Little gull and Guillemot

Rock pipit 1
Meadow pipit 2
Ad Little Gull Heysham No.1 Outfall this am briefly, just after Red Nab was covered by tide.

Juv Guillemot on the flow tide this pm. Driven ashore to the SE corner of skeer by the surging spring tide. Contender for photograph of the year! (MD)

Friday - still not much, but a bit better

Strong west wind and driving rain wasn't helpful, but there was some movement (MD)
Rock Pipit - 1 moving east along the sea wall between outflows and Red Nab.
Green Sandpiper - again east, but over the sea, just out from sea wall.
Wheatear 1 - Ocean Edge foreshore
Meadow Pipits 4 - battling south
Common Snipe 2 - saltmarsh
Mute Swan 2 adult sheltering on water over saltmarsh

Thursday - not much

First of the Wigeon returned. 5 today on Red Nab
Little Egret 6

Chiffchaff day

Limited coverage today to mist netting and vis at Heyshsm and Middleton

More tomorrow but the day included:

Whitethroat - late bird Heysham NR

Chiffchaff - 22 ringed, mainly Heysham

Blackcap - about 12 ringed

Grey Wagtail - just two over and one ringed

Reed Bunting - 7 migrants ringed at Middleton

Middleton Nature Reserve -early afternoon
House Martin 1
Gadwall 16
Tufted 1
Little grebe 3 (1sp)
Plus this shoveler like duck, with dubious pedigree (MD)

Still plenty of dragonflies when the sun cam out. Brown and Migrant Hawkers plus Common Darters.

24th Sept

Very little happening. Shelduck numbers are starting to grow, 56 on Red Nab.

23rd sept

will sort tomorrow

Pale-bellied Brent

This was nearly missed as it flew off Red Nab and headed south close inshore - is already ‘scanned’ red nab but for white larids!

15 Meds red Nab/nearby mud

Marsh Harrier

Marsh Harrier - Juv south Middleton NR 0650hrs

A steady east breeze and 20C+, should equal insect migration off the sea, so the lighthouse area was checked twice today.

10:30 - 11:30 (low water)

A bit erratic at first, then became a steady influx of butterflies.

Red Admiral 36

Small White 25

Painted Lady 8

Small Tortoiseshell 3

Silver Y 2

 At 13:15 there were still plenty coming in, but they soon eased off as tide progressed further along sea wall. A walk down to No2 outflow, confirmed there were butterflies coming in all along the sea wall.

This count is only those that came in over lighthouse/wooden jetty wall till 14:00.

Red Admiral 12

Small White 26

Painted Lady 9

Small Tortoiseshell 8

Peacock 1

Silver Y 1

Most moved straight through, but a few whites and Painted Lady stopped for a top up. As did the Silver Y, which may just be resident.

Just one dragonfly, in the afternoon session. Male Migrant Hawker.

Humming bird Hawk Moth and Great White Egret

This morning saw a short dawn mist netting session at Middleton NR which followed the pattern of migratory over achievement during moonlit clarity.  18 new birds in two nets this am including four more Grey Wagtail (78 colour ringed so far this autumn) and about the 200th Blackcap of the year, way above the norm for this species with at least a month to go

Great white Egret - one west over golf club 1430

Humming bird Hawk-Moth - one half moon bay on sedum

Vis
Grey Wagtail - 4
Meadow Pipit - 12
Reed Bunting - 6
Pink-footed Goose - 60 N
alba wagtail - 6
Snipe - 1
Stonechat - 1 male

Lighthouse sloping wall -evening
Several birds taking advantage of the small insects coming in off sea and resting on sea wall.
Wheatear 1
White wagtail 5
Rock Pipit 3

Middleton Nature Reserve - early afternoon.
Lots of dragonflies including: Emperor, Brown hawker, Migrant hawker and Common darter.

This female Migrant Hawker seen ovipositoring 

Are the sand-mason worms harvested?

Mediterranean Gulls - only a maximum two birds have been seen over the last three days.
Personal thought on this (MD) - the peak counts of birds feeding on the sand-mason worms on beach near wooden jetty (57 and 60+) were both within 3 days of the last two full moons. This suggests that the sand-mason worm activity that makes them easy picking, is linked to the lunar calendar. This is presumably part of their breeding cycle.
There was not a single gull on the feeding beach today, not even the Black-headed gulls who have been present before the Meds arrived. This suggests that all worm "activity" has stopped, meaning the last full moon (the Harvest moon) was the last feeding opportunity. This implies that the beach is now empty of gulls, not because the Meds have gone, but that the Meds have gone because the beach is empty (of available worms).
This theory will be checked next year, but might be interesting as the Harvest moon is not till 1/10/20!

Middleton Nature Reserve - early evening
Kingfisher - one flying around "no swimming" pond then main pond.
Gadwall 22
Mallard 9
Teal 1
Tufted 1
Little grebe 2 (1 sp)
Pinkfooted goose 33 south

Still good numbers of dragonflies around. This weekend might be the last good viewing opportunity.