A few seabirds when the north-easterly kicked in

Heysham Obs
An early morning run round & token seawatch didnt take long to convince that this calm morning was pretty well rock bottom as regards any obvious migration.  However, coinciding with the north-easterly kicking in, the sea livened up a bit for Mike Baron after a patient birdless hour

Sea 0655-0730
Sandwich Tern - 1 in
Common Scoter - 5 out
Turnstone - c185 outer section wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - 1, possibly 2 as above
alba Wagtail - 2 north

0825-0930 (after nothing from 0725-0825) (thanks Mike)
2 Kittiwakes (adult & 2cy) in

1 Arctic Tern in
16 Sandwich Terns - 1 in, rest out
1 Red-throated Diver (flew round in large circles)
1 unidentified Skua - distant, very dark bird which tangled with a large gull and then dropped on to sea nr wind farm
1 unidentified auk (prob Razorbill)
6 Swallows north

Mammal1 Grey Seal nr wooden jetty

Ocean Edge 0735-0755
Wheatear - 1
shoreline devoid of any migrant waders

Moths
A worn Brindled Pug (see comments for two days ago) and the first of the migratory Diamond-back Moth for the year highlighted a small catch

Common Scoter head the meagre haul

Heysham Obs
Sea intermittently 0600-0830
Common Scoter - 23+9+18 out
Gannet - 3 together out and across
Sandwich Tern - 21
Arctic tern - flock of 16 'in' distantly 0615hrs
Kittiwake - 2CY on sea, then 'out'
Mute Swan - 3 in, one out
Whimbrel - 2
Meadow Pipit - 2 north
alba Wagtail - 1 north
Swallow - 8 north
Purple Sandpiper - one
Turnstone - c250

Miscellany
Greylag - two blogging at Middleton (also over HNR yesterday)
Dunlin - 320 Ocean Edge foreshore
Common Sandpiper - one by Heysham 2 outfall

Moths
A really good candidate for Ruddy Highflyer on wingshape, resting position and what markings are visible on this melanistic specimen.  The only known regular Lancashire site for this species. Flame Carpet also new for the year

Seemingly 'nothing'

Heysham Obs
Earlyish morning observers report nothing flying overhead, just 7 Sandwich Terns on a short seawatch and c4 birds in the mist nets, including 2 Lesser Whitethroat and one Common Whitethroat

Anyone visiting Middleton NR in the next few days, watch out for large dragonflies - the ultimate long-shot [c/f Vagrant Emperor influx into at least southern Europe - unfortunately the winds are not ideal].  Filling the daily post with this sort of waffle is hopefully infrequent, but the weather synopsis over the next 3-4 days looks rather poor for numbers, as opposed to a few, of grounded migrant passerines, but 'might' produce a few Arctic Terns.

Any assistance covering the sea gratefully received as the tide cycle starts to creep round to the favourable early morning 'incoming' [the usual observer, Jean Roberts, is not available this week]

Moths
Fairly impressive, with Brindled Pug possibly new for this site, as the previous records (last 2001) look like they need a "review" date-wise, and Common Pug extremely early.  Dark-barred Twin-spot carpet and Brown Silver Line kicked off their seasons

Threadbare patchwork

Heysham Obs
Office area dawn onwards to about 0830hrs
Tree Pipit - 3 north
Redpoll - one north
Meadow Pipit - 7 north
Linnet - 5 north
Goldfinch - 16 north
House Martin - one north
nothing grounded due to the 'blocking' cold front which arrived too early in the night, with just single Willow Warbler and Whitethroat ringed, ironically in "perfect" conditions c/f yesterday

Sea 0715-0730
Sandwich Tern - 3

Middleton NR
Grasshopper Warbler - at least 4 singing males
Reed Warbler - 2 singing males western marsh

Moth trap
Highlighted by single Golden-rod and Oak-tree Pugs, now "easy" to identify thanks to Brian Hancocks superb articles! [Link from the Lancs Moth site]

You should have been here before the sun......or mid-morning!

Heysham Obs
Just about worth the early start today with virtually everything landbird-wise in the short interregnum between the two yellow things in the sky.  Indeed, its a real shame this last week wasnt in the new moon period.  Rather "1980's" vis mig with the best daily Tree Pipit and flava Wagtail counts for years!

Heysham Nature reserve office area 0515-0930
Ring Ouzel - female tacking in the gorse by the office (in there overnight??), then flew to classroom area, then over on to golfcourse at c0535hrs
flava Wagtail - singles heading north at 0555, 0620 and 0905hrs, the latter circled round and appeared to eventually head north-west
Goldfinch - 37 north
Lesser Redpoll - 5+1 north, the flock of 5 left a presumed overnight roost site at 0520hrs in the gorse next to the office and headed straight into the sky to the north!
alba Wagtail - 17 north
Linnet - 9 north
Meadow Pipit - 22 north
Tree Pipit - 6 north, all before 0630 and before any Meadow Pipit, then a further pulse with 8 north between 0830 and 0930, including 4 together [14]
Canada Goose - two low inland
Swallow - 7 north
House Martin - one north
Willow Warbler - 15-20 migrants first thing soon melted away
Garden Warbler - one singing below the Obs Tower 0625-0630, but not later
Grasshopper Warbler - one singing distantly in the tank farm

Ringing - too windy/sunny with all birds caught prior to 0630 (6 Willow Warbler, one Chiffchaff) other than a single Blackcap

Sea 0930-1000 north wall
Sandwich Tern - 3 in
Wheatear - 1
Small White - 12 north-east along seawall

Outfalls area 1030ish
Black Tern - one distantly in the channel between Heysham 2 and the sewage pipe, then appeared to fly 'in'.  On its own, no other tern species seen!
Arctic Tern - two flew in, then gained height & headed north-west about midday
Common Sandpiper - one along the seawall
Wheatear - 4 Ocean Edge

More of the same

Heysham Obs
There appeared to be a movement through of Willow Warblers pre-dawn this morning and the mist nets were set too late at about 0545!!!   Notable small Whitethroat influx but just a trickle of other migrants.

Heysham office area
Grasshopper Warbler - presumed territorial male, not a series of passage birds, still singing on the tank farm
Tree Pipit - 3 (one ringed)
Willow Warbler - c10 migrants very first thing but only 4 ringed this morning
Whitethroat - influx with at least 10 new birds (3 ringed)
Lesser Whitethroat - 2 migrants moved quickly through
Goldfinch - c25 north
Linnet - c16 north
Meadow Pipit - 3 north
Blackcap - one singing male moved through (not local bird)
Lesser Redpoll - 2 north (1 ringed)

Sea/north wall
Skua spp. - presumed dark-morph Arctic flew quickly in at 0622hrs
Cormorant - flock of 8 high to the north
Wheatear - 3 heliport

Middleton NR
The long-staying Gadwall pair still present - now a "T" atlas-wise & the first such registration in SD45E

Willow Warbler smatter

Heysham Obs
Ringed Willow Warblers just about reached double-figures, but the support act was again paltry with just a single Blackcap & Whitethroat ringed migrant-wise.  Nothing notable overhead.

Grasshopper Warbler - 1 singing by reserve entrance early.
Tufted Duck - pair on Obs Tower pond.

North harbour wall coverage similarly low-key with very poor visibility

Moths
Included Least Black Arches and Oak Tree Pug - both new for the year and both recent additions to the Heysham fauna

Mammals
Roe Deer - 2 at north end of Non-Op land.

More drip-feed migration

Heysham Obs
An early start but limited ringing-wise to the office nets, which were not a good choice due to a niggling wind, followed by early sunrise.  The theme was birds bouncing out of slightly billowing nets, notably four Tree Pipit together!  Small by 1980's standards, but "reasonable" by recent standards, fall of Willow Warblers first thing

North harbour wall north-east-bound vis mig
Arctic Tern - 30
Sandwich Tern - 32
Swallow - 30
Meadow Pipit - 24
alba Wagtail - 11
Linnet - 12
Redpoll spp. - 10
Goldfinch - 1
Greenfrinch - 1
Whimbrel - 4
Greylag - 1
Turnstone - 217
Common Gull - 257 (others on south side)
Black-headed Gull - 119 (ditto)
Blackbird - now a pair on the mound!! (female definitely newly-arrived)

Heysham NR (north-east-bound vis very intermittently recorded, but different birds to NHW) 0545 onwards
Tree Pipit - 4+1+1, all early
Redpoll spp - 11
Linnet - 15
Goldfinch - 11
Greenfinch - unringed male caught
Willow Warbler - minimum of 25 in office/obs tower area, almost all in first hour (several bouncing out of mist nets)
alba Wagtail - 9
Meadow Pipit - 13
Reed Warbler - singing male in the far reedbed (first of year)
Sedge Warbler - one singing in reedbed next to alder copse

Moth
Streamer new for the year & not guaranteed here

Arctic Terns

Heysham Obs

Record shot taken into the sun on the dropping tide of Saturday's Little Stint (thanks Mike)
North Harbour Wall  0650-0930
Arctic Tern - 29  First of the year
Common Tern - 1
Sandwich Tern - 6 on the buoys

Vis
Linnet - 15
Meadow Pipit - 13
alba Wagtail - 6
Goldfinch - 5
Swallow - 5
Redpoll sp - 4
Greenfinch - 2

On the sea
Mute Swan - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 8

Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 4
Common Gull - 565
Black-headed Gull - 75
Mediterranean Gull - 2 x second calendar year

Heysham Nature Reserve vis
Tree Pipit - 2 (caught and ringed)
Lesser Redpoll - 15
Goldfinch - 20
Linnet - 15
Meadow Pipit - 5
alba Wagtail - 7

Not many grounded migrants but 4 each of Blackcap and Willow Warbler ringed.

Pre-dawn night migrants, post-dawn vis trickle

Heysham Obs
Clear conditions this morning and revealing just how early you have to get up in order to record a meagre trickle of night migrants on the move at the first hint of any daylight

Tree Pipit

Heysham NR office area
Tree Pipit - 5 north (1 ringed)
Grasshopper Warbler - one ringed pre-dawn, another singing at the same time on the tank farm
Lesser Whitethroat - one migrant singing male moved through
Whitethroat - 2-3 males reserve & one Red Nab
Lesser Redpoll - just 3+1 north
Meadow Pipit - 5 north
Goldfinch - c15 north
Linnet - c10 north
Blackcap - male caught in darkness as the net was being set, female soon afterwards, then 3 others later
Willow Warbler - one caught as net was being set, the only evidence of a migrant!

North harbour wall
Whimbrel - one (first of year)
Purple Sandpiper - 1
Guillemot - 1 floated in at high tide.
Sandwich Tern - 10 blogging on the buoys
Red-throated Diver - 6 out
Gannet - 1 north
Eider - 70
Red-breasted Merganser - 7

Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 7
White Wagtail - 2
Ringed Plover - 86
Dunlin - 121
no obvious sign Little Stint but birds hard to see on rocks

Vis north harbour wall 0645-1030:
Meadow Pipit - 37
Tree Pipit - 1
Goldfinch - 6
Linnet - 16
Redpoll sp - 5
Swallow - 1
Chaffinch - 3
alba wagtail - 2

Middleton
Grasshopper Warblers still singing but not easy to see. 

And what about in flight?