Long-tailed Tits on the move

Heysham Obs
Unhelpful cloud positions - a line squall to the north-east for much of 0800-0930hrs - didnt help the NE to SW 'vis', although the cross-bay route was fairly open and the alba Wagtail/Meadow Pipit ratio suggested the passage of the latter is finally grinding to a halt. Overnight grounded stuff appeared to be rock-bottom, but three hyperactive (eventually) south-bound Long-tailed Tit flocks passed through and some Redwings made landfall mid-morning

Vis mig from by the office 0815-1130, with some lengthy gaps late in the session
Long-tailed Tit - 11+15+36 eventually south
Blue Tit - 9 south with the last LTT flock
alba Wagtail - 56 SE
Meadow Pipit - 3 SE
Woodpigeon - 18 SSE (3 flocks)
Carrion Crow - 1+1 high to the south
Sparrowhawk - 1+1 high to the south
Chaffinch - 52 SW
Grey Wagtail - one heard
Bullfinch - 2 high to SE & heard later (possibly 8 subsequently silent high-flyers?)
Greenfinch - 42 SW
Goldfinch - 51 S/SE
Reed Bunting - 7 SE plus 3 probables which did not call
Redwing - 1+4+35 in from the ESE, then landed near dipping pond
Song Thrush - 2 inland (presumably grounded overnight)
Skylark - 2 SE
Starling - 33 S
Linnet - 18 SE
Siskin - 3 SE
Jackdaw - 21 S (one flock)

Grounded
Goldcrest - just one heard by the office
Chiffchaff - one by office
Blackbird - just 3 seen of unknown status
Some "grounded" stuff mentioned under 'vis'.

Miscellany
Kingfisher - one Red Nab
Shag - 3 juv on wooden jetty
Med Gull - 3 ad harbour area mid-pm, but all separate e.g. one roosting on the old Fisher's roof, one following IOM ferry out and the other along the NH wall
pretty certain no Purple Sand amongst the 93 Turnstone on wooden jetty

Elsewhere
No obvious sign of the Firecrest on Willow Lane. Common Sandpiper Conder area this last three days at least. Two juv Shag & Ad Med Gull central Morecambe

Record Little Egret count....but Redwings not quite here

Heysham Obs
342 Redwing over High Tatham in the first 25 mins of the day with clarity to the east and thick shower clouds to the west............but only two separate birds over Heysham by 1000hrs. Little Egrets reached record numbers for here with four fighting it out for feeding space in OE saltmarsh creeks!

Vis 0805-0835 & intermittently to 1000hrs
Meadow Pipit - 1
Redwing - 2
Chaffinch - 26
Greenfinch - 25
alba Wagtail - 6
Redpoll agg (almost certainly not a Lesser on call) - 1
Coal Tit - 1+1 S
Whooper Swan - 5 southish way out to sea

Grounded
One Goldcrest heard and one Blackbird flew inland!

OE foreshore/Red Nab area
Twite - 4
Little Egret - 4
Linnet - 32

Mammals
Tree Rat Moneyclose Lane

Elsewhere
6 Whooper Swans have returned to the Lune valley - in Melling fields all day. 342 Redwing west over High Tatham 0710-0730 (max flock 117). female Firecrest and at least 4 Chiffchaff, Milking Stile Lane Lancaster just east of nursery (access off Willow Lane, Marsh Estate). Ruddy Duck still Pine Lake yesterday.

Calm early to mid morning bonus

Heysham Obs
The main feature this morning was an influx of Song Thrush as the calm weather gave way to a mod/fresh south westerly mid-morning. This was very odd as a vis mig vigil next to the office 0800-0915 did not record any thrush species and these are normally a feature of the early morning. The other major feature was a record count of at least FIVE Great-spotted Woodpecker on the reserve with all of these flying to off to the south. Autumn passage Stonechat have been thin on the ground this last few years and two separate birds is notable.

Vis mig by the office 0800-1030
Song Thrush - 37 low to the south-east over the office, mainly 0945-1030hrs
Blackbird - first evidence this autumn of continental birds was 12 accompanying the above Song Thrush, one of which was mist-netted and proved to be a 131mm-winged female
Long-tailed Tit - 12 unringed birds trapped together, plus two other similarly hyperactive flocks totalling c30 by the nature park. First evidence of movement since the post-breeding season flocks with all recent captures being retraps
Great-spotted Woodpecker - 5 individuals all eventually flew off to the south
Chaffinch - 17 SW
Goldfinch - 6 + flock of 80 of unknown status
Greenfinch - very scarce the last two (cloudy) days with just 3 SW
Bullfinch - 2+1+1 high-flying birds either SE or E
Meadow Pipit - just 3 SE
Reed Bunting - 2 SE
alba Wagtail - 16 SE
Skylark - at least 6 SE - very high
Carrion Crow - 2 SE
Coal Tit - 17 south in 5 flocks of up to 6 birds
Dunnock - quite a lot of fidgety birds early on with a flock of 3 heading south from the brambles by the reserve office

Grounded
See above re-tits & thrushes
Goldcrest - just 8 seen/heard
Stonechat - females on the north wall mound and by the office
Wheatear - one on the mound

Miscellany
Shag - 3 juv on the wooden jetty
Med Gull - at least one adult north harbour wall
Little Egret - one OE saltmarsh creek
NEGATIVE news on the adult Arctic Tern
Twite - three unringed birds at the mound (no mention of any Linnet)

Elsewhere
Juv Shag Stone jetty, otherwise zilch!

Late Meadow Pipit movement

Heysham Obs
............in both senses of the word i.e. most of it between 1000-1130hrs after which the rain eventually arrived.

Vis mig from various places 0845-1130
Meadow Pipit - 294 SE (all but 7 after 1000hrs)
alba Wagtail - 44 SE
Chaffinch - 8 SW
Goldfinch - 12
Coal Tit - 5 south (3 of these trapped and ringed as they landed by the feeder)

Grounded
Wheatear - one mound
Chiffchaff - two new arrivals trapped and ringed (low weight & fat)
Goldcrest - surprisingly few with just 3 trapped and only two others noted on a circuit
Song Thrush - 2-3
Meadow Pipit - 15 Ocean Edge first thing & 8 or so on the mound

Miscellany
Med Gull - two adults, including Czech bird
Shag - one juv
Little Egret - one predictably in OE saltmarsh channel after yesterdays comment
Arctic Tern - adult still Stage 2 outfall

Moths
An Epirrata spp in the trap - surprisingly very scarce here.

Elsewhere
Nothing at all from this area of interest

Routine fare

The heliport/seawall roost from Half-Moon Bay. Unfortunately more and more people are accessing this seawall without being challenged and the roost is regularly disturbed. Thanks for the photo Malcolm

Heysham Obs
A quick shoot round prior to work

North harbour wall/wooden jetty
Med Gull - three adults sat in a line on the railings until flushed by a guy on a bike with an English flag waving about - flew towards the harbour mouth!
Linnet/Twite - flock of 23 including at least 2 Twite by the sandworks entrance until flushed by the above
Shag - juv on the wooden jetty, not flushed by the cyclist

Ocean Edge foreshore/Stage 2 outfall/Red Nab
Arctic Tern - adult still on Stage 2 outfall
Linnet - 4 on the football pitch
Wigeon - 31 Red Nab

........otherwise pretty dead with no evidence of any Dunlin remaining amongst the Redshank on the accreting saltmarsh or migrant passerines. A regular dog walker informed that he hadnt seen a Little Egret "for about 3 weeks" which fits with other observations of the area.

Elsewhere

F/imm Ruddy Duck fast asleep on Pine Lake this afternoon. Juv Shag Stone Jetty. Redwings over Lancaster early on last night. No obvious sign of Y.B. Warbler during an encounter with a Long-tailed Tit-based flock at Botton Mill area this afternoon

Bits and bobs

The now 'long-staying' Ad Arctic Tern photographed yesterday by Mike Watson. Thanks for this, Mike.

Heysham Obs
Nothing mind-boggling but a fair selection of birds. Today was in the top ten of personal 'best days birding in this area' but this was mainly due to discoveries elsewhere (see below)

Ocean Edge foreshore/outfalls
Twite - one saltmarsh edge
Linnet - 12 football pitch
Rock Pipit - one by slipway
Wheatear - large bird along foreshore
Arctic Tern - adult still on outfalls
Wigeon - increase to 31 on Red Nab

Heysham NR & area
Goldcrest - c10
Song thrush - 6
Chiffchaff - 3

Middleton IE
Pochard - 1
Gadwall - 1
Tufted Duck - 16
Stonechat - 1 female
Snipe - 16
Blackcap - female ringed
Chiffchaff - one ringed
Goldcrest - 3
Reed Bunting - 6 unringed birds and two retraps

North harbour wall
Shag - 2 juvs
Med Gull - 3 adults

Vis mig dawn to c0930hrs
Meadow Pipit - 116
Greenfinch - 3
Coal Tit - 2
Grey Wagtail - 4 (one colour-ringed)
alba Wagtail - 28
Chaffinch - 2
Skylark - 34 (a lot for here early morning)
Goldfinch - 1
Linnet - 23
Siskin - 8
Song Thrush - 2
Pink-footed Goose - 14+11

Elsewhere
Yes!!! Yellow-browed Warbler with a Long-tailed Tit-based flock near Botton Mill 1440-1450 (intermittently), then headed towards Stairend bridge before heading down the west side of the Hindburn valley [terrain too uneven to keep up with flock]. Just one call attributable to this bird, but it was a bright individual with broad tertial fringes and eliminating Hume's Warbler was not a problem. Also 30 Redwing and a single flock of 44 Siskin in this area, but Thrushgill plantation appeared rather dead and coneless. No further sign of this flock in the next 3.5 hours. Early-morning two hour vis mig session on Caton Moor was reasonably good and highlighted by Snow Bunting (0837hrs) and Rock Pipit (0914hrs) - both SW. Nothing at Leighton Moss other than huge numbers of people & single lingering Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper on the EM Pool & Marsh Harrier on the main reserve, but no-one "interpreting the pager news" & checking the slag tips for Lap/Snow Bs.. Late Garden Warbler Freeman's Wood area. Anyone else do moorland edge vis this morning (where it was clear c/p coast)?

Bits and bobs of interest amidst the general dross

Heysham Obs
Very little evidence of numbers of migrants around today, either overhead or in the bushes. Three interesting new records though.

Miscellaneous highlights
LONG-TAILED DUCK - f/imm flew into the Bay late morning as seen by Mike Watson, Mark Varley et sl

'Commic Tern' - 6 juvs, almost certainly all Common, flew out together mid morning

Coal Tit - c48 flew south over HNR office, including a high-flying flock of 27

................plus the ad Arctic tern still on Heysham 2 outfall and 2 juv Shag & 3 adult Med Gulls along the north harbour wall

Grounded
Goldcrest - c8
Chiffchaff - one
Blackcap - lightweight female trapped and ringed
Song Thrush - c6 grounded before flying inland to the SE
No other thrush spp. migrants

Vis (note that there are other crows etc. doing 'nothing'; these are perceived vis mig records only)
Swallow - 2
Greenfinch - 11
Chaffinch - 8
Goldfinch - 12
Sparrowhawk - 1 very high eventually flew SE
alba Wagtail - 3
Crow - 3
Coal Tit - 48
Bullfinch - 3
Meadow Pipit - 2

Mammals
Dolphin spp. dead on the beach between the heliport and sandworks along the north wall. Coastguards informed.

Elsewhere
Absolutely nothing of interest reported in this area other than further evidence of Coal Tit movement.

Wrong place, wrong time, wrong weather

Heysham Obs
An M6/M5 fest left Heysham to other observers today as the site was on the edge of the "Scottish weather", as opposed to the clear Cornish conditions sending the Alder Flycatcher on its way. In other words a complete waste of a peak migration-time October day in both cases (especially with four available observers at Heysham).

Outfalls
Ad Arctic Tern still lingering (per Reuben)

One hour's vis mig by the office
Grey Wagtail - 1
Greenfinch - 6
Chaffinch - 5

North wall
Shag - 2 juvs
Linnet - small number on nyger seed
No Meds!

Elsewhere
Firecrest reportedly with Goldcrests by Lilian's Hide on 8/10 (Leighton Moss book). Ad F Ferruginous x Pochard hybrid Pine Lake. 2 more juv Shag Morecambe Stone Jetty. 14 Little Egret Aldcliffe - highest single count of feeding birds on Lune Estuary

Right(ish) time, wrong place?

Heysham Obs
Turned down the sleep-deprived M6/M5/A30/Land's End/Stanstead/Cork/Garanish Point offer (thanks Stuart) for the following:

Tawny Owl
This 'mega' was heard from the office in the Ocean Edge/western golf-course direction first thing

Vis mig by the office 0730-1010
Possibly a bit late as there were fair numbers of Chaffinch in the first 15 minutes
Chaffinch - 152 S/SW
Linnet - 3 S
Meadow Pipit - 19 SE
Greenfinch - 40 SW
Redpoll agg. - 2 SE
Collared Dove - flock of 5 south
Magpie - 3 trying to look like migrants high to SE
alba Wagtail - 14 SE
House Sparrow - 1 S
Woodpigeon - 8 E
Carrion Crow - 8 SE
Jackdaw - 2 SE
Goldfinch - 10 S
Reed Bunting - 2 S
Siskin - 1 SE
Skylark - 13 SE
Bullfinch - 1 S
Coal Tit - 6 SE
Dunnock - 1 S
Pink-footed Goose - 84+23 SE at 1010

Grounded
Chiffchaff - one brownish-grey bird ringed which unfortunately did not call but certainly the 'abietinus umbrella' on plumage
Goldcrest - 10-15

Ocean Edge foreshore/outfalls 1100-1115hrs
Shag - juv visible distantly on wooden jetty
Arctic Tern - ad still on outfalls
Skylark - 13 SE
Siskin - 2 SE
Song Thrush - 3 obvious migrants

Moths
Reasonable selection including a 'small' Large Wainscot

Elsewhere
Juv Shag Morecambe Stone Jetty. No postings on LDBWS site or pager for this area by 1400hrs.

Lingering ArcticTern

Heysham Obs
Dead today - left the post as late as possible to se if we could compete with other west coast sites - not a chance - we've had our transatlantic surprise for the year, I guess (W-T Sparrow). Pretty impressive, especially (perhaps) the 14, or was it 15, Ring-necked Duck in-off at Inishmore (Galway)

Vis from by the office
Dreadful
alba Wagtail - 5
Coal Tit - 5 & another excitable flock of 11 by Trumacar stores
Meadow Pipit - 5
Chaffinch - 5ish
Skylark - 1ish
Mistle Thrush - 7 vaguely SW

Grounded
Goldcrest - 1. A few extra Robin. One sharp "tack" agg.. One Redwing below the classroom

Outfalls
Arctic Tern - adult surprisingly still lingering am at least

Insects
One Red Admiral & one Small Tortoiseshell & one Speckled Wood

Mammals
Ex-hedgehog on Moneyclose Lane

Elsewhere
Yellow-browed Warbler ringed next to the causeway at Leighton Moss but no reports since release. Condition suggested it was not a new arrival. Single Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper EM Pool.