Routine grotty weather seawatch

Heysham Obs
Some time during the last week, the eager anticipation of early morning seawatching went out of the window - the Long-tailed Skua possibilities dimmed to a highly unlikely straggler and with the majority of the "exciting rapid northbound seabird migrants" having "gone through", you are left with the more mundane adrenalin-deficient routine of looking at wandering 'Irish sea seabirds'............& too early for Storm Petrel possibilities.   At least one other person gave up after the Arctic Tern passage having better things to do than wait for one skua an hour.

North harbour wall 0740ish to 0900ish
Gannet - 23 out
Manx Shearwater - 2 out
Arctic Skua - dm 'in' at 0755 - distant

Red Nab/outfalls
Med Gull - 2CY
Kittiwake - adult and 2CY
Common Gull - 223

Now Blue Tits also shun the nestboxes!

Heysham Obs
North wall/south harbour pre-lunch
Gannet - 5 out, distantly
Kittiwake - 2CY outfalls
Sanderling - 5 'in' with about 10 Dunlin and at least one Ringed Plover

Heysham Nature Reserve
A pair of Blue Tits is nesting in another vertical 'pipe' near the classroom (thanks Janet)

Moths
One of two Silver Ground Carpet found by Janet:

Cesperation

Heysham Obs
A wind window of sorts led to me taking a chance with the rain this morning.  The result was, after thinking I had got away with it, a prolonged period of heavy rain "forming" overhead, rather like relief rain half way up a mountain.  Managed to get three hours in which included a very wet net furl for the best part of an hour, with the second change of clothes needed after another torrential downpour as the nets were being taken down.............However, it wasnt windy!!

Middleton CES
'Highlights' were a ringed singing male Reed Warbler from ?last year and unringed wandering singing male Lesser Whitethroat and Willow Warbler.  There was an increase to four singing male Reed Warbler - typically late arrivals at this site

Outfalls
The 2CY Kittiwake still in residence

Thanks Janet

Moths

Included Ingrailed Clay

Great Tits shun the nestboxes

Heysham Obs
An adventurous Great Tit has seemingly managed to get away with an 'open-top' nestbox.  Lets hope the young don't get too wet in the next few days.  Thanks for the pics, Janet.

(I've been monitoring this nest and the young look pretty healthy and strong so far.  Both parents feeding at full tilt this morning.  They are close to fledging and hopefully will be successful (ajd).)
Not a lot of coverage today other than a 'routine' CES & moth catch

Ringing
Blackcap - 2 unringed males caught amongst the small number of other breeding species and juveniles.


Mammals
Fox - 1 crossing the Reserve entrance road early this morning. Fairly regular sighting - probably on a food gathering run for young.

More squall-free seawatching

Heysham Obs
A few bits seen entering the bay from JBP in the morning and Heysham on the early stages of the incoming tide, but the conditions then rapidly ameliorated and led to nothing on the evening tide

JBP/centre of Bay 0700-0900
Great Skua - singles reached JBP after being picked up 'central bay' at 0735 & 0745, the first went up the Keer, the last 'up and over' JBP & Silverdale
Gannet - 3-4

Heysham north wall/south wall 1500-1600
Arctic Skua - dark morph flew in and across c1530hrs
Gannet - 4
Manx Shearwater - group of 4-5 distantly across the bay
Kittiwake - single ad off north wall

Outfalls
Kittiwake - adult and 2CY in residence

Moth
Shoulder-striped Wainscot opens its account

Where were the heavy showers?

Heysham Obs
The lunchtime clear-out saw 8/8 cloud & driving rain & 'nil' visibility turn to 0/8 in the form of a well-defined line and blazing blue skies for the whole of the rest of the afternoon tide!  The seawatching started reasonably well, then went downhill with great rapidity, despite a decent wind.  Its no good without the squalls!

North harbour wall 1230 to 1400, then a brief visit late afternoon in awful light
Pomarine Skua - light adult blogging about 1245hrs, then flew 'in' quite close, then may have landed on the sea
Arctic Skua - dark morph in/across at 1325 (up to 7 dark-morph off JBP later in the afternoon)
Gannet - 2
Manx Shearwater - 3

Outfalls
Arctic Tern - 5
Common Tern - 2
Kittiwake - 2CY

Instant reward for better timing

Heysham Obs
Too many early morning sandbank-fests have recently sapped the enthusiasm of seawatchers here, not helped by some of them being useless Plan B's after a failed CES attempt.  This morning was much better after timing with the early incoming tide as it covered the sandbanks.  However, a slightly earlier start might have been better as the weather then proceeded to clear up, wind drop and the only sightings after the first 40 minutes or so were a few Manx Shearwater

North wall 1135-1550hrs
Pomarine Skua - 3 light-morph in together - quite high in the sky & quite close in 1145hrs
Arctic Skua - 2 dark-morph in together, then landed briefly on sandbank before continuing in 1152hrs
Manx Shearwater - at least 15
Gannet - at least 11
Arctic Tern - up to 4 of the end of Heysham one outfall, at least one out
Razorbill - 2
Sandwich Tern - 2

Outfalls side
Kittiwake - 2CY Heysham 2

Time warp and last-ditch CES visit two

Heysham Obs
The final chance of doing the CES Visit 2 suggested that it 'might' be ok from about first light for 3 hours, then it would be too windy.  What a nightmare CES Visit 2 has been wind-wise.  The attempt at first light was a miserable failure and in the end we managed 0530-0830 (thanks for your help, John; invaluable when you have multiple guy snaps!).  The morning was not without interest.

Heysham Nature reserve
Cuckoo - very brief visit to the office for more mist net guys produced one which seemed to fly out of the screening planting past the car park, then into the trees along the top path.  No calls. I think this is the first record this millenium from here of what used to be an almost annual visitor in the 1980s

Middleton NR 0530-0845
Spotted Flycatcher - on the same "used to be commoner" theme - one bounced out of a mist net and this is the nearest we have come to ringing one this millenium!
Redpoll spp - one northbound migrant at 0730hrs - late in the context of this year
Swift - 6 north
House Martin - 4 north
Swallow - 8 north
Grasshopper Warbler - two caught during the CES with one of these the first returning bird we have had from previous years (ringed as a juv on 12/7/10)

Outfalls early incoming tide
Kittiwake - 2CY
Med Gull - 2CY - same bird as last few days?
Common Gull - 288
Black-headed Gull - 5
No terns, but they have only recently been 'available' at low tide

Moths
Good!   Not many, but a new species for here in the form of Pale Tussock, a scarcity in Sallow Kitten and two routine year ticks; Clouded Bordered Brindle and Grey Pug

"Peaked" too early

Heysham Obs
Two probable Poms headed up the Keer and a single Arctic Skua up the Kent later in the afternoon, but the incoming tide watch around lunchtime was stunningly poor, as has been the norm recently.  However, there was a little flurry of stuff earlier in the morning in the more unsettled weather

North harbour wall 0800-0845ish
Arctic Skua - one dark morph 'in'
Gannet - 5 out
Manx Shearwater - 2 out and across
Whimbrel - 1

Outfalls area
Arctic Tern - 8 (seaward end Heysham one at low tide)
Common Tern - 1 with above
Med Gull - 2CY with above

However, an outfalls check on the later stages of the incoming tide was as unproductive as the lunchtime seawatch with nothing found other than c140 Common Gull.  The terns, Med and the Kittiwakes from recent days were not on view

Outfalls variety

Heysham Obs
North wall 0600-0630
Gannet - flock of 7 out in second low-tide channel

Outfalls mid-morning incoming tide
Arctic Tern - four seaward end of Heysham 2, then sat on railings/rocks
Arctic/Common Tern - two seen very briefly with above
Med Gull - presumably yesterdays 2CY distantly and briefly on the outfalls
Kittiwake - yesterdays scruffy adult-type Heysham 2 outfall & also the 2CY

Ocean Edge foreshore
Dunlin - 1!