Late Willow Warbler and more Reed Buntings

Here is a blackberry 'happy slap' of a grey 'north-easterny-looking' 1st W Robin caught at Hey N.R. this lunchtime. However, I've seen ones like this around e.g. Lochinver in north Scotland. Thanks Jean. The top pic was taken by an unknown person at an unknown location and shows the difference really well and also allows comparison with today's bird. Thanks to whoever it was.

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE

Another ringing session at Middleton included 22 new Reed Bunting (including one with a ring from elsewhere) and no retraps from the other prolific days last week, a late 1CY male Willow Warbler, 3 Redwing and what will probably be the last Grey Wagtail of the year

Heysham NR - all sightings by the office

Goldcrest - a massive total of two passed by the office

Redwing - 3 at dawn

Song Thrush - 2 at dawn

Blackbird - 5 probable migrants (2 ringed)

Robin - 2 ringed & a few other probable migrants

Vis mig HNR

Meadow Pipit - 4

Grey Wagtail - 1

alba Wagtail - 4

Jackdaw - 3

Rook - 4

Chaffinch - 15

Redpoll spp - 5

Reed Bunting - 3

Elsewhere

Flock of 4 Crossbill on the Caton Moor vis session (c0908)

North westerly rubbish before a decent week? Fingers crossed

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE
Green Woodpecker - 1
Stonechat - 1 female
Teal - 6+
Tufted Duck - 7
Little Grebe - 6 (3 smallish young)
Snipe - 1
Swallow - 10 south

Inshore
Guillemot - 2 in harbour
Med Gull - 5 ads & 1st winter (thanks Mike)
Pink-footed Goose - one on sea

Elsewhere
Mass break-out of Snow Geese with 31 north at Conder about 1228, seemingly gathering others as they go as 27 were seen earlier at Marton Mere

Leaf mining takes over from migrant searches!

Heysham Obs
Calm and foggy first thing! (c/f forecast). The title just about sums up this mornings rather poor results from reasonable coverage. A predictable arrival by a few Redwing, but the single Fieldfare was perhaps unexpected until the Caton Moor vis mig info. was received. Thanks to Malcolm, Martin & Mike for good coverage today & John for diversifying into brown patches on leaves!

Coastline birds
Little Egret - 2 OE saltmarsh creek
Kingfisher - one Red Nab
Med Gull - just the one adult seen
Linnet/Twite - up to 18/three on weed seeds by the big wheel on the south wall
Wheatear - 2

Vis mig/grounded stuff
Pheasant - female Middleton IE - mega these days
Stonechat - female Middleton IE
Redwing - 5 Red Nab first thing, then 4 over reserve 0745
Fieldfare - noisy singleton may have been grounded, then SW at c1000hrs
Chiffchaff - 3, one singing & another 4 on Middleton IE
Goldcrest - NONE
Robin - small influx
Coal Tit - 5 excitable birds
Skylark - 5 audible registrations of very high birds
Meadow Pipit - 6 SE
Blue Tit - 2 unringed birds caught
Grey Wagtail - 3 together SE on arrival
Goldfinch - 7 SE
Siskin - heard once
Chaffinch - 15 SW
Greenfinch - 2 high to south
Song Thrush - 3

Leaf mines
Mompha raschkiella, Stigmella aurella & crataegella, Parornix angicella, Phyllonorycter ragella & leucographella. Try the UK moths website for further info (see links)

Adult insects
Migrant Hawker - 2, Comma, Speckled Wood, Peacock (late for this species), 2 Red Admiral, several Speckled Wood, lots of wasps still,

Elsewhere
Nothing posted yet but a few Redwing & Fieldfare over Caton Moor early morning. 2 Great White Egret Leighton Moss, 1, 005 Black-tailed Godwit Allen Pool

Not a great deal but the Redwings are coming!

Heysham Obs
An alert from the Pennines that Redwings are on their way!

Vis mig 0800ish-0830ish
alba Wagtail - 17 SE
Chaffinch - 30 S
Goldfinch - 4 S
Song Thrush - 3 watched being grounded (see below)
Meadow Pipit - 3 SE

Grounded
A most significant element of a thorough check of the NR was the complete lack of Goldcrest! 15 migrant Song Thrush and 3 Chiffchaff were the 'highlights'

Misc
Guillemot in harbour still

Elsewhere
The two Great White Egret are still at Leighton Moss

More Reed Buntings

Heysham Obs
Heysham NR office area
The main theme of the Nature Reserve ringing was Chaffinches, with 17 caught at one net site. A Grey Wagtail was ringed - surely we are now at the back-end of the migration of this species. Apart from a single Chiffchaff, there was little else migrant-wise.

Middleton IE
Vis:
Meadow Pipit 12
Chaffinch 6
alba Wagtail 3
Siskin 5
Greenfinch 4
Skylark 6
Song Thrush 1
Starling 2
Goldfinch 1
Grey Wagtail 3

Ringing:
13 Reed Buntings, without any retraps from yesterday, indicates a significant passage for this species at this site, with a record 27 ringed in two days (plus the capture of a 1CY ringed at Leighton in July, therefore almost certainly out of a nest there). As significant numbers are also being ringed at Leighton, just the one movement between the two most definitely does not suggest local origin for all these birds. Indeed, the recent Little Bunting (accompanying Reed Buntings) at Seaforth does perhaps indicate that some of the Reed Buntings could even be from across the North Sea. A Chiffchaff was also ringed at Middleton but little else of note.

Elsewhere
2 x Great White Egret Leighton Moss (including the French colour-ringed bird)

Reed Buntings galore

Middleton Industrial Estate

Vis:
Collared Dove 2>S
Skylark 7>S
Swallow 5>S
Meadow Pipit 35>SE
Grey Wagtail 7>S
alba Wagtail 5>S
Mistle Thrush 4>E
Rook 7>E
Chaffinch 5>S
Greenfinch 7>SE
Linnet 11>S
Lesser Redpoll 1>SE

Ringing:
20 Reed Bunting were trapped, 6 already had rings, one of which was ringed at Leighton Moss on 13/07/2009.
2 Grey Wagtails out of the 7 over were colour ringed. Other species included Robin, Wren, Goldcrest and 3 Chiffchaff.

Other:
4 Common Snipe were accidentally flushed whilst putting up the nets.

Fair weather birding!

This is the 'resident' 1st winter Med taken by Mike Watson during the recent seawatch. Earlier, when there were more traces of juvenile plumage and a less well-defined facial mask, some observers were having problems sorting out this age class from early, rather 'contrasty' juvenile Common Gulls. Thanks Mike.

Heysham Obs
All birding was in an hour between the rain (outside) or in the car (high tide) when one of us should have been thrashing the rain-sodden bushes in reasonable migrant arrival conditions. Too much work to do.

Ocean Edge/Red Nab

These are the same two geese taken a day or so later at Cockersands. Thanks Stuart.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose - 2 unringed adults Red Nab, then off Ocean Edge saltmarsh around midday
Kingfisher - one
Med Gull - adult

North-harbour wall/vis 0830-0900
Rock Pipit - 1 grounded
Meadow Pipit - 3 grounded
Pink-footed Goose - 3 S
Chaffinch - 5 S
Linnet - 5 grounded
Wheatear - one

Elsewhere
Nothing yet

Trickle of rather high vis & productive ringing

Heysham Obs
Middleton IE & HNR ringing
A ringing session at Middleton of 40 or so new birds included 4 Grey Wagtail, 7 Reed Bunting, a Blackcap and 4 Chiffchaff. A further Grey Wagtail was ringed during a very low-key multi-task at HNR office, making 62 so far this autumn, with the end of the passage surely nigh. Please inform as many birders as possible to keep an eye open for colour-ringed birds, especially during the coming winter and on the breeding grounds next year. This theoretically includes a chunk of last year's birds perhaps wintering to the north of here as more 'resident' adults? See right hand column for the configurations. Rather odd was the capture of a Meadow Pipit ringed last autumn. Local or passing through the same site? - surely the former!

Heysham NR & Middleton vis mig first light to 1130
Pink-footed Goose: 34+52+31 south
Meadow Pipit: 21
Goldfinch: 5
Skylark: 1
Greenfinch: 25
Chaffinch: 24
Swallow: 14
Reed Bunting: 1-2
House Sparrow: one high to south
Whooper Swan: 4 - also seen from Caton Moor!!
Grey Wagtail: 10 (5 ringed)
alba Wagtail: 10
Starling: 5
Linnet: 3

Ocean Edge pre-tide
Med Gull - adult
Bar-tailed Godwit - 9

Grounded miscellany
Green Woodpecker - Middleton IE
Chiffchaff - 4+ Middleton, one HNR
Blackcap - one HNR, one Middleton
Goldcrest - just the one heard very early morning

Insects
Middleton IE: 5 Migrant Hawker, 6 Common Darter, 3 Comma, one Peacock, 1 Red Admiral, 2 Speckled Wood. Yesterday at Middleton: 8 Migrant Hawker & 17 Common Darter. 2 Red Admiral on yellow buddliea by HNR office

Elsewhere
2 x Great White Egret EM Pools. Cetti's Warbler ringed at Leighton Moss along Lower Hide to causeway path. Caton Moor vis 0700-0900 including the above Whooper Swans and a very high southbound Raven - definitely a migrant

Diverse, but mainly routine

Some Leach's Petrel images from yesterdays seawatch. Thanks to Mike Watson.

Heysham Obs
Good coverage this morning & a visiting birder has just reported a Bonxie (distantly) off Ocean Edge and lo and behold, it correlates with both the pager and text messages. Thanks Malcolm, Jeff & Dave!

Heysham north wall
Stonechat - female - first autumn migrant
Guillemot - one by the harbour waterfall
Med Gull - ad & 1CY visible on hey one outfall

Eider - 5 (3 males)

Ocean Edge/Red Nab (low tide)
Black-tailed Godwit - 2
Bar-tailed Godwit - 15

Snipe - one on Red Nab
Kingfisher - 1
Wheatear - 1
Merlin - 1
Knot - 2,300
Wigeon - increase to 7 (2 since 29/9)
Bonxie - seen offshore from OE by 'Dave' at about 1145

Vis mainly by office 0720 to 1030
Grey Wagtail - 1
Meadow Pipit - 47
Chaffinch - 62
Goldfinch - 6

Snipe - 3 south
Reed Bunting - 2
alba Wagtail - 24
Whooper Swan - 3 low to the south 0930
Pink-footed Goose - just one skein - 55 south at 1030

Grounded by office
Blackcap - one female
Robin - quite a bit of early morning ticking and chasing
Song Thrush - one, then inland
still no Goldcrest!

Elsewhere
Two Great White Egret distantly from the EM Pool. Bonxie Lane Ends 1125ish. Dark-bellied Brent Cockersands, then Bank End

The 'perfect depression' as expections exceeded

Heysham Obs
With a very narrow margin as regards the correct wind direction, 'perfect' depression tracks producing decent autumnal seawatches are quite a rare event in the Bay. Add a decent tide time & height (not too 'splashy'), stronger overnight winds than forecast, plus a well-timed high tide squall and the result was far better than anticipated. As seems to be usual on a Saturday, no local observers, but Mike Watson and Anne & Peter stayed for the duration. Also, as anticipated, no joy for JBP observers in a 'wind shadow', although at least one Leach's Petrel reached Teal Bay. The knock-on from this (i.e. nothing right in the inner bay) was that the Leach's Petrel movement finished quite early in the dropping tide cycle with nothing after 1500hrs. High tide was 1034hrs, therefore, as is not atypical with Leach's Petrel, the vast majority of the observed movement out of the bay (as opposed to being swept in at longer range) was on the dropping tide.


North harbour wall & area 0915-1500hrs
Leach's Petrel as follows (timing past the yellow buoys), some as close as 70 metres: 0915, 1058, 1115, 1152, 1209, 1213 (2), 1215 (2), 1216, 1221, 1225, 1234, 1237, 1242, 1244 (2), 1247, 1253, 1256, 1300 (2), 1302, 1307, 1309, 1310, 1312, 1317 (2), 1318, 1320, 1324, 1327, 1335, 1351, 1354, 1357, 1402, 1444, 1456. These were definitely unduplicated birds, all heading out of the bay, with no backtracking & all birds clearly visible for lengthy periods. A majority were just inside the line of the yellow buoys but some were quite close & photos will be posted later if sharp. Second-hand report of one about 1830hrs on the early stages of the incoming tide
Little Gull - 3 x juv, one ad out
Kittiwake - 2 juv out, 2 behind IOM ferry
Med Gull - 2 x ad & 1 x 1CY along the seawall at various times
Bonxie (Great Skua) - one 'in' at 1415hrs
Arctic Skua - described as dark morph 'out' at about 1110hrs with another mid afternoon (seen by other observers)
Fulmar - 2 out
Guillemot - one on sea
Arctic Tern - juv on outfalls
Red-throated Diver - one on sea
Pintail - 3+1 out
Shearwater spp - extremely distant bird - probably the Manx seen just previously off Morecambe
Good numbers of common wader species on the move

Elsewhere
Arctic Skua JBP, 3 Barnacle Geese JBP, juv Little Gull & Manx Shearwater & Leach's Petrel off north Morecambe. Two Great White Egret left the island mere roost at Leighton at 0720 & 'flew SW'. No further news.