Just the one seabird left in the harbour

Heysham Obs

North harbour wall/harbour

Shag - just the one

Linnet - up to 4 (2 ringed)

Twite - 23 in am, 41 late afternoon

Med Gull - again no sign

Purple Sandpiper - 2

Thanks to Mike Baron for some of these records

Stonechat headlines a further dribble of migrants

Heysham Obs

Middleton NR
Stonechat - female western marsh
Gadwall - 4
Tufted Duck - 19
Pochard - 1
Little Grebe - now up to 5

Heysham NR
Goldcrest - first migrant of the year ringed
Meadow Pipit - at least 7 heading north

North wall area
Shag - at least one
Purple Sandpiper - 2
Twite - 23
Linnet - 4 with Twite, 1 with left leg ring, 2 with right leg rings (these probably not 2011 birds)
No sign of any Med Gulls

Butterfly
Peacock NE corner early am - another check planned imminently, now that it has warmed up even further

Bumble Bee
Female probable Bombus terrestris by the office another 'first of the year'

Moths
Two Dotted Border, Clouded Drab and (provisionally) Agonopterix heracliana

Trickling migrants

Heysham Obs
Today was the sort of thing which can happen in March, albeit usually a bit later in the month and absentees may just have been 'hiding'

Migration
Pied Wagtail - two 'in-off' and joining a 'resident' bird in the sandworks
Rock Pipit - one flew south over the nature reserve
Linnet - one on the seed was joined by another later in the day
Single unringed Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and, surprisingly, TWO Long-tailed Tit at the feeder
Meadow Pipit - Probably, but not definitely, the winter resident bird around the north wall nyger seed

Absentees
Twite - no sign in three quick visits to 1430hrs, no food left when I got there at 1000ish
Med Gulls - no sign as above

No time to visit the harbour mouth end of the north wall, therefore not possible to be sure whether any seabirds were still around the waterfall or Purple Sandpiper on/under the wooden jetty

Moth
Just the one Acleris hastiana as the skies cleared at dusk

Fish
Just three Goldfish fished out of the dog-walk pond during management work, following "hundreds" last summer

Wildfowl influx and a lone Lapwing

Heysham Obs
A trickle of unringed birds continued to appear at the feeder, including single Long-tailed Tit, Robin, Dunnock Chaffinch and Blue Tit as well as a few Goldfinch and Greenfinch.  Not a massive movement, but indicative that things are beginning to happen

Ringing recoveries
A batch were received from the BTO this afternoon.  Last year's Greenfinches included one from Walney and two to Walney during the course of last autumn, also a winter recovery near Crewe.  A Blue Tit nestling from Burton Wood was caught at Heysham last autumn complementing the one ringed last week (23rd) which was caught two days later (25th) at Brookhouse.  Another Heysham-ringed Blue Tit from last autumn continued along the coast where it was re-caught at Knott End

Migration
See above
Grey Wagtail - one north
Red-throated Diver - one flew out of the bay distantly

North wall
No feedback from observers visiting the harbour mouth
Med Gull - Czech-ringed bird on the seawall railings - it will be off soon, hopefully to return in late July
Twite - 27

Middleton model boat pond
Tufted Duck 19, Pochard male and female, Goldeneye 2
Male Lapwing on territory on the spit early morning, but not later

Moths
A record single-night catch for here of 6 Dotted Border, also the first March Moth of the year and yet another Chestnut. A tiny moth was also found which has yet to be identified.  Watch this space!

Butterflies
Peacock - 1 flying around the outside of the hut early pm.

very un-thorough coverage!

Heysham Obs
All I am aware of was 15 Twite on the seed this morning and an unexpected lack of moths in the trap at Heysham NR

Thorough coverage

Heysham Obs
Plenty of coverage today including a visiting couple from Dorset.  Thanks for all your records


Middleton NR
2 little grebe (first since mid-December?). The first one I heard then located in a regular location on Tim Butler Pond. The second was on the Western Scrape. 

Other wildfowl slightly increasing: 4 mute, 7 coot, 7 moorhen,13 mallard,19 tufted,4 gadwall, 2 goldeneye, 1 pochard

North harbour wall

No food left at the Twite feeding station when I arrived (1000ish) and the flock took quite a time to return

Twite - 17 early morning, then flew off and did not return until mid-afternoon, apart from a single bird which remained around the feeding station

Linnet - two around the feeding station

Goldfinch - one as above

Med Gull - two adults on fisher's roof over the tide

Shag - FIVE still early morning

Guillemot - one SW corner harbour

Purple Sandpiper - two along the seawall at high tide

Outfalls

Kittiwake - at least one 2CY

Office area

Siskin - one heard

Moths

Clouded Drab is very early for here, also single Pale Brindled beauty and Dotted Border 

Subtle movement

Heysham Obs
Thanks to Macclesfield RSPB group for many of the coastal records
North wall
Twite - 29 first thing. 25 later
Shag - at least one
Kittiwake - at least one
Eider - 70 offshore
Meadow Pipit - one sandworks
Purple Sandpiper - two roosting on wooden jetty
Little Gull - 2CY harbour mouth
No Med Gulls seen by Macclefield RSPB group, despite careful coverage

Office area
The post title was particularly relating to the two unringed Long-tailed Tits which were caught this morning on different mist net rounds - most unexpected at this time of year.  In a similar, but more routine vein were two unringed Blue Tits, unringed Robin and single figures of unringed Gold/Green/Chaffinches

Green Woodpecker - heard several times around the north end of the reserve

Moths
Bit of a 'purple patch' for this site, usually useless in February, with 2 x Chestnut (the first time ever more than one has been caught on a single night, I think!), a different Agonopterix heracliana and a single Dotted Border

Nice day for the Twite Recovery project team

Heysham Obs
A successful day for the visit by the Twite Recovery project team organised by the RSPB (Kerry Jenny & Tim).  As well as the highest count of the year (53), the group were able to see a small catch in the hand which included a Machrihanish-ringed bird.  Thanks to Emma for facilitation and use of the classroom


Harbour area
Kittiwake - one adult
Shag - 2 feeding along the north harbour wall
Guillemot - one
Twite - 53 (at least 6 unringed)
Goldfinch - one
Meadow Pipit - 2
Med Gull - two adults
Skylark - 3 north, possibly four

Outfalls
Kittiwake - 2-3 2CY

Suburban Heysham
Green Woodpecker in the NE corner of the recording area

Moth 
Plain form of Agonopterix heracliana

Early signs of migration and Green Woodpecker reappears

Heysham Obs
Bearded miscreant (see rear view pic a few days ago) flushed all the Oystercatchers (just) pre-high tide off the heliport - fortunately most of them landed on the Near Naze, but a fair proportion ended up supplementing some intertidal work in the Red Nab/Ocean Edge saltmarsh area

Migration
Kittiwake - flock of 32 heading into the bay, then landed on the sea
Skylark - at least 5 north
Lesser Black-backed Gull - at least 85 around, noticeable influx

Outfalls
Kittiwake - 3 2CY

Red Nab
Wigeon - 46

North harbour wall area
Guillemot - one
Shag - one
Twite - 24 but very flighty due to disturbance, later c46
Meadow Pipit - on on the seed!
Med Gull - one adult
Purple Sandpiper - at least one roosting on the wooden jetty

Middleton NR

4 mute, 5 coot, 1 moorhen, 17 tufted duck,,1 pochard (f), 2 goldeneye, 4 gadwall (1 pair on "no swimming" 1 pair on fence pond), 3 teal, 5 mallard

Green Woodpecker

Moth
The second Hebrew Character of the year

Routine

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Twite - 20+ but disturbed
Guillemot - one SW corner harbour
Shag - none located for the first time this year
Kittiwake - 2
Med Gull - one adult

Heysham N Reserve
A short ringing session included a Great Tit ringed as a local nestling in May 2006

Moth
One Dotted Border