

Same again minus the geese!

Outfalls/Red Nab
Med Gull - 1 x 2CY, 1 x Ad, 1 x 1CY
Sabine's Gull - juv until at least 1305 and there were birders watching it when I left, so any update?
Little Gull - ad

Thanks for the pics Jim

Middleton vis mig
Reed Bunting - 2
Meadow Pipit - 25 at least
Alba Wagtail - 39
Snipe - 1
Grey Wagtail - 9 (2 ringed)
Linnet - 2
Swallow - 2
Siskin 2 lots heard
House Martin - 1 over Heysham nr later

Grounded
Yellow-browed Warbler - TWO calling at the same time Heysham NR dipping pond area early am then one called twice in 50 minutes along the nearby golf course screening planting c1320 and c1345
Chiffchaff - one ringed Middleton
Blackcap - one ringed Middleton

Ringing at Middleton:  Grey Wagtail (2), Pied Wagtail (5), Goldcrest (2), Chiffchaff (1), Wren (1), Blackcap (1), Coal Tit (1), Robin (1) and 'some' Blue Tit!

Mink seen Middleton NR (per Dave)

Great day after a slow start

Usually migration weather is all about a dawn start on the west coast and take it from there.  A routine bit of coverage say for 2-3 hours from dawn today would have labelled the morning as 'duff' apart from the lingering Sabine's Gull.  Then the wind started to kick in a bit........  My personal day's birding included finding and seeing just two warblers - two Yellow-browed - and I even turned down the chance of seeing the Middleton bird in the hand.  How times have changed with this species! Thanks to Jean Roberts for the YBW pic and Mark Breaks for the Brents (there were seven!) and Sabines Gull pics

Highlights
Sabine's Gull - still on outfalls until at least high tide
Yellow-browed Warbler - Three in the recording area and one just to the south.  Noisy one located by HNR entrance road mid-am which flew towards dipping pond mid-morning and left messing about in the willows on the north side. It or another was seen in the same area by Gav Thomas c1715hrs.  Then decided to work Heysham Head before the wind got up (needed a cup of coffee!) and after doing the churchyard area walked back towards the car and one started calling above about 1015ish.  Incredibly hyperactive and noisy and flew across the rectory garden before flying back across to the ivy covered wall, then back up into the canopy.  After a final call from the canopy at the back of the Rectory garden one more time, it was not seen again and must have moved on avoiding the Long-tailed Tit flock.  Then at 1130 one was caught and ringed at Middleton NR and released by the 'no swimming pond' next to the model boat pond.  One was located just to the south of the recording area along the Potts Corner road late afternoon (unringed) [and one further south still by Sunderland toilet block]
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - the flock of seven located by Gav Thomas two days ago at Plover Scar appeared on Red Nab and logically yesterdays distant skeer sighting was of the only two visible birds on a skeer with a 'far side slope'
Stonechat - male near Heysham NR office then on to tank farm
Nuthatch - one Heysham Head

Others of note
Rock Pipit - one along OE foreshore at HT
Kittiwake - juv harbour area
Little Gull - usual adult around outfalls
Wheatear - two on coast
Med Gull - 2 x 2CY, 1 x Ad and 1 x 1CY seen at various time but by no means cooperative today

Routine vis mig and ringing (over to you Jean!)
Pink-footed Goose - 140 over sea (three skeins)
Redwing 127
Meadow Pipit 13
Greylag 11
Grey Wagtail 9
Skylark 1
Linnet 8
Siskin 3
Carrion Crow 5
Jackdaw 17
Alba Wagtails 16

Redwing arrive along with an unexpected calm weather Sabine's Gull!



The Sabine's Gull was presumably that seen by Stuart Sharp at the northern end of Morecambe a couple of days ago.  Thanks to Gavin for the pics:

 



 

 



 

 

 

The first Redwing of autumn 2016 arrived this morning.

 

Headline birds

A juv Sabine's Gull was found on Heysham Outfall 2 by Mike Robinson. It "showed well", down to less than 10m and was still feeding on small fish on the outfall at 17:05hrs. It could well be the bird seen recently off the Stone Jetty and Hest Bank.

A Yellow-browed Warbler was heard on and off in the small trees at the northern end of the Model Boat Pond until noon at least (Malcolm Downham)

Two Pale-bellied Brent Geese were on an offshore skear at low tide.

A Kingfisher flew past the outfalls (A.Cornall)

 

Middleton Nature Reserve

Ringing 0630-1130

Glorious blue skies (see photo above) usually mean a "clearout" of night migrants and certainly all the warblers of previous days had disappeared.

Redwing 1 (adult)

Blackbird 1

Reed Bunting 6

Meadow Pipit 12

Goldcrest 5 plus 1 retrap

Grey Wagtail 2

Robin 1 plus 1 retrap

Wren 1 plus 1 retrap

Great Tit 1

Chaffinch 2

Blue Tit 2

 

Vismig

Redwing 29 - flying fairly low and going in various directions.

Pink-footed Geese 165

Meadow Pipit 234 - still piling through

Linnet 9

Skylark 2

Swallow 7

Grey Wagtail 5 (2 ringed)

Siskin 6

alba wagtail 1

Raven 1

Buzzard 4

Kestrel 1

Sparrowhawk 2

Lesser Redpoll 1

Corvids 4 (Jackdaw and Crows)

 

Insects

A Small White was near Red Nab - a late date for this species

 

 

 



Yellow-browed Warbler arrives!

Weather: ENE F2, mainly overcast, 10C

Middleton Nature Reserve scored again, this time with a Yellow-browed Warbler.

In addition 62 other birds were ringed or processed:
Meadow Pipit 17
Goldcrest 7 new and 1 retrap
Long-tailed Tit 7 new and 1 retrap
Chiffchaff 6
Blackcap 5
Robin 4 new and 1 retrap
Reed Bunting 4
Great spotted Woodpecker 2
Blue Tit 2
Dunnock 2
Wren 1
Great Tit 1
Grey Wagtail 1

Sites checked today for birds of note or migrants:
Heysham Head - just 2 Chiffchaff. The Nuthatch was still there.
Heysham Nature Reserve - Cetti's Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Goldcrests, a Kingfisher, 1 Redwing heard
Ocean Edge - Whinchat (female or immature)
Red Nab/Outfalls - 4 Med Gulls, adult Little Gull

Visible migration was slow to get underway until 9am. The totals below are for all birds logged in the Heysham area, from Heysham Head, Heysham Nature Reserve, Ocean Edge foreshore and Middleton NR between 0630-1315hrs:
Meadow Pipit 1077
Pink-footed Goose 167 plus other flocks heard but not seen
Alba wagtail 98
Swallow 71
Linnet 39
Skylark 28
MistleThrush 22 (a flock of 21 and a singleton)
Chaffinch 6
Siskin 5 lots heard but not seen
Grey Wagtail 4
Raven 3
Jay 3
Reed Bunting 2
Lesser Redpoll 1
Teal 1