Chiffchaff

Two chiffchaff in willows at Tim Butler pond, one singing.
Cetti's warbler singing almost continually at 10:10 but totally silent at 10:40 - In scrub edge of Western scrape between reeds and recently cleared dyke. (MD)


Ocean Edge/Red Nab
25 wigeon
4 little egret
2 small tortoiseshell


Middleton Nature Reserve
8 mute
7 coot
4 moorhen
3 tufted
2 mallard
1 cetti's warbler
2 chiffchaff
1 pheasant
1 small tortoiseshell

Heysham Nature Resarve (ref Jean)
1 chiffchaff singing

At last!

Heysham Obs
Pretty thorough coverage up to now of Wheateary habitat drawing a blank until a single male this morning

Ocean Edge
Wheatear - male near slipway

Still very slow

Heysham obs
Enhanced security all around the port and power station perimeter. Please carry photo  id with you if you are eg around the outfalls - means you can be processed more quickly. Thanks

Pretty non existent passage today with just a few meadow pipit recorded.  The Cetti's was singing early morning at Middleton. The moth trap had its best night so far this year

Heysham NR
No proper counting of Meadow Pipit passage but did include a flock of 11 and a grand total not exceeding 50

North wall
Eider - 160
Red-breasted merganser - 5
Great-crested Grebe - 3
Red-throated Diver - 1  

Middleton NR
Cetti's Warbler - 1 singing male
Tufted Duck - 3
Water Rail - at least 4

Moths
Double striped pug new for the year along with shoulder stripe and what looks like a dark featureless version of acleris hastiana. Middleton actinic drew a blank

Reduced numbers of usual suspects, nothing new

Heysham Obs

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Wigeon - 29
Little Egret - 2
Ringed Plover - 4
Peregrine - 2

North Harbour Wall
Brief visit to replenish nyger seed.
Goldfinch - 5
Linnet - 3 (two ringed)

Middleton NR
Model Boat Pond
Mallard - 5,  all male
Tufted Duck - 8
Mute Swan - 2, being fed a large quantity of very unhealthy looking sliced white bread.

21 March - Common sand slips in

21 March
Ocean Edge 
Common Sandpiper on the slipway but sloped off later
Wigeon - still 13 around

Middleton NR
Cetti's Warbler singing
Sparrowhawk 1 N
Water Rail - 2 squealing
Tufted Duck - 5
Mallard - 5
Teal - 4

North Harbour Wall
NB For safety reasons the end of the North Wall (aka the Roundhead) is now blocked off and no access down via the Twite feeding area either.
Linnet - 6 at the feeder
Carrion Crow - pair nest building

More buzzard

7 buzzard taking advantage of thermals on eastern side of Middleton Nature reserve this morning.
Single bird at 10:15
Six together at 10:45

Cetti's warbler singing (MD)

Heysham Nature Reserve
Very quiet - only 3 birds caught in 3 hours - Blackbird, Chaffinch and Robin. The Robin had first been ringed at the Nature Reserve in 2011. Little visible migration and virtually nothing once the sky cleared at 9am
Vis
Meadow Pipit - 29
Alba wagtail - 6
Lesser Redpoll - 1
Jackdaw - 1
Carrion Crow - 16

Ocean edge area
Whooper swan - 6 NW
Little egret - 5
Wigeon - 87

Moths
Included a chestnut - scarce here but the second this year

Bits

Heysham obs

Unringed twite and nine linnet north wall

C25 meadow pipit north over hn reserve

Singing Cetti's Middleton

Friday 18th

Heysham obs

Three more buzzard heading NE

Singing Cetti's warbler

5 great crested grebe and 81 eider offshore

Lesser redpoll ringed hey nr but only two meadow pipit reported

Soaring migration

The above heading refers to the type of, not extent of today’s migration – sorry (MD).

Two raven followed by five buzzard (together) rose on thermals high above Middleton Nature reserve. They then soared off north and northeast respectively. Five buzzard together is probably the highest single sighting for spring migration at this site.

Cetti’s warbler was heard calling (4 times in 20 minutes).

Ocean Edge
3 little egret
96 shelduck

Middleton Nature Reserve
6 mute
10 coot
5 moorhen
11 tufted
4 mallard
25 teal
1 water rail
1 Cetti's warbler
6 meadow pipit - grounded
5 buzzard
2 raven
1 lapwing

Heysham Nature Reserve
Pink-footed Goose - 60 N
Meadow Pipit - 22 N
Alba wagtail - 2 N
Lesser Redpoll - 1N

Clear sunny windy and useless

Heysham Obs
The vis mig amounted to one Meadow Pipit and the only star of the day was the singing male Cetti's Warbler in the usual spot on Middleton

Sightings Middleton/Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Tufted Duck - 8
Gadwall - 2 males
Cetti's Warbler - singing male
Little Egret - 5
Wigeon - 98