Gull grilling

Heysham Obs
During August, it is usually one or two juvenile Common Gull as the pitfall for the unwary amongst a small number of juvenile Med Gulls. This year it is currently the other way round with at least 6 juv Common Gull today and 2 juvenile Meds.

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/Stage 2 outfall 0820-0920
Common Gull - minimum of 6 juvenile, some looking quite 'contrasty'
Med. Gull - 2 juveniles but not possible to see whether ringed. 2 unringed adults (one small)
Little Gull - 2 1st S->2nd W
Gannet - just the one from 4 well-spaced offshore 'sweeps'

Coastal recording area WeBS highlights
Med. Gull - one of the juvs was on Red Nab and had a "whitish" ring which did not appear to be lettered, & probably therefore a metal, on the right leg during very brief view before it settled down. Ad Heliport
Sandwich Tern - 4 Red Nab
Turnstone - 182 on wooden jetty

Middleton IE
A ringing session again saw very few Whitethroat (2 ringed) but a reasonable catch included 6 House Martin and 5 Willow Warbler

Elsewhere
2 Little Egret Hest Bank

Gannet influx

See yesterdays posting re-these two recent additions to the Heysham list - Stenoptilia zophodactylus (note the diagnostic white legs) and Plain Pug. Thanks John

Heysham Obs

Offshore from Ocean Edge/north harbour wall

Gannet - very difficult to work out how many but a minimum of 27 and maximum of 41

Manx Shearwater - 4 very distant birds together

Mute Swan - one south

Red Nab/Ocean Edge inshore

Little Gull - the usual three

Med. Gull - one adult

Sandwich Tern - 3

Wooden jetty/north wall mound

Wheatear - one mound

Turnstone - 62 on wooden jetty

Moths

Barred Rivulet the most notable, also one Silver Y

Elsewhere

Ad Yellow -legged Gull alongside the Lune Estuary between Glasson and Sunderland on the Fylde side late afternoon

Quite a few waders

Heysham Obs
Red Nab/Ocean Edge foreshore on a neap high tide
Mute Swan - imm on the sea far offshore!
Little Gull - the usual three
Sandwich Tern - 2
Greenshank - one juv Red Nab
Little Egret - one OE saltmarsh channel
Ringed Plover - 31 Red Nab
Dunlin - 6 Red Nab
Knot - one Red Nab!
Med Gull - Ad W
Whimbrel - one

Moths
A small plume moth Stenoptilia zophodactylus, a mainly southern species, was found in the hut trap on 8/8. The occurrence here has a degree of logic as the preferred larval foodplants are common, especially Yellow-wort, which is otherwise a rare plant in the north-west (also Centuary spp.). This is the first record for VC60. Thanks to Steve Palmer for determination. A Plain Pug at a sheet and light session at Middleton IE on 22/7 was the fifth record for VC60 with one of these nearby in SD46B. Last night saw the first autumn brood Treble Bar in a small catch with cool overnight conditions

Butterflies
Red Admiral increased to 7 on the office buddleia but the only other species were Large & Small White (i.e. no Peacock or Small Tort.)

Mammals
Tree Rat Moneyclose Lane (scarce here!)

Elsewhere
Osprey Leighton Moss then flew off. Four Meds at Glasson - 3 adult (one green ringed) and a juvenile. Ad Yellow-legged Gull by green No 9 buoy between Glasson and Sunderland low tide late afternoon

Minimalistic

Heysham Obs
Outfalls/Red Nab early morning rain
Little Gull - 2nd S->Ad W
Med Gull - Ad W
Whimbrel - heard

Same area pm - sunny
Not a single bird on Stage 2 outfall which was strewn with anglers sitting inside the railings

Elsewhere
30 Little Egret in the Leighton roost last night (40+ at Freckleton, unknown number at Ashton Hall). Chough Warton Crag quarry this afternoon. Ad Med Aldcliffe but no obvious sign of Garganey. 8 Crossbill over Silverdale Moss.

Distant Bonxie

Low single figures of moulting Little Gulls are a feature of late summer/autumn at this site. Thanks to Mike Watson for these pics.

Heysham Obs

North harbour wall 0750-0850hrs

Bonxie - distant bird out and across

Gannet - 7 feeding in the mouth of the Bay

No sign of the juv Shag on the wooden jetty - last seen about 1645hrs yesterday

Red Nab/outfalls

Common Gull - 2 juvs on outfall

Med Gull - 2 adult and a juv on the foreshore off Ocean Edge - just 2 adults in pm

Little Gull - the usual 3 birds

Sandwich Tern - influx of 15 early evening

Elsewhere

Dead so far

Sabines returns late afternoon and first juvenile Shag of the autumn

Thanks very much to Margaret Breaks for sharing this montage. On end of Stage 2 outfall from c1610hrs-1710hrs today

Heysham Obs

This was a very frustrating day for visiting birders as, in clear but windy conditions, the adult Sabines Gull reappeared c1610hrs (Mike Watson) and was seen on and off for about one hour, always very distant at the seaward end of the Power Station outfalls and sitting out of sight on the rough sea. The last sighting involved a quite lengthy observed flight which was presumably continued out of sight 'behind' the waves along the shipping channel. No further sign by at least 2000hrs

Combined effort offshore intermittent 0840-2000hrs

Gannet - 37, mainly distant in several hours!

Manx Shearwater - one out

Kittiwake - 2 out

Sandwich Tern - 10 out

Common Scoter - male out, 7 in then out

Arctic Skua - light morph out, then sat on the sea, then wheeled back into the bay again in increasing wind c0905-0920. It or another seen chasing gulls at long range late afternoon.

Combined effort inshore

Med Gull - 2nd S->3rd W north harbour wall (2-3 'second year' primaries still unmoulted). 3 adults Red Nab area probably included the 'newly re-aged' 3rd W=Ad having completed wing moult and certainly included the small bird seen several times recently

Shag - Juvenile on the wooden jetty c1600hrs then later in the afternoon as the tide came in

Little Gull - the usual three birds: 2 1st S->2nd W, 1 2nd S->Ad W

Whimbrel - one Red Nab

Sandwich Tern - 2 Red Nab early morning prior to passage

SABINE'S GULL - Ad S intermittently at the seaward end of the outfalls from 1610hrs to c1710hrs but elusive in rough sea and dreadful light

Elsewhere

The two Garganey still at Aldcliffe. See links.

Always check Heysham over the tide when wet and windy...........

Nice flight shots from Mike Watson (top two) & Margaret Breaks after it started to feed on Heysham 2 outfall, followed by a desperate distant record shot as part of the initial documentation on Red Nab. Mario Chin has a better 'at rest' shot on the LDBWS site photos section.

Heysham Obs
Late afternoon saw the rain and wind producing the good(s) big style!

Ocean Edge late morning
1st S->2nd W Little Gull on sand

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/Stage 2 outfall 1600-1845
SABINES GULL - what at that range looked like Ad summer on Red Nab from at least 1600hrs, then on the outfall from about 1730hrs. There should be some decent flight pics later [Mike Watson & Breaks family websites via the links when they have time to upload them] . It drifted into the Bay about 1745hrs and there was no further sign by 2030 at least.
Med Gull - 2nd S->3rd W, also Ad W later
Little Gull - 2 x 1st S->2nd W, 1 x 2ndS->Ad W
Little Egret - one Red Nab c1630 for ten minutes or so
Sandwich Tern - 2
Whimbrel - 2

Moths
Barred Rivulet (2), Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet (2) and Pebble Hook-tip led a reasonably varied catch

Elsewhere
10 Crossbill (have to use 'spp', especially given recent events up north) south over Sunderland Point into the Fylde! Two Garganey on Aldcliffe Pools.

Hummingbird Hawk-moth tops the bill

Heysham Obs
Ocean Edge/Stage 2 outfall/Red Nab incoming tide
Med Gull - No sign of darvic-ringed bird - just one 2nd S->3rd W
Little Gull - 1st S->2nd W outfall
Wheatear - 3 even in late afternoon

General
Impression of small numbers of Willow Warbler early morning but too windy for ringing & no proper census

Butterflies
3 Red Admiral but just 2 Peacock on office buddliea

Moths
An autumnal feel about the catch with significant numbers of a reduced number of species and Sallow & Flounced Rustic making their first appearance. Humming-bird Hawk Moth in Heysham village within the recording area (per Malcolm)

Elsewhere
Chough Warton Crag quarry in the morning - quite a few coastal Wheatear suggesting that there might have been quite a movement of other less obvious migrant landbirds

Quality pond life and a new plant

Autumn Gentian at Heysham Power Stations - Reuben Neville

Heysham Obs
Some extremely skilful stone-throwing by a gang of three moved some awkward-angle gulls in a heat haze on Red Nab right in front of the telescope but unfortunately a darvic-ringed 1st summer moulting to 2nd W Med eluded reading as I had left the digicam in the office!!

Ocean Edge/Red Nab incoming tide mid-afternoon
Med Gull - 2nd S->3rd (Ad) W, adult winter and 1st S->2nd W. Please be VERY careful ageing Meds at this time of year, especially at rest. You need to pay special attention to the unmoulted flight feathers c/f non-adults. The 1st S was identical to the one on the Lune (hardly a long flight away) yesterday and indeed headed inland in that direction over OE caravan site as the tide came in. It appeared to have 4 characters on a white darvic on the right leg. Hopefully we can clinch this moulting bird before it moves on.
Sanderling - 2 (accompanied by 6 Dunlin and 16 tundrae Ringed Plover)
Little Gull - a non-adult on Stage 2 outfall (too heat hazy to age from OE but prob 1st S->2nd W).
Whimbrel - 2
Sandwich Tern - one

Middleton IE
Single Tufted Duck and 10 Little Grebe

Insects
12 Wall Brown on Middleton. Unfortunately none on the reserve but a good number of butterflies included: 7 Gatekeeper, 9 Small Copper, 6 Peacock, 4 Comma, 5 Red Admiral, 6 Holly Blue, 22 Common Blue. A good moth catch included 2 Barred Rivulet and 3 Silver Y.

Plants

The first Autumn Gentian for the area were found today on bare ground with no public access

Elsewhere
Chough seen this afternoon in Warton Crag quarry and belated news of a Wood Sandpiper down the main dyke at Leighton Moss. No apparent increase in the island mere Little Egret roost (20+)

Not a lot apart from ants

Heysham Obs
Another late afternoon dose of flying ants concentrated gulls over the reserve etc. and produced an adult Med. Gull during a brief check.

Lunchtime check from OE foreshore with the tide well out produced:
Whimbrel - 1
Little Gull - 2nd S->ad W
Wheatear

Moths
The trap produced the first Copper Underwing of the year with 7 Ruby Tiger being a good count for here. A worn Silver Y was the only migrant

Butterflies
Amazingly some warm and sunny weather (again unforecasted) produced the first two non-Large White this year on the now profuse buddliea outside the office - a single Peacock and Red Admiral!!

Elsewhere
Lunchtime check of Sunderland produced the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull in its usual lowish-tide location just upstream from the 'football buoy' as viewed from the tidal road. 6 Crossbill SW over Caton Moor this morning. Colour-ringed 1st S->2nd W Med Gull on Lune by the 'bluethroat site' at the south end of Aldcliffe [seemingly white darvic with black letters = NW mainland Europe]. Unringed moulting adult Med Gull by Morecambe Stone jetty [& Sandwich Tern]