Another vis mig throwaway and unexpectedly large Goldcrest arrival

Heysham Obs
Unfortunately a bird calling three times with the 'front end Yellow Wag and the back end Richard's Pipit' (per Jean) did not land and all that could be done, after listening to recordings, was to inform patchworkers in some proper habitat along the direction of flight that a Citrine Wagtail seemed to be heading their way

Middleton NR
Vis mig interrupted by mist net rounds
Putative Citrine Wagtail - one SE 1000hrs
Grey Wagtail - 10 SE (6 ringed) - a more normal capture ratio, revealing that you need the loud continuous tape, not an MP3 with a gap, and the net set as low as possible - all birds in the bottom shelf)
Meadow Pipit - at least 25 SE
Swallow - at least 25 SE

Grounded
Goldcrest - at least 5 around the office at HNR on a brief visit and 'many more' in addition to those ringed at Middleton - a very sudden large influx for this time of year - more akin to an October fall of continental birds
Otherwise see ringing with phylloscs in very short supply this morning

Ringing at Middleton
Newly ringed birds out of a total of 50 odd included Grey Wagtail (6), Blackcap (7), Chiffchaff (2), Garden Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Goldcrest (5)

Moths
The final moth night at Heysham toilet trap will be Sunday night with the trap being dismantled (ie the bulb removed and egg packing removed) by 0800hrs Monday.   Who wants to check it last as I can't make Monday morning?   Last night saw the first overdue Pinion-streaked Snout of the year 

Low key day

Middleton NR

A somewhat peaceful and leisurely morning at Middleton today. Peaceful if you don't include noise from the tannoy at the power station and various bangings and clangings at the wastewater treatment works.

Only 16 Swallows came out of the roost at 0605hrs

Vis:
Meadow Pipit 31
Grey Wagtail 2
Pied Wagtail 1
Goldfinch 4. Later a flock of 40 headed WSW.
Swallow 4

Ringing - all new birds and all this year's unless stated :
Chiffchaff 4
Blackcap 4
Lesser Whitethroat 2 (included 1 adult)
Whitethroat 1
Reed Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Grey Wagtail 1. This was colour ringed.
Meadow Pipit 10
Robin 1 plus a retrap
Great Tit 2 plus a retrap
Blue Tit 4
Long-tailed Tit 1
Dunnock 3

Outfalls/red nab 11ish
Med gull: 7 x 2CY (clustered on the outer edge of red nab as usual), 3x juv, 1x ad
Little gull  - adult winter seaward end Heysham one

Hopefully the start of a good week for landbird movement

Heysham Obs
Its that time of year and drizzle until dawn and an east of south wind was worthy of coverage even if it did carry on for half an hour too long, delaying the mist netting, which probably let a few Blackcaps through.   The wind allowed three mist nets (couldnt have said that at previously exposed Middleton until the last three years or so)  and there was obviously something going on to the west allowing vis mig to get going, although the murky conditions meant only a handful of Grey Wagtail compared to Fairhaven

Vis mig Middleton
Grey Wagtail - 10 SE (2 ringed)
Meadow Pipit - 12 SE
Swallow - 34 S
Reed Bunting - 1 SE
Teal - 1 high to east
House Martin - 10 S
alba Wagtail - 13 SE

Ringing
Newly-ringed birds included:  Blackcap (7), Chiffchaff (4), Grey Wagtail (2) and singles of Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler

Outfalls/Red Nab/Ocean Edge
Med Gull - at least 14 (3 juvs, 2 ad, 9 2CY)
far too many Black-headed Gulls to sift through - about 2,100
Greenshank - juvenile in OE saltmarsh channel

Ringing totals for August
 - pretty good considering the dearth of Swallows and Greenfinches:

Sparrowhawk (1), Long-eared Owl (1), Sand Martin (1), Swallow (82),  Tree Pipit (9), Grey Wagtail (3), Pied Wagtail (1),  Wren (19), Dunnock (8), Robin (23), Blackbird (9), Song Thrush (2), Cetti's Warbler (1), Grasshopper Warbler (3), Sedge Warbler (26), Reed Warbler (15), Lesser Whitethroat (35), Whitethroat (107), Garden Warbler (23), Blackcap (44), Chiffchaff (28), Willow Warbler (129), Long-tailed Tit (8), Blue Tit (26), Great Tit (14), Chaffinch (5), Greenfinch (34), Goldfinch (41), Linnet (1), Lesser Redpoll (1), Bullfinch (11), Reed Bunting (7)

 

    

      

     
         
  

         

 

        

Bits

Heysham obs
All day in the office doing birdy admin, moth trap and checking a mist net. The final time this is going to happen or have we another week before demolition. Hope they don't cut the leccy off way before anything else happening

Middleton (thanks Malcolm)
Teal are back with five on Tim butler pond
Mute - 2 pair one with 4 young, Tufted 2,  Mallard 7, Moorhen 3, Coot 4, Little grebe 1.  14 meadow pipit (grounded) Trickle of swallow south - 1,4,7,1&1

Sun was surprisingly warm, so lots of insect activity including 3 brown hawker, 1 migrant hawker confirmed + 4 presumed. 10 common darter including pair ovapositing.

Outfalls
5x 2cy, 3x juv med gull
Ad winter little gull

Black rustic today's first of the year

Heysham outfalls
Covered at two stages - an earyish check when a fair wadge of stuff was feeding on the seaward end of the outfalls and a later check as the tide rolled it and neutralised that source of food. Typically two key birds had moved on by the second check

Outfalls and area (thanks Ian for later check)
Black tern - one distantly, probably a juv, moved from outer hey one to outer hey two. Then lost
Little gull - winter ad hey two then later inshore, what was probably a 2cy moulted into 2nd winter plumage was distantly on hey one at the same time
Med gull - between us located 4x 2cy, 3x juv and 2 x ad

Nothing new today

Latter stages of the incoming tide saw 4x juv and 1x 2cy med gulls but nothing else of note but nit all the redshank had arrived at the roost (cf yesterday's juv spot red). No moths of note in the final days of the trap

Two decent birds, nowt else!

Heysham Obs

Osprey flew south over the Power Station then Middleton reserve at 0853hrs (thanks Bryan)

Spotted Redshank - juvenile with the high tide Redshank roost (264) along the rocky foreshore just south of OE saltmarsh

Just a couple of Meds at high tide

A good week for odds and ends of waders here

Wednesday Green Sandpipers

Heysham Obs
Just a few Meds seen today by visiting birders on the outfalls/Red Nab

John and Sandra flushed two Green Sandpiper from Ocean Edge saltmarsh creek in the evening

Old Lady and Frosted Orange in the office trap

Sprinkling of migrants

Heysham Obs
The pony and trap cleared the foreshore of waders again today - even the Grey Plover cleared off towards Fluke Hall

Inshore
Med Gull - 12
Grey Plover - 250, then flushed

Ringing Middleton
47 new birds (just one retrap), including 8 species of warbler
Two juv Med Gulls flew inland

Swallow roost
29 ringed, probably most of the roost!

The running sore of Potts corner

Heysham obs
Depressingly predictably the pony and trap ran the whole length of the tideline flushing all the waders along about a mile with only the grey plover and a handful of Dunlin returning. The birds try and persist through this because the area is so rich in food but numerous attempts to engage those who can influence access and behaviour have proved to be a complete waste of effort

A few odds and ends were ringed by the office notably sedge warbler and grey wagtail

12 med gulls (4 x juv) were seen on red nab, ocean edge saltmarsh or on the outfalls