More Puffins and an exciting evening passage

The ENE light wind continues moving more to NE by evening. High cloud with plenty of sunshine.

Morning seawatch report from Pete:

Stone jetty this am had a flock of three Arctic Skua which descended from height before heading up the Bay towards the Kent Estuary 

Also:

one flock of 31 Arctic tern after we left Heysham.  

We ‘only’ had a couple of Puffin, two dark morph Arctic Skua 

and low single figures of

Red-throated Diver

Common Scoter

Whimbrel.  

Only 10-15 Sandwich Tern.  

Pair of Canada Geese on mudflats off Red nab 

Heysham skear - low water 17:00 (MD)

Eider c60

Great Crested Grebe 2

Red-breasted Merganser 9

Little Egret 5

Whimbrel 11

Shag 1 2nd calendar year 

Kittiwake 2 flocks 24 and 11 flew into the bay before circling higher. One flock left east over Heysham Head, the other also headed east towards the harbour, but may have turned south and headed out.

Some of the Kittiwake gaining height

This is the larger group circling before, later, disappearing over Heysham Head, again they could have turned south later and headed back out.

Sandwich Tern 2 feeding

Arctic Tern 161, three flocks 65, 32, and 83 plus one hung around to feed

Arctic Terns

The first two flocks flew along the channels and gained a bit of height before crossing the skear, then dropped again and continued into the bay. The third flock was as the tide was flooding. They came in low, but quite close to the shore. When they approached the skear, they lifted high and kept getting higher. I lost them high to the east, but it wasn't clear which way they actually continued. This clip is where they started lifting, pretty much over my head. One of nature's special moments! I stopped filming and just watched.

Janet took this shot of the first Cinnabar moth of the year on Knowlys Rd

Puffin through

The wind was much lighter than of late, but still predominantly from ENE. Plenty of sunshine.

Seawatch report from Pete:

Heysham: 0700-0930 on and off: 

2cy Shag on wooden jetty 

2 Puffin

2 Razorbill

4 Razorbill/Guillemot 

c35 Sandwich Tern

57 Arctic Tern

104 in 52 out Common Scoter

13 Whimbrel

7 Red throated Diver

1 male  Goosander

18 Dunlin in

Also:

Singing male Garden warbler HNR

3 Rook over HNR.

Janet also had a look around Heysham Nature Reserve 

Large Red Damselflies 

Grey Heron

Female Orange Tip
Both the two pictures above from a couple of days ago, but both also  present today.

I spent a fascinating day with a geologist around Heysham Head, so my only records today are from there (MD).

Whimbrel 4

Wheatear 2

White Wagtail 1 female

Rock Pipits 3

Sandwich Tern 2 feeding in the afternoon 

100+ terns including Black and Arctic

The wind was much lighter today, but still mainly ENE. High cloud with some sunshine and very light afternoon showers.

Seawatch report from Jean:

0700-1000:

Arctic Skua 1 in at 0925hrs

Black Tern 1 in at 0828hrs

Arctic Tern 9 in ( none till 0828 and largest group was 3!)

Sandwich Tern 95 in (eventually)

Auk sp 4 

Common Scoter 79 in, 71 out but given their locations and timings probably different birds

Red-throated Diver 1 out

Black-headed Gull 42 in

Dunlin 30 in

Knot 140 in

Shelduck 6 on the water

Swallow 4 

Two distant white things resembled Little Egrets  flying into the Bay.

Wheatear 1 at Ocean Edge

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Alan:

The forecast for this morning with clear sky and NE breeze did not promise any migrants.  However, after a week of poor conditions and blustery winds we were keen to get out and set some nets.

The catch was much as expected, that is very low numbers, but rescued by two groups of four and three Lesser Redpolls.

Lesser Redpoll  7

Willow Warbler  2

Blackcap  1

Sedge Warbler  1

Goldfinch  1

Dunnock  1 retrap

Long tailed Tit  1 plus 1 retrap

Plenty of warblers taking up residence but little overhead movement noted. Seven Swallows flew low over the reserve northwards.  Better conditions for migrants expected later this week.

I had a walk around mid morning (MD)

Mute 2 pairs, no sign of the Tim Butler pond bird.

Greylag goose 2

Shelduck 1

Coot 4

Moorhen 3

Mallard 5 (1 female)

Gadwall 1 male

Swallow 9, minimal overlap if any with Alan's.

As Alan said, there were plenty of warblers on territory. The following heard singing:

Cetti's, Willow, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Sedge, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat 

Singing male Common Whitethroat 

What Alan didn't say was that it was cold! Only two butterflies seen, a Small Tortoiseshell and this Green-veined White.

Green-veined White

Heysham skear - low water 14:45

Eider c80 close in

Red-breasted Merganser 6

Little Egret 3

Swallow 2

Waders:

Oystercatcher c2,000

Curlew 1

Whimbrel 8

Redshank c10

Turnstone c100

Dunlin c120

The light was better for seeing the Dunlin today, but their current plumage (half way to summer plumage) is a perfect match for the skear. They trust their camouflage and just move out of your way as you walk by.

Sandwich Tern just two of this morning's passage remained. They had been preening, but the tide had turned and they were getting ready to go off to feed.

Just a quick evening check from the north wall located

Shag 1 2nd calendar year 

Sandwich Tern 1

Swallow 2

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Yesterday's fire was very destructive. This shot from Janet is just some of the devastation.

Reuben had to call the fire brigade again as some areas were still smouldering down into the peat, and could easily have flared up again. As Reuben said, all a bit depressing!

On a brighter note Janet managed to spot 4 Roe Deer in an area not affected by the fire.

Female Roe Deer

First Arctic Terns plus Little gulls and more pass through

Still quite fresh ENE wind, high cloud with plenty of sunshine.

Seawatch report from Pete:

A few bits on the sea off Heysham on dropping tide including:

4 Arctic tern 

2 adult Little Gull

1 Fulmar

1 Kittiwake

2 Gannet

17 Common Scoter

3 Sandwich Tern

3 Razorbill 

1 Guillemot 

2 Razorbill/Guillemot 

82 Bar-Tailed godwit in 7 flocks

Also 

2cy Shag on wooden jetty early on

northbound Little Egret ploughing across the bay

3 White Wagtail low across the sea to the north 

No grounded landbirds

Whimbrel near outflows by Kevin

Heysham skear - low water 13:05 (MD)

Eider c80 close in, similar numbers further out

Red-breasted Merganser 5

Little Egret 3

Not huge numbers of waders, but an interesting selection.

Oystercatcher c2,000

No Knot or Curlew

Whimbrel 4

Redshank 6

Turnstone c100

Dunlin c80 including a tight flock of 40

Bar-Tailed Godwit 1

Both the Dunlin and Turnstone are moulting to summer plumage 

This Bar-Tailed Godwit was catching shrimps. This picture is a still from the clip below. You can just make out it tossing the shrimp up its bill. 

Bar-Tailed Godwit eating a shrimp

The above still is from very early in this clip. The long bill is ideal for probing deep in the mud for worms, but not the best for handling shrimps, it appears to drop this one, but quickly retrieves it.

There are always shrimps around the skear in varying size and quantity dependant on time of year and the conditions. But there does not seem to be the large quantities of small shrimps that all the waders were feeding on this time last year. Unless we get a sudden emergence, I am not optimistic of a repeat of last year's high numbers of Sanderlings feeding here next month. I sincerely hope that I'm wrong! (MD)

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve

Grasshopper Warbler reeling - today heard by Janet.

This reserve was later a scene of a fire that required 3 Fire Brigade units to bring under control. Even small fires quickly spread in the current strong winds. Hope the result was not too much death and destruction.

Racing Pigeons, nearly topped the bill!

The fresh ENE winds continue. High cloud with some sunshine.

Just my stuff so far (MD), and that was precious little till an evening stroll.

A check from the waterline out from the north wall this morning located nothing except a sudden surge of racing Pigeons. They were fast, low over the water against the wind then over the shore past Heysham Head. About 100 passed in three tight packed groups no more than 30 seconds apart. I therefore assumed that they must have recently set off.

This is the leading group, the distinctive brown bird was setting the pace

The above was 10:45 and I didn't see any others till 11:30, when  4 and a single passed. So perhaps they had traveled some distance after all. I checked today's races, but couldn't find any race with this flight line, but clearly there was one.

An early evening check proved more productive. 

Shag 1 2nd calendar year feeding briefly at  the Near Naze at high water.

Before flying off north toward Heysham Head

A walk along the south wall:

Shelduck 3

Little Egret 5

Wheatear 2

White Wagtail another or same male near the lighthouse 

White Wagtail 

Rock Pipit 4

This Rock Pipit was keeping a close eye on the White Wagtail (right)

There were very few insects this evening.

Just out of the recording area - Heysham Moss Nature Reserve 

Grasshopper Warbler reeling from the willows by the railway line on the main reserve - ref Justine

Enough to maintain interest

The fresh east wind continued moving to NE by evening. Plenty of high cloud with much less sunshine than yesterday.

North shore waterline - low water 10:30 (MD)

Eider 7

Dark-bellied Brent 1 flew out

Quite late Dark-bellied Brent goose

Whimbrel 4. 3 together on this clip, plus another in

Sandwich Tern 2

Wheatear 1

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Lesser Whitethroat 3 seen/heard by Mark Jones

South shore towards high water (MD)

Shelduck 2

Little Egret 5

Shag 1 2nd calendar year on wooden jetty 

Wheatear 5

Rock Pipit 5 (2 Red Nab, 1 at least along sea wall and 2 at lighthouse)

Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff (or both) 2 providing glimpses in brambles near waterfall 

Linnet 2

White Wagtail 2 near lighthouse feeding on the glut of incoming insects. Sorry about jerky clip, it was pretty windy here. Even so, you can still see the small "flies" flitting about.

There were insects, everywhere again, although probably not the profusion and variety of yesterday. It hadn't been as warm today and my visit was later in the tide than Kevin yesterday (the insects seem to focus more in this area when it is the only portion of sea wall directly in contact with the sea).

Even so, many of the "flies" proved to be beetles and bugs when they settled. Typically 4 to 6mm, but this small "bug" was only about 2mm.

It landed on my hand

Even zoomed in I can't identify it - I'm sure some of you will know (MD)
You have to wonder how far this tiny bug has flown over
the sea, against a strong wind to get here

Large and varied insect influx into the east wind.

East to ENE winds all day, high cloud with plenty of sunshine 

North shoreline low water 09:45 (MD)

No Terns seen this morning

Swallow 8 - all singles apart from 1 group of 3

Bumblebees at least 6 in off, but no other insects noticed.

There are always at leat 4 Eider around here, this male provided som nice in flight shots.

Drake Eider

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Janet, Tim and Kevin Singleton had a look at different times today, all reported plenty of butterflies, these are likely to be "home grown" and not related to the influx in today's title.

Cetti's Warbler 3

Several each: Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap

Male Blackcap 

Greylag Goose 2 - flew off towards Middleton while Janet was there but returned when Tim was watching.

Shelduck 2

Little grebe on main and "no swimming" ponds

Butterflies included:

Orange Tip

Speckled Wood

Brimstone 

Holly Blue

Peacock 

Small Tortoiseshell 

Male Orange Tip - Janet

Female Orange Tip - Kevin

Female Speckled Wood - Kevin

South wall - this is where the main insect invasion was apparent.

Report from Kevin Eaves

Swarms of insects on the south wall this afternoon. Mainly beetles of quite a few species. 

The following pictures are just a few of the huge number and variety of beetles along the south wall today. I even managed to swallow one and get one inside my t-shirt! I've never seen anything quite like it. Alison identified those that she could. Like micro moths, some have to be dissected for a positive identification. 

Scarlet Lily Beetle.

One of the Cereal Leaf Beetles.

Sitona lineatus (a type of weevil).

Harpalus rufipes.

Gastrophysa polygoni (probably).

11-spot Ladybird.

Quite a haul!

North wall (MD)

Just a quick evening check

The large bumblebees were still coming in off - 3 seen

Swallow 2 singles 

Whimbrel 1

Sandwich Tern 2 fishing - both can be seen diving on this clip

They didn't appear to be catching anything, but on closer inspection they were catching quite small fish, probably Common Gobies which are common here. In this shot you can just make out a small fish at the base of the bill.

Sandwich Tern

After a few such dives they both had clearly caught enough and landed on the mud to preen.

A bit of a mixed bag

 The wind started light from NNE but quickly freshened and moved to ENE. High cloud with plenty of sunshine.

Tim had an early morning check from Heysham Head:

2 Little Egret

2 Canada geese high heading NE

I Sparrowhawk high heading E

Lots of linnets buzzing around in small groups

1 Grey Wagtail came up from the rocks 

No Rock Pipits seen

Heysham skear - low water 09:00 (MD)

Red-breasted Merganser 10

Great Crested Grebe 1

Eider only 40 seen but probably more in the outer channel

Little Egret 6

Oystercatcher c1,000 but more on outer skear

Knot c500 (one flock)

Otherwise a general reduction in wader numbers

Curlew 2

Redshank c20

Turnstone c90

Dunlin 1

South shore towards high water

From Pete and Jean

Shag 1 2nd calendar year on wooden jetty 

Black-Tailed Godwit - flock of 7 on Red Nab before flying south.

Kevin took this shot of a male Wheatear with a beetle 

North shore on evening ebbing tide.  (MD)

Sandwich Tern 2 feeding together

Whimbrel 4 (2+1+1)

Swallow 1

Shelduck 1

The Snakeshead Fritillary is in bloom on Heysham Nature Reserve. Janet took these shots.

Snakeshead Fritillary

Lesser Whitethroat and Reed Warbler singing, plus the insects start to get interesting

Light NW breeze mainly sunny.

Early morning from Pete:

Sandwich Tern 35 shipping lane south of harbour mainly on distant buoys

Lesser Whitethroat 2 ringed plus another singing at Heysham Nature Reserve 

Later

Reed Warbler also singing in Heysham Nature Reserve - ref Reuben 

Reports today suggesting that the Ring Ouzel was still around was the result of a report from yesterday ending up on on the local group WhatsApp today. 

I had a walk along the rising waterline out from the north sea wall (MD).

Only 4 Sandwich Terns around the inshore buoys.

Whimbrel 1 - this clip shows most of the defining features of a Whimbrel, including its distinctive call.

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

A very pleasant afternoon stroll around the eastern half of the reserve.

Greylag goose 3

Greylag geese

Mute Swan 2 breeding pair plus a single adult (possibly with a mate on hidden nest).

Coot 5

Moorhen 2

Gadwall 2

Mallard 3

Little grebe 2 feeding birds. They look particularly smart at this time of year.

Warblers:

Several of each, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap.

Cetti's Warbler 2 (no swimming pond and central marsh)

Common Whitethroat 1

Lesser Whitethroat 3

Insects

Plenty of butterflies this afternoon, mainly 

Orange Tip 31 (4 female)

Plenty of males to go round, but "go around" was all this male did!

Speckled Wood 7

Peacock 7

Comma 2

Common Blue 1

First Damselfly of the year - Large Red
Ignore the name it was diminutive and very difficult to get a decent shot

Ring Ouzel

Very heavy overnight rain stopped quite early and the sun came out after lunch. Mainly light west winds.

Seawatch report from Pete:

Light morph skua in gaining height at quite a range this am but could only have been Arctic on size and structure.  

Four summer plumage  Red throated Diver out soon afterwards then nothing at all for next hour or so except a Golden Plover flying out 

Tim had a walk along the south wall

Sandwich Tern 3 together flew past the roundhead 

Goldcrest 2 near the newt pond 

Ring Ouzel 1 female in the horse paddocks at Knowlys Rd. It was just opposite the children's play area. located at 12:30 by Pete Crooks.

I was busy today (MD), and so had been Alan Physick. Coincidentally it was almost 17:00 before we both turned up to try and relocate. Alan spotted it first, still in line with the play area, but it kept disappearing below dips and behind bushes. It eventually showed well enough for me to manage this clip. Sorry about the background noise, but we were on the busy track and the play area was full.

Female Ring Ouzel

It was still in the same area at 20:00 ref Angela