Black Guillemot in the hole?

Heysham Observatory
North wall
Nothing seen

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Med Gull - the north harbour wall 2nd S was flying about at high tide
Sandwich Tern - 3 on Red Nab
Whimbrel - one on Red Nab
Grey Plover - 1st S Ocean Edge saltmarsh
no Knot at high tide

Moths
Included first Light Arches of the year, two worn Shaded Pug and a Grey Pug

Elsewhere
Just 220 Knot on Cockersands Point at high tide (& none at Heysham - have they gone?)

Black Guillemot puzzle

Heysham Obs
Its several weeks since two Black Guillemots were seen with one perceived to be a 2nd CY. The 'resident' bird is spending a lot of time right inside a crevice on the wooden jetty before returning to the nearby water. This was observed today. What is happening?

North wall lunchtime
Black Guillemot - one as above
Med. Gull - 2nd summer, definitely the wintering 1st W of 2007/8, on the railings etc along the north wall - great photo ops. before it loses its head colour.

Dragonflies
None flying at all at Middleton model boat pond lunchtime, not even Black-tailed Skimmer - too cool & windy

Elsewhere
TWO Spoonbill still (or did they disappear for a few days) at Leighton Moss on Griesdale, plus 4 Little Egret. Also Osprey in area.

"Pretty dead"

Heysham Obs
........was the verdict of the birder spending a few hours at Heysham this morning. No offshore Gannet passage as yesterday and no sign of the north wall Med!

Outfalls/north wall
Black Guillemot - in the harbour mouth
Sandwich Tern - c10 offshore
just c50 Knot on Red Nab today

Middleton IE census
This included two Black-tailed Skimmers, away from the usual model boat pond, in the central marsh and a male Broad-bodied Chaser on the no-swimming pond. More details later.

Elsewhere
A Black Kite was put on the pager at 1125hrs relating to a 0625hrs observation over Heversham Moss, then flying up the Lyth valley. Quail still present Marsh Lane, Heversham & seen in flight this morning. 21 Crossbill next to the steep hill between the Summersgill turning and the Botton Mill junction at SD645638; these flew north down the Hindburn valley. Later another ?smaller flock heard in the opposite direction in Thrushgill plantation (& Siskin, Lesser Redpoll). Note that Thrushgill plantation main track is still operational on weekdays.

Highest Gannet count of the year

Heysham Obs
Subtitle: 'should have done an earlier seawatch'

North harbour wall seawatch 1050-1220
Gannet - 34 out, including an initial flock of 13 close inshore which prompted the seawatch! Just two which appeared to be full adult.
Sandwich Tern - 8 out
Med. Gull - 2nd S patrolling the north wall, after earlier being on Red Nab
Black Guillemot - briefly around wooden jetty before disappearing into a hole thereon

Red Nab high tide roost am
Sandwich Tern 2 adult + 2 blogging offshore
Knot 165
Curlew 74

Moths
Another Shaded Pug, otherwise the usual suspects with Shoulder-striped Wainscot still in second position after Heart and Dart

Elsewhere
A visit to Leighton Moss reavealed some odds and ends around - e.g. Osprey past JBP with a fish, 2+ Little Egret still around. The Marsh Lane Heversham Quail has been showing occasionally without any "need" to use tape lures.

Med Gull returns "for the winter"?

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Black Guillemot still present in harbour mouth a.m. but not seen afternoon/evening
Mediterranean Gull - 2nd S 1900hrs. patrolling
Knot - 160 skeer opposite Sand Plant Gate - no adults.
Linnet - pair at Sand Plant

Stage 2 outfall
Black-headed Gull min. 250.
No sign of any Knot, but tide not far enough in during late afternoon check

Mammals
Grey Seal off north harbour wall

Moths
Shears new for the year

Elsewhere
Quail heard again along Marsh Lane, Heversham (pm)

Black Guillemot connected with again

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall 0900-0915
Black Guillemot - in the harbour mouth, then below the wooden jetty; also there late in the afternoon (per pager)
Sandwich Tern - 3 'in' together

Red Nab/outfalls 0915-0930
Good number of gulls for this stage of the tide but nothing notable e.g. Med.

Elsewhere
[R-C Starling Inskip, c30mins drive to south: SD453380]

Cool north-westerly blast

Heysham Obs
North wall/Red Nab/outfalls
30 minutes early morning on either side of the harbour +/- reading the paper logged a negative for Black Guillemot (a lot of boat/dredger disturbance), a distant Cumbrian Gannet and absolutely nothing, albeit at an unhelpful stage of the tide, on the outfalls.

Red Nab late afternoon tide
Med Gull - moulting adult with inner primary missing on at least right wing - probably one of the two the other day
Knot - 587 in non-breeding plumage - unprecedented at this time of year - see discussion on LDBWS site via Links

Moths
Garden Carpet was new for the year (cue mirth from suburban trappers). Heart and Dart & Shoulder-striped Wainscot the most common moths at the moment

Elsewhere
Two Crossbill over Rigg Lane, near Quernmore. NNEW Leighton area.

10th June 2008

Heysham Obs
Birds
By far and away the best record from today was a 1st summer Med Gull with a red darvic. This was on Red Nab in poor afternoon light and was impossible to read - so much so I forgot which leg it was on! Also c210 Black-headed and 6 1st S Common Gull. Black Guillemot not searched for.

Moths
A major milestone today. A Figure of 80 moth in the trap whilst I was actually there! This species has been just about annual in recent years but remain scarce in north Lancs. Dearth of Cinnabar so far this year - ragwort removal is regular in this area, including certain individuals on the reserve.

Elsewhere
An astonishing c10,000 Knot estimated at Sunderland yesterday but no sign during long-range scans along Middleton Sands from OE foreshore at high tide. NNEW on Spoonbills from Leighton Moss.

A low-key day of work!

Heysham Obs
Apart from being rumbled at last in a 'give me some money' spam [Dear Sir: It has come to our attention that you are an alien.........], it was a fairly quiet day with a couple of excursions to look at dragonflies and the tide.

Insects
Middleton IE
Several [5-6] Black-tailed Skimmer & 4-spotted Chaser on the model boat pond plus a glimpse of a smaller dragonfly, presumed teneral/female darter. Taken to task off-line for suggesting that teneral darters by the model boat pond at Middleton at this time of year are most likely to be Red-veined. This is based on eight years of observation where all darters until June Week Three at the very earliest have proved to be Red-veined at this site. This does not mean that there cannot be exceptions and this will obviously be the case if last summer's weather prevented pairing and ovipositing (the flying window suggests that they should have had time)! Therefore the original statement was not dogmatic. Lets see how this week, with its unfavourable temperature forecast, pans out.

Dog walk-track/pond
This refers to the 'landscape strip' running from the cream building towards Ocean Edge.

14-16 4-spotted Chaser
4 Emperor

Birds
225 Black-headed Gull outfalls but no sign of any Meds or terns
Harbour mouth not checked. Single 1st summer Knot on beach.

Elsewhere
Male Black Redstart singing from building-tops in NEW STREET, Lancaster, opposite the 'Junior Library'.

Kittiwake surprise & Black Guillemot seen again

Heysham Obs
The bird interest today was limited to a short visit by Mark Prestwood. This follows a National Moth Night which should have ended after the moorland session at about 1145, followed by a decent nights sleep and then wide-awake overnight trap checking & some birding, instead of being in sleep-deprived zombie mode for much of the day. The post-midnight 'sheet and lighting' was on a par with waiting at Aberdeen airport for the Citril Finch fog to clear - a complete waste of time. Interestingly, in retropect, we should have stayed at the original trapping site high on the Ward's Stone fell road [e.g. 7 Fox Moth, Northern Eggar, Glaucous Shears, Dark Brocade, Narrow-winged Pug, Red Twin-spot Carpet (strictly a moorland species in this area?) by 1115hrs, but another half hour or so might also have produced Grey Scalloped-Bar & Light Knot Grass], instead of trying to be clever and also include what turned out to be temperature-inversed lowland woodland later in the night. Hindsight is always stunningly logical. Thanks to Ian Savage and staff for giving special permission to use the fell road.

North harbour wall
Kittiwake - surprisingly an adult decided to follow a freight ferry into port - usually a midwinter phenomenon, especially at low tide!
Black Guillemot - in the harbour entrance early morning
Sandwich Tern - 2

Outfalls
Unproductive at low tide with no Meds.

Insects
Moth traps
The hut trap was highlighted by a Figure of 80, just about annual here, plus a Narrow-winged Pug. The actinic trap set in the marsh produced what was the first record for the site of Silky Wainscot [sorry, misidentified from pic. as Obscure]

Middleton IE dragonflies etc.
Colin Whittle's census was highlighted by a teneral darter spp. next to the model boat pond which was lost in tall vegetation. This is very early for Common but would be spot on for Red-veined. Hopefully a hot sunny day next week will produce the goods at this long-established breeding site. Black-tailed Skimmer emerged in force with 8 males and one female all on the model boat pond. Scattered throughout were: 9 Emperor, 59 4-spotted Chaser and plenty of the three common 'blue' damselflies with Large Red reaching the end of its emergence period (just four seen). The 'etc.' included Large Skipper, Small Heath, but no Wall Brown which have had a reasonable spring on here compared to other recent years

Elsewhere
By far and away the best local NMN moth which I know about was a Clay Triple-lines taken at Linda & Alec Greening's garden at Dalton near Burton-in-Kendal. This is in VC60 but also in Cumbria -its a third vice-county record but may be a new county record if that makes sense!! A phone conversation included the description of Leighton Moss as "quiet", other than two Spoonbill.