Good coverage and a smattering of migrants

Heysham Obs
This was much better coverage than of late, other than Malcolm's efforts on especially Middleton, especially the 'necessary' early morning stuff!  Highlights were the first two Sandwich Tern of the year, a Green Sandpiper at a rarely checked nook (along with four Greylags - the first of the year!!) and a sizeable flock of Whoopers on the sea




Heysham Nature reserve 0700-0930
Goldcrest - at least 3
Chiffchaff - at least three passed through
Song Thrush - one migrant headed inland
Meadow Pipit - 145 north in about 2 hours 0715-0915
Skylark - one north
Carrion Crow - flock of 8 chased off back south by locals
Bullfinch - female high to north - odd?
Reed Bunting - one grounded
Gadwall - pair visited the obs tower pond
Mallard -3 on obs tower pond
Siskin - one east
alba Wagtail - 11 north
Buzzard - 1




Outfalls (Heysham 2 back on and attracting birds)
Med Gull - 3CY
Common Gull - c60




North Harbour Wall
a) Feeder area:
Twite - 8
Linnet - 6
Goldfinch - 1
Robin - 1
Pied Wagtail - 2
b) Mound:
Chiffchaff - 1
Linnet - 2
c) Wooden Jetty:
Collared Dove 2
d) Channels:
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Great-crested Grebe - 3
Red-throated Diver - 1
Eider - 240
e) Vis
Meadow Pipit - 13 (obviously many more but flying very high in clear weather)
Whooper Swan - 34 on sea gradually moving north. First seen at 0645
Mute Swan - 3 closer inshore then flew NE
alba wagtail - 3
Redpoll sp - 1
Carrion Crow - 3 singletons heading north across Bay
Goldfinch - 2 (may have been going to feeder)
Greenfinch - 1
Reed Bunting - 1

Sandwich Tern - 2
Pink-footed Goose - 43 north
Ocean Edge
Wheatear - 2 in afternoon



Eastern boundary
Green Sandpiper - one
Greylag - 2 pairs




Middleton NR
Distinct absence of Coot in the area at the moment with only four seen
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 9
Gadwall - 4
Teal - 2
Mallard - 1
Grey Wagtail - one
Chiffchaff - 3
Moorhen - 1
Meadow Pipit - 50 in an hour in afternoon




Moths
Included Emmelina monodactyla

Decent selection but hardly qualifying as migration

Heysham Obs
Bits and bobs around today, the main thing being the 'reawakening' of Heysham One outfall after a long birdless spell on both outfalls

Coastal
Eider - 240
Little Gull - 2CY Heysham one
Med Gull - superb summer plumaged 3CY as above
Common Gull - 50-55 as above
Guillemot  - 2 harbour
Kittiwake - one ad harbour
Meadow Pipit - at least 15 north
Twite - at least 7
Linnet - 19
Wheatear - 2CY male Red Nab

Reserve
Siskin - 2

Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 2CY male
Tufted Duck - 8
Gadwall - 4
Little Egret - 1
Lapwing - 1

Horrible Hail!

Heysham N Harbour Wall

Birds at feeding area this morning were:
Linnet - 30
Twite - 2 both ringed
Goldfinch - 2
Dunnock - 1
Pied Wagtail - 1
Feral Pigeon - 3

ajd

Another wheatear and bits left in the harbour

Ocean Edge

1 female wheatear (near slipway)

 

Harbour

2 adult kittiwake

2 guillemot

 

Middleton NR

2 chiffchaff (together by Tim Butler - seen only)

6 adult + 6 juv mute

2 gadwall

7 teal

2 mallard

17 tufted

1 scaup

6 coot

1 moorhen

1 lapwing (think mute wars are a disturbance)

3 reed bunting

9 linnet

 

MD/JM

More low-level migration

Heysham Obs
Anyone able to cover Friday (tomorrow), please, esp sea on early incoming tide? Thanks

A smattering of coverage again today, including Pete Cook's one hour vigil looking over the sea.  Certainly at least a trickle of Meadow Pipit and alba wagtails over but little time to cover vis systematically

North wall
Twite - more passing through and using the seed with at least 13 individuals, at least 6 of these unringed and two bearing white rings from this winter
Linnet - a good count of 29 on the seed early morning with the majority seeming to be unringed
Meadow Pipit - 15 north in 20 minutes & 6 grounded
alba Wagtail - 7 north in 20 minutes and 6 grounded
Eider - an increase to c230 offshore at low tide but nothing could be found with them other than low single figures of RBMerg and GCGrebe
Little Gull - ad in, 2CY out
Guillemot - one floating in on tide

Office area
Siskin - 5 north
Goldcrest - at least 3
Mute Swan - one 'stuck' on the nature park pond but not stressed & plenty of food - it will be moved in the next few days
Impressions of the same low-level alba/Meadow Pipit passage based on short forays outside the office

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Wheatear - one male reported but again missed it!
Wigeon - just 3

Middleton NR
Scaup - 2CY male
Gadwall - 3 males, 2 females
Tufted Duck - at least 13
Teal - pair

Moths
A Shoulder Stripe in the trap

Just One Twite

Heysham
N Harbour Wall
Linnet - 24
Goldfinch - 2
Twite - 1 wearing white colour ring from this winter

Middleton
Model Boat Pond only checked
Scaup - 1 2ndCY still present
Tufted Duck - 6
Gadwall - 2
Lapwing -2
Oystercatcher - 2
Chiffchaff - 1 singing

Reserve
Small Tortoiseshell - 2

ajd

Just the Scaup

Heysham Obs
Nothing else on offer today other than a rain-drenched 2CY male Scaup still on Middleton model boat pond

Coverage gratefully received the next three days - might be a bit of Kittiwake passage for a start...plus spring passage Bonxie?

Mass Twite migration

Heysham Obs
A short earlyish morning session on the north harbour wall was a bit more interesting than of late


Twite - 16 around the seed area then flew out to sea in a northerly direction at c0920 gaining height whilst 'dropping' a single Linnet which returned to the north wall (couldn't see whether these were ringed).  A circuit revealed three further Twite, one of which was a male in full song, on the sea buckthorn and then another flock of 8 flew from the south and joined these.  At least 5 of these were unringed.  The gang then flew towards the harbour mouth.
Linnet - about 7 around - see above
Goldfinch - 2
Pied Wagtail - 4 grounded, one north
Reed Bunting - one north
Meadow Pipit - 8 north (and a further 6 over the nature reserve)
Red-throated Diver - one on the sea
Kittiwake - dead legless adult under the met mast - has someone removed rings from it I wonder?


Heysham N Reserve
Siskin - 2+ flew over


Middleton NR (thanks Malcolm)
Mute Swan - 6 adults (!) and 6 young still
Long-tailed Tit - pair nest building

1 2CY male Scaup

18 tufted

2 gadwall

4 teal

4 mallard

8 coot

5 moorhen

1 little egret

2 lapwing

2 pheasant

1 chiffchaff

41 linnet

6 reed bunting

2 meadow pipit

2 bullfinch

Insects

Dotted Border in trap - a bit late

Middleton: 2 small tortoiseshell, 1 peacock

Thrush at Heysham on the nature path near Ocean Edge with nesting material.

A bit of territorial behaviour on the model pond at Middleton

Post-winter, pre-spring migratory void

Heysham Obs
Perhaps the deadest morning this year with nothing on the sea, nothing left in the harbour, no vis, no new grounded stuff and just one or to leftovers:


Middleton
Scaup - 2CY Middleton model boat pond
Tufted Duck - 14
Teal - 2
Gadwall - pair and single male


North harbour wall
Twite - 17 - looked like yesterdays birds, including the Machrihanish-ringed green/white on both legs, but only 11/17 seen properly
Linnet - 7


Moths
Much more like it!   Shoulder Stripe and Twin-spot Quaker (rare here) both new for the year.  March Moth late in the context of this spring and six each of Common Quaker and Hebrew Character

Adult Twite gathering

Heysham Obs


Pretty dire this morning, although the pristine 2CY male Scaup continues to favour the Middleton model boat pond.


The rest of it saw the sea, land and sky given 10-15 minutes each and producing nothing Kittiwake or Meadow Pipit-wise, the "dead sea" backed up by John Webb's more conscientious vigil at JB Point.


The feeding station on the north harbour wall was topped up and visited an hour later for the WeBS and this revealed a settled group of birds allowing ring combinations to be noted


Twite - all bar three of the 17 birds were adults ringed during the 2012/13 winter period.  The remainder were what was presumably the usual (3CY or +) Machrihanish-ringed adult with green/white on both legs, a pre-2012/13 Heysham bird with orange/blue combination and just one with the new individually-inscribed white rings from the 2013/14 winter.  The greater coverts etc appeared to indicate this was the only 2CY bird in the flock, but the number could not be read.
Linnet - 14, 10 of these ringed
Goldfinch - 2 - both ringed


Middleton model boat pond
Scaup - 2CY male
Gadwall - 3
Little Egret - 1
Mute Swan - 2 adult and 6 young
Teal - pair
Mallard -male
Lapwing - 2
Tufted Duck - 10-12


Moths
Hebrew Character and March Moth