11th Oct - nothing of note

Med re-influx continues

Med Gull - at least 14 behind IOM ferry - 4 x 1CY, 1 x 2CY, 9+ x Ad, at least two additional 2CY around and two additional 1CY.  This is a lot for as late as 10/10.
Kittiwake - 3 x ad, 2 x 1CY behind IOM ferry
Common Scoter - Drake out
Wigeon - now c80 Red Nab
Shelduck - 13 passage birds out (c175 on sands south of Red Nab at low tide yesterday)

Middleton Nature Reserve
Shoveler mumbers have now increased to three, the "dubious" one is looking increasingly convincing  - this is possibly the highest count on here, certainly in recent years (MD),

Wednesday fare

Med - 17 around including 4 juv
Little Gull - 1 CY briefly seaward end Heysham one
Guillemot - two looking worse for wear

Ferry delivers the goods

Suboptimal strength winds/showers for this time of year were, as usual, pretty unproductive during the normal seawatch, but it is always worth waiting for incoming ferries.   Most of the Meds seem to have disappeared from around the outfalls/the sand mason worm area, leaving just two dip-feeding 1CY on the outfalls and presumably the usual adult around the harbour area.  Therefore it as a surprise to see an extra eight adult Meds behind the ferry 

Offshore/inshore/ferry late morning
Bonxie - one flew into the bay at mid-range just before the ferry arrived
Kittiwake - 3 ads behind ferry
Little Gull - adult winter behind ferry
Med Gull - ad harbour area, two 1CY outfalls, then a further 8 ad behind ferry
Razorbill/Guillemot - two out distantly
Wigeon - now 40 Red Nab
Rock Pipit - the lighthouse breeding pair were in situ with the female visiting one of the nesting holes!  Another on Red Nab
Common Gull - 6 juvs on outfalls and several behind ferry

Sunday and Monday

Middleton Nature Reserve
A couple of extensive circuits over the last two days have failed to locate any Yellow-browed warbler.  These are the "highlights" of the other sightings (MD)
No grounded or overhead thrushes either day.
Still plenty of Migrant Hawker and Common Darter on Sunday, but only in shelter from wind.
Coot 1
Little grebe - at least 2
Teal 2
Gadwall 6
Shoveler 1 male in eclipse plus the dubious looking female type

Water Rail 2
Common Snipe 4
Chiffchaff 2 singing

Yellowhammer and Linnet fest

One got away today, a high flying 'ticker' which looked like a bunting.  Much more tangible was a southbound Yellowhammer and we were also in receipt of something unusual for here but seemingly commonplace everywhere else - southbound silent Linnet flocks bombing south/south-east.  Quite a few thrushes, including the first migrant Blackbird

Vis mig, mainly Middleton
Redwing - 62 mainly SW
Grey wagtail - at least 6 but also a seemingly local bird confusing things
Reed Bunting - 7 S
alba Wagtail - 34 S
Linnet - 134 SE
Meadow Pipit - not many - 27 SE
Chaffinch - less than expected - 7 S
Yellowhammer - 1 S
Greenfinch - 1 S
Snipe - 2 E and one dropped down from E
Carrion Crow - at least 19 S (inc flock 9)

Crimson Rosella
A very gaudy thing seen by one birder and horse-riders by the entrance to Middleton NR near the cafe/height restricted road to gun club

Grounded Middleton
Chiffchaff - 6 ringed
Goldcrest - just 4 ringed
Blackcap - 3 ringed
Redwing - 30 plus
Blackbird - 20 plus
Song Thrush - at least 8

A bit of coming and going

Heysham Nature Reserve
Treecreeper 1 ringed - far from common here
Chiffchaff 6 located along dog walk track

Middleton Nature Reserve
Redwing c20 in one hawthorn
Still plenty of Migrant Hawker and Common Darter active between showers.

Rock pipit, still 2 feeding near lighthouse. Here’s one of them:

Wheatear

And a “few” Knot on the seawall.

Thanks for these pictures Kevin

Yellow browed Warbler

A very slow start to today with nothing at the Middleton ringing site in the twilight zone - could have stayed in bed another hour!  It livened up a bit late morning with a few Chiffchaff and Blackcap as the cloud covr increased.   A Yellow-browed Warbler was located by Jean on Heysham Head by turret/bracken area - top of steps up the hill after going through the arch approx SD408615 - at 1500hrs and seen by Shaun at 1630hrs

Vis mig
Meadow Pipit - 54
Grey Wagtail - 4
alba Wagtail - 4
Skylark - c5
Reed Bunting - 6
Woodpigeon - 65
Chaffinch - 3
Jackdaw - 5
Tree Sparrow - 2
Pink-footed Goose - 40

Grounded
Chiffchaff - c10
Blackcap - 3
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1 (see above)
Goldcrest - not many - c6
Treecreeper - two Heysham Head - having a good year!

An odd day!

This was a strange day.  It was open house as to what might happen in crystal clear cold northerlies although Pink-footed Goose movements above and Goldcrest below seemed predictable.  However was expecting a reasonable amount of small passerine vis but it didn’t really happen, unexpectedly so in the case of Meadow Pipit

Vis middleton NR dawn-1100
Meadow Pipit - SIX SE!
Chaffinch - c10 SE
Alba Wagtail - 4 SE
Grey Wagtail - c8 SE
Carrion Crow - 10 S
Song Thrush - 2 plus 1 E
Reed Bunting - c7 S
Pink footed Goose - c420 S
Goose sp - flock south heard not seen could have been distant Barnacle on call
Skylark - c7 S
Long tailed Tit - irruptive flocks of 11 and c9
Goldfinch - c5 S

Grounded
Willow Warbler - one heard
Garden Warbler - lingerer with F3 ringed
Chiffchaff - just four ringed
Blackcap - just the one ringed
Goldcrest - no more than 10-15

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid afternoon (MD)
Although not hot, the bright sunshine today allowed plenty of insect activity.
Dragonflies:
Black Darter - one, possibly two mature females along west bank of main pond (these pics are same insect)

Common Darter  33
Brown Hawker 1
Migrant Hawker 9 - including female ovipositoring

Butterflies:
Red Admiral 1
Comma 1
Painted Lady 1
Speckled Wood 1

Little Grebe - at least 2
Cetti's warbler - male singing from central marsh

This Grey Wagtail in Heysham garden was ringed on Middleton Nature Reserve 19/09/19,

Yellow browed Warbler heads a varied morning

Middleton NR: After a single call of what appeared to be this species from the direction of the sycamores along the SE golf course edge, one was caught in a small tit flock in the nearest net about an hour later

Of equal interest was a late Lesser Whitethroat showing brownish tones on the head.

Actually six species of warbler ringed this morning at Midd with a new Cetti’s and late Willow Warbler accompanying the usual Blackcap and Chiffchaff

Another Willow Warbler was ringed at Heysham NR.  No big numbers of Blackcap and Chiffchaff today with 8 each ringed and Goldcrest were conspicuous by their near-absence (4 ringed)

Ringing totals for September top seven were:  Blackcap (112), Chiffchaff (81), Grey Wagtail (75), Blue Tit (66), Meadow Pipit (50), Robin (47), Goldcrest (43)

Vis mig today - no 100% concentration on this!
Grey Wagtail - c9
Meadow Pipit - 140
Shoveler - 2 east
Wigeon - 3 east
Snipe - 2 east
Carrion Crow - 7 south
Jackdaw - singleton high to north
Siskin - 1
Skylark - 7
alba Wagtail - c20
Pink-footed Goose - 365 south
Swallow - 3
Chaffinch - 2