Nice little selection

Heysham Obs
Considering general migration was at a very low level this morning, if lack of thrushes was anything to go by, quite a decent haul, but couldn't get any views of a possible Siberian Chiffchaff on Heysham Head with 3-4 mobile Blue Tit other than call x 3, brief pale underparts and a long tail. Binned as could not be relocated.  Ironically the calling collybita-type with LTTs gave excellent views!.

Middleton Nature reserve (thanks Malcolm)
Mute Swan - 2 pairs + 2 cygnets
Moorhen - 7
Coot - 2
Mallard - 3 (no Gadwall recently)
Teal - 52 (very flighty)
Cetti's Warbler - singing male NE corner of central marsh

Ocean Edge/Red NabShort eared owl - one rose from the high tide line on saltmarsh and headed north over caravans
Kestrel - 1
Common snipe - 3
Little Egret - 3
Rock Pipit - 1
Med Gull - 2CY

Heysham Nature reserve vis mig 0715-0915ish
Chaffinch - 79 SW
Brambling - 1-2 (two birds, one definite Brambling calling) SW
Linnet - flock of 6 SE
Meadow Pipit - 1+1+1 S
Starling - 284 in 6 flocks S/SW
Lapwing - flock of 9 high to SE
Woodpigeon - 9 SE
Greenfinch - 1 SW!
Swallow - juvenile blogging, then S (very late for here)
alba Wagtail - 1 SE
Bullfinch - 2 S

Grounded migrants HNR
Very little
Blackbird - 8
Goldcrest - 5

North Harbour Wall
Linnet - 17 around the feeding area and Sea Buckthorn bushes
Goldfinch - 2 with Linnets
Robin - 1 feeding area

Heysham Head
see above
Chiffchaff - 1
Treecreeper - 2
Redpoll - 2 S
Starling - 11 SW

Insects
Middleton NR
Red Admiral - 1
Common Darter - 6 including ovipositing pair

Heysham Head
Silver Y

Heysham NR - all in NE corner
Comma - three on ivy bloom
Red Admiral - 3 on ivy bloom
Speckled Wood - one very geriatric one
Migrant Hawker - 1
Common Darter - 1

(Comma - 1 below obs tower site
Small Tortoiseshell - 2 apparently setting off across bay north-westwards from NHW)

Moth trap
Singles of Large Wainscot and Angle Shades













1 red admiral
6 common darter, including pair depositing eggs in a soon to
be dried up puddle

Yellow-browed Warbler summary for LDBWS recording area

Heysham Obs
Apart from c40 Blackbird and 11 Song Thrush, not a lot happening this morning other than a grounded Reed Bunting and (with apologies to Floyd) another Brick in the toilet

YELLOW BROWED WARBLERS   North Lancashire

Some waffle here refers to pics which I have removed.  They are already either on this site or can be seen on the linked Dan Haywood site (along with sound recordings) or Fylde bird club site.  Please excuse the reverse order! 

25) 19/10/15
Ringed at Leighton Moss by the spring (John Wilson et al)

24) 17/10/15

Heysham NR – seen and heard by JR & PJM working its way inland along north side of reserve – unringed

23) 15/10/15 

Fluke Hall with a tit flock (?multi observed)

22) 14/10/15

Heysham Nature reserve.  Seen in field by Pete Marsh then caught in mist net by office  with LTT flock.  Photo Emma Garston – the only other observer

21) 14/10/15
One heard calling several times by the Middleton NR Tim Butler pond but bird could not be seen in dense willows  (Malcolm Downham).  Didn’t get chance to follow this one up

20) 14/10/15

Seen well with Long-tailed Tits and Chiffchaff in north Heysham garden (just in SD45A) c0915.  Not photographed.  Pete Cook

19) 11/10/15 Field record

Jean Roberts located a calling individual in the willows by the alder woodland.     Pete Crooks turned up just after it was located and started to wander across.  In the meantime, the next mist net round at the office produced another, so PC returned to the office to see the ‘in hand’ bird then went back to the alder woodland and also heard the original bird calling.  However, it was really difficult to get to grips with in dense willow and no definitive plumage details were seen – just a shape in the bushes.  It then disappeared as the captured bird was perhaps erroneously released at the same location 

18) 11/10/15 

Heysham Nature reserve.  Found in mist net by the office at the same time another was calling in the alder woodland at the other end of the reserve (see above).   Seen by Pete Marsh, Jean Roberts and Pete Crooks

17) 11/10/15

Leighton Moss spring area – one ringed & photographed John Wilson et al

16) 10/10/15

Trees and scrub surrounding Glasson boatyard – Ian Hartley  

15) 10/10/15

The first of three reports from the Griesdale Hide at Leighton Moss although at least one claim on 11/10 was a Chiffchaff but (after a gap without any reports) the sighting on 16/10/15 was by three experienced birders

14) 09/10/15

This was giving almost manically multiple calls from the north side of the reserve when found by Jean Roberts – typical, in my experience, of a new arrival.   Unfortunately it then flew towards the north-east corner of the reserve – this leads to an obvious ‘departure corridor’ down the woodland edged railway line and this bird was not seen again despite extensive coverage of the reserve on both remainder of 9/10 and during 10/10 (this I suggest rules out the 9/10 and 11/10 field records being the same bird).  Pete Marsh and Jean Roberts – plumage features seen briefly.

13) 09/10/15

Heysham Nature reserve.  One had just been found at the far end of the reserve, flying towards the NE corner bushes (the usual exit route for inland) then 15 minutes after observers left the scene this appeared in the net by the office from the tank farm (opposite) side.  In my opinion no chance of being one and the same.  Note this is not a trophy shot – no teeth showing!

12) 08/10/15

Galgate – centre of village – Stuart Piner garden – multi-observed & photos

11) 4/10/15 

Field record.  This was located on call by Jean Roberts below the old observation tower site.  Phoned Pete Marsh who was at the ringing base by the office and the bird then flew into the isolated willow above the office allowing PM to see and hear it calling three times.  At the same time an irruptive Coal Tit flock flew high from the north-east over the office and the YBW stuck its head out of the bush and headed south over the top of the mist nets perhaps encouraged to do so by the calling Coal Tits.  Clear view of the head and bits and pieces of wingbars etc in the bush,  plus multiple calls.   Not seen again despite a tank farm visit.  

10) 04/10/15

Fluke Hall/Fluke Hall Lane – multi-observed

9) 3/10/15 

Middleton Nature Reserve.  Found in mist net by Jean Roberts also seen by John Mason (see field records).  Released 0850hrs and flew south towards the sewage works and not seen again
 

8) 3/10/15 

Field record Middleton Nature reserve.   A calling YBW was located by Jean Roberts at c1150 heading fairly rapidly south through the bushes alongside the road at Middleton just after the nets had been taken down.  John Mason also heard it calling.   The behaviour and timing suggests this is a different bird from that released at 0850 but it was unfortunately not possible to see the legs

[3/10 Heysham NR – single call of what was considered to be a YBW heard along the top pylon path by Pete Marsh from the ringing base.  No further sight/sound.  Not good enough to claim]

7) 3/10/15
Sunderland Point by the Anchorage (Dan Haywood)  (presumably the same seen very briefly on 5/10?)

6) 1/10/15

Field record Heysham Nature reserve.   The one which got away ringing-wise  due to sun on the mist nets.  Heard calling then hovered against the sun-drenched mist net and landed on the tip of a dead bramble nearby.  Clearly seen to be unringed and quite a ‘bright’ bird with a strikingly white rather than fully yellow-suffused supercilium and wing-bars, similar to that caught on 11/10 (see above).  Lost interest in the mist net and disappeared into the tank farm to which there is no easy access from the reserve (lengthy drive around to PS plus security clearance) and therefore not possible to leave mist nets and go and search.  Pete Marsh only

5) 1/10/15

Sunderland Brows Farm photographed (Dan Haywood – present at same time as the other bird!)

4) 1/10/15

Tom Smiths garden, Sunderland, by toilet block.  Found by Tom Wilmer – multi-observed & photos

3) 30/09/15

Heard calling on Heysham Head (Rectory Wood)by Jean Roberts – could not be relocated two hours later (but Firecrest found!).  Not seen.

2)  29/9/15

Heysham Nature Reserve found in mist net by office.  Seen by Pete Marsh and Jean Roberts

1)   22/9/15
Field record.  Whilst in the middle of ringing a few birds, one called clearly from the bushes at the start of the top path and then gave a second  call a little further along the path.  Unfortunately by the time the ringer had finished with the catch about 6 minutes later, there was no further sign. Pete Marsh only.    

slim pickings in unhelpful weather

Heysham Obs
Nothing better than a new for year Brick in the moth trap.  Coastal coverage my Malcolm and Pete served up a Rock Pipit on Ocean Edge foreshore with 59 Wigeon and two Little Egret Red Nab.  Later a 2CY Med Gull was on Red Nab

Trickle

Heysham Obs
The ringer in charge this morning reported a trickle of Chaffinch but no other vis mig apart from 30 Pink-footed Geese

Grounded included three new Goldcrest in the nets but nothing else of migratory status

Outfalls: 2CY Med Gull

Definitely no Twite as yet on the north harbour wall (7 Linnet)

Moths included a late Setaceous Hebrew Chracter

Different!

Heysham Obs

Bit of north harbour walling this morning 0825-0900 then an outfalls check.  Best sighting of the day, though, was a Yellow-line Quaker in the moth trap - mega rare on the coast here but the commonest moth in woodland back home (no accidental transports!)

The Czech-ringed veteran Med was patrolling the north wall

Two recognisable Razorbill flew out and 4 whirring dots further out presumed same or similar

Chiffchaff calling by the office

The lunchtime IOM ferry saw a following 1CY Kittiwake and adult Little Gull milling around.  Two things far offshore looked like 1CY Shag but that is as far as it went at that range

Just added Dan's blog link - not before time - one of a handful of people in this area who know how to work a site and winkle out the elusive migrants

Moths included Yellow-line Quaker and Parsnip moth

A bit of a downturn in effort

Tuesday 20th October
This should have been covered despite the light north-westerly airflow.  On the other hand, Dan was recording very little at Sunderland

At Heysham c300 Redwing descended about 1145hrs before heading SW and there were c20 Chaffinch moving south in a 20 minute mid-morning vis sample, but nothing else

Wednesday 21st October
Rock Pipit - singles Red Nab and by OE slipway
Little Gull - adult in boating channel feeding in Heysham one outfall flow
Lapwing - 260
Little Egret - 3

Blackbird - c15 around office

Perfect conditions, routine birds

Heysham Obs
Martin Cade summed up the feeling perfectly on the Portland Obs website - just about had enough of these E/NE winds producing slowly diminishing levels of interest as they stubbornly refuse to include poor offshore visibility in the agenda - need a break - learn how to get wet and windswept again - maybe even see something which qualifies as a seabird!

Vis mig office area
Goldfinch - 5
Redwing - just 43
Blackbird - 8
Song Thrush - 3
Chaffinch - strong movement in first half hour of daylight then stopped dead as cloud cam in from NW - 86 S
Bullfinch - 2+3 high to S
Pink-footed Goose - 120N + 93 NE + 520 N
Kestrel - 1+1 high to south
alba Wagtail - 8 S
Grey Wagtail - 1 SE
Sparrowhawk - 1 high to S
Reed Bunting - 2
Mistle Thrush - 3

Grounded Heysham NR
Blackcap - 1m
Goldcrest - c15
Chiffchaff - 4
Blackbird - 30
Song Thrush - 19 (highest nos so far this autumn)
Redwing - just 7
[Treecreeper - one retrap]

Vis mig Middleton (thanks Andrew)
Woodpigeon - 55 S
Reed Bunting - 2 S
Chaffinch - just 7 S
Redpoll spp - 2 S
Siskin - 2
Grey Wagtail - 2
Mistle Thrush - 2
Blackbird - 6
Jay - 2
Meadow Pipit - 2
Redwing - 302
Pink-footed Goose - same as HNR plus 200 S (way to east)
Snipe - 1
Goldfinch - 18

Miscellany
Teal - 10 Middleton

Ringing - combined new birds
Goldcrest (14), Blackbird (1), Song Thrush (2), Redwing (9), Coal Tit (1), Great Tit (1), Chiffchaff (1), Reed Bunting (5), Dunnock (1)

Fits and starts

Heysham Obs
No consistent interest retainers this morning although it always seemed 'something might happen' with variable, often quite heavy cloud and a wind which oscillated between light and moderate E/NE.  In the end there was nothing of real interest for the large visiting group from Macclesfield

Heysham NR grounded
Ring Ouzel - a noisy scaly imm first thing which headed inland as did the other thrushes about 0730hrs
Blackbird - c30
Redwing - c150
Song Thrush - 7
Goldcrest - 7-10 new in
Chiffchaff - only one new in
Robin - one unringed lightweight

Vis mig all morning
Redwing - the grounded birds flew inland c0730 plus another 171
Fieldfare - 3+87
Song Thrush - 5
Blackbird - 10
Grey Wagtail - 1
Lesser Redpoll - 4
Goldfinch - 8
alba Wagtail - c10
Meadow Pipit - 4
Reed Bunting - 1
Chaffinch - 14 (!)
Brambling - one with 5 Chaffinch
Pink-footed Goose - 65+100 but a lot more over Middleton
Jay - 3
Raven - 1

Others
Tree Sparrow - one ringed Middleton
Blackcap - one ringed Middleton and an unidentified 'tac' at HNR was almost certainly this species
Chiffchaff - just one ringed Middleton
Med Gull - 2CY Red Nab

Ringing Middleton/Heysham (new birds)
Goldcrest (11), Chiffchaff (2), Coal Tit (4), Lesser Redpoll (5), Robin (1), Blackcap (1), Redwing (2), Wren (2), Chaffinch (2), Tree Sparrow (1), Long-tailed Tit (1).

Yet another Yellow-browed Warbler passes through and calling Cetti's Warbler

Heysham Obs
Jean Roberts located a calling YBW along the north end of the reserve at about 0815hrs and it appeared to move inland along northern edge and was located in the large sycamore about an hour later (unringed as expected)

Another landmark, where we never thought we would get anywhere near last year's record catch, was our 200th Chiffchaff of the year - the vast majority in the last month or so and all but the odd one or two in rapid transit, based on retrap data and field sightings of unringed birds  - rather like the Yellow browed Warblers

Interesting to compare the fortunes of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff over the years:
1986     Willow Warbler   440 (mainly due to tremendous spring passage during the Chernobyl weather) (grand total 1980-6 = 1425)
              Chiffchaff  33   (grand total 1980-6 = 85)

1996       Willow Warbler  260  (grand total 1980-1996 = 3459)
               Chiffchaff   35 (grand total 1980-1996 = 440)

2006       Willow Warbler  83 (grand total 1980-2006 = 4927)
               Chiffchaff     45  (grand total 1980-2006 = 870)

2014       Willow Warbler   180 (grand total 1980-2014 = 6144)
               Chiffchaff            227 (grand total 1980-2014 =  1648)

2015       Willow Warbler   125 (grand total 1980-2015 = 6269)   
(to date)  Chiffchaff            202 (grand total 1980-2015 = 1850)

Grounded Heysham NR
Goldcrest - c25-30, mostly NE corner
Chiffchaff - 6-7
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1
Redwing - c85
Blackbird - c20
Song thrush - 5
Cetti's Warbler - one calling in the middle of the marsh as heard from the boardwalk but not possible to see it in low dense vegetation (about 50 m north of end of boardwalk)

Vis mig over Heysham NR
Not a lot until the weather started clearing a bit late morning, then several large Redwing flocks
Redwing - c570, mainly west
Lesser Redpoll - 6
Pink-footed Goose - 13 north but bigger flock to the east
Raven - 2
Grey Wagtail - 1
alba Wagtail - 5
Chaffinch - only 3!!!
Goldfinch - 6
Meadow Pipit - 1

Ringing Middleton/Heysham
Coal Tit (1), Chiffchaff (12), Lesser Redpoll (8), Redwing (25), Reed Bunting (1), Wren (3), Robin (1), Blue Tit (1), Long-tailed Tit (1), Goldcrest (8)

Windier and trickier

Heysham Obs
The mist nets were not very effective this morning due to a bit of minor blowing about in the stronger NE wind,  Impression was that quite a few migrants sneaked through but all the migrant insectivores that were located were just two species:  Chiffchaff and Goldcrest other than a skinny unringed Robin in the nets.  A probably distant singing Cetti's Warbler on Middleton did not vocally last long and warrants further investigation.  Thanks to Ian for helping out with training

Ringing recoveries
The first Reed Warbler from Northumberland for our area (including Leighton Moss) and an interesting Goldcrest

Reed Warbler

Z152165          3          02.08.15          East Chevington (Northumberland)

Recaptured      3          18.09.15          Middleton NR 163km SSW

Goldcrest

EPT845           5F        04.04.15          Heysham
Recaptured      4F        09.10.15          Kilnsea (East Yorks) 206 km ESE in 188 days

Surely not a Scandinavian bird?

Heysham NR vis mig
Not very conscientious - cold and a late night playing in a 'sesh'
Chaffinch - again conspicuous by absence - 5 S
alba Wagtail - 8 SE
Meadow Pipit - 2 SE
Redwing - about 380 (including flock of c300)
Coal Tit - 4

Grounded
Blackbird - 13
Goldcrest - c20
Chiffchaff - 10 (6 NE side reserve, 2 tank farm, 2 dog walk pond area)
Song thrush - 5

Middleton NR
Reed Bunting - 1
Goldfinch - 37
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldcrest - 2
Lesser Redpoll - 4
Cetti's Warbler - needs confirming
Fieldfare - 1
Grey Wagtail - 2 blogging

Ringing
Robin (1), Lesser Redpoll (4), Redwing (1), Song Thrush (1), Goldcrest (8), Chiffchaff (1)