Osprey highlight

Heysham Obs
Not a lot going for it this morning with clear conditions, quite a bit of moon, sun on the mist nets and below par vis mig over here.  The reduced number of warblers still included un-ringed Garden, two Lesser Whitethroat and Reed at Middleton but the Willow Warblers really nosedived

Middleton Swallow roost
About 50 birds, 20 odd caught including juv S094327 from memory and more certainly an adult Z759034...........and a Sand Martin.  Four ringed-elsewhere Swallows out of only about 50-60 birds.  What's going on!  One of the previous ones was ringed as a nestling at Preesall Moss and the other was 'reverse migration' from the Fleetwood roost - the first of tonights might also be from there.  Water Rail squealing.

Coastal stuff
Common Scoter - two pairs by Heysham skeer, then flew out as the tide started to rise (thanks Malcolm)
Horrible heat haze checking from Ocean Edge, but at least 16 Meds - mainly on Red Nab (7+2CY, 5 Ad, 4 Juv).  No sign of any Black Tern mirages.

Heysham NR
Osprey - one high to the south at 0815, sent even higher by seagulls over the PS
Grey Wagtail - 4 S
Tree Pipit -2 S
"No" migrant warblers perceived but a probable Spot Fly seen in rapid flight through the area

Middleton NR
Just a trickle of warblers in the nets - no real evidence of an arrival with 90% on the first round

More migrant warblers

Heysham obs
South east wind and rain at dawn is a good recipe and the ringing effort at Middleton was pretty good until the weather went pear shaped- too hot and too sunny

Outfalls/red nab
Thanks to Matthew for letting us know the two juvenile black tern were still around -roosting on the wooden jetty this afternoon. Also at least 7 meds around

Middleton
Tree pipit -2-3 south
Grey wagtail - 0ne south (and another two south over ocean edge)
Meadow pipit - two together south
Newly ringed birds included: 15 willow warbler, 6 sedge warbler, 6 white throat, two lesser whitethroat, two blackcap one chiff chaff and a tree pipit

Toyota fare

Heysham Obs
The Peugeot 107-like hire car did good in the driving rain, allowing a prolonged scan of the outfalls on the incoming tide

Outfalls/Red Nab area
Black Tern - two juvs - they never came closer inshore than the seaward end of the outfalls and seemed to disappear about 1215hrs but conditions very challenging
Little Gull - odd-looking 2CY (moult) and an Ad
Sandwich Tern - ad
Med Gull - minimum of 15 with 5 x juv, 5 x ad and 5 x 2CY
Impossible to look south along the tideline

Varied reports

Heysham obs
Had better days with cylinder head gasket blow five minutes from checking heysham to stone jetty pre tide. No chance!

1) ad summer Sabine's gull located by pete crooks on the mudflats by the stone jetty unfortunately just before being flushed by incoming tide and the designated location for windsurfers and as such not seen in obs recording area

2) highly secondhand report of 3x black tern, possible white-winged black term, yellow legged gull and 'a' med gull from southport Rspb group. Presumably a few record shots kicking around?

3) a belated late afternoon visit saw 14 x med gull (6 2cy, 4 ad, 4juv), sandwich tern

Hopefully a bit more enlightened about SRSBP records tomorrow

No coverage known today -anyone any ore rain records from eg the outfalls please ?

2CY Med day

Heysham Obs
These can usually be found when you have a bit of time to go through hordes of gulls. 

Red Nab/outfalls/Ocean Edge foreshore
Black-headed Gull - 1700
Med Gull - 5 x 2CY, 2 x ad, 1 x juv
Sandwich Tern - presumably THE adult
No recent sign of Little Gull

WeBs bits
Cormorant - 75
Turnstone - 62

Welcome juvenile Cetti's Warbler

Heysham Obs
After no sight nor sound recently, a juvenile Cetti's Warbler appeared in the Middleton nets this morning.  The office nets were also run and produced 9 warblers amongst the 'feeder fodder'

Middleton & HNR ringing sessions
Cloud cover first thing soon gave way to a sunny easterly morning but there were less Whitethroat around this morning.    Ringing from both sites included the following new birds:  1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Whitethroat, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit, 12 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap

Vis mig
Tree Pipit - two over HNR, one of which was probably the bird caught at Middleton
Coal Tit - flock of four headed noisily south over HNR

Could get round to doing the gulls in time c/f spring tide

Routine moths with Lime-speck Pug probably the best

Same format, stronger easterly

Heysham Obs
A real bonus (on the forecast just two days ago) being able to run the three western nets at Middleton and a decent catch for the single ringer in operation (thanks Jean) given the light/mod breeze, crystal clear skies and last night's moon.  

Middleton NR ringing
Water Rail - I+ western marsh reedbed
Swallow - single figures south
No other vis mig other than the two Tree Pipits found in the mist net and a single Grey Wagtail heard flying over way to the south of the site!

Newly-ringed birds included:  2 Tree Pipit, 10 Willow Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler (having its best year this millennium), 8 Whitethroat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 2 Blackcap.  Despite this being the fourth consecutive day operating these nets, the only retraps were a single Blackcap, three tits and a Bullfinch

Red Nab/outfalls
A bit too glary for my eyes after a dawn start to the day and could easily have missed the odd 2CY Med
Med Gull - 3 x Ad, 4 x juv
Whimbrel - 3

Moths
Hardly any with the easterly into the window but did include Purple Bar

Even sunnier easterlies and an early Spot Fly

Heysham Obs
A bit of a bonus this morning with winds much lighter than forecast so same again at Middleton.  In retrospect, we were too weighted towards Grey Wagtail (one over, not caught) and Tree Pipit (2 caught) with respect to MP3 players and might have been better off with Willow Warbler instead of Grey Wagtail.  Nevertheless, the colour-ring study does prompt use of the tape if there is any chance of catching any, but it does seem that the recent early movement was during the light NW winds, not so much these easterlies.  Probably the only site in the country where Whitethroat is still ahead of Willow Warbler as regards ringing totals this year!  A good year so far for Lesser Whitethroat as well with 43 ringed.

Ringing/observation at Middleton
Spotted Flycatcher - one 'bombed' through landing on top of a bush briefly allowing identification!
Tree Pipit - 2 ringed and no definite evidence of any others
Grey Wagtail - one SE
Water Rail - heard
Newly ringed warblers and others from memory:  11 Whitethroat, 5ish Willow Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Tree Pipit, 2 Robin.  No tits!

Red Nab/outfalls
Most of the time was spent trying I think successfully to read a German-ringed adult Med - a returning bird from the Hamburg rooftop colony.  Definitely 3 other adult/3CY, 2 2CY but no juvs seen and no time to check tideline to south

Moths
Included Bordered Beauty

 

Sunny easterlies

Heysham Obs
Bit too bright and sunny this morning, following a sizeable moon during the night.  Small arrival of Willow Warblers, otherwise relatively slow-going ringing on Middleton but still just under 30 new birds

Vis mig
Tree Pipit - two found in the mist net  the only ones seen/heard!
Grey Wagtail - just two together which avoided the mist net
Grey Heron - 3 juvs together high to SE
Meadow Pipit - at least 2 SE
Swallow - c20, mainly blogging during flying ant session

Ringing at Middleton
New birds included: 9 Willow Warbler, 3 each of Lesser and Common Whitethroat, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Tree Pipit

Miscellany
Med Gull - adult anting over Middleton may have been one of the two earlier on the HT roost (roost disturbed prior to arrival and gulls very tricky on the sand straight into the sun)
Bar-tailed Godwit - 113
Grey Plover - 65