Pre-rain vis session

Not too bad a session pre-rain this morning with clear-cut southbound vis mig, allowing the more subtle lower-flying fare to be logged as such instead of indeterminate possible 'bloggers'.  Much better than chasing down to Hertfordshire for what proved to be a manicured wire-hopper.

Vis 0800-1000 HNR office
No cross-bay vis in the cloudy conditions, everything was from Heysham head direction along the coast
Whooper Swan - 3 - very high and nearly missed - an odd record in the conditions
Greylag - 3
Carrion Crow - 14
Chaffinch - 297 (no Brambling perceived, certainly no nasal calls)
Goldfinch - 52
Greenfinch - 67
Bullfinch - 9 (5+2+2)
Long-tailed Tit - flock 11
Jay - 5 (2+1+1+1)
Tree Sparrow - flock of 7
Blackbird - odd - none first thing but steady stream heading south over the office out of the bushes to the north after 0900 - total 67, including loose flock of 29
Redwing - just two with the above
Song Thrush - 1
Collared Dove - 3+1
Woodpigeon - 46 - no big gangs
Pink-footed Goose - 450+ 640 north - suspiciously like roost >feeding area but definitely not Oxcliffe fields unless they swung back south oos.

Blogging raptors noticeable - 2 x Peregrine, Kestrel, 2-3 x Sparrowhawk

Grounded
Goldcrest conspicuous by its absence within audible range HNR office
Chiffchaff - one calling from fire pond area
Plus the above thrushes

Thursday 24th

Distracted this morning.  A female/imm Black Redstart was around my house and nearby stables early doors and this prompted a tour of likely sites at Heysham before the intended vis mig session.  Nowt - it does look like the home record was pure coincidence as regards an influx down south and no evidence of coastal records up here

General
Med Gull - lingering 1CY Red Nab
Little Gull - ad reported a few times - unusually lingering

Vis 0930-1030ish
Blackbird - 56 south - a sign of what might have been rather productive earlier on
Chaffinch - 27 S
Brambling - three unusually on feeder
Goldfinch - 8 S
Pink-footed Goose - 20+40 S
Song Thrush - 2 S

Lie-in birding

The cutting edge dawn coverage is getting a bit blunted as the winds don't look brilliant for any major new arrivals.  However, maybe we should be in filter-down mode and hope for a bluetail taking off overnight from an obscure Scottish coastal glen.  This morning saw a rather late start with arrival coinciding with the biggest Chaffinch flock and high-flying Carrion Crows.  The first hour had been missed!

Vis 0830-1030
Woodpigeon - 134 NE (flock 120)
Stock Dove - one with large WP flock
Jackdaw - 44+32+23 single-species flocks south
Carrion Crow - 22 S (max flock 10)
Chaffinch - 205 S
Goldfinch - 45 S
Greenfinch - 32 S
Skylark- 10 S
Redwing - just 13 S (but late start)
Fieldfare - ONE south
Sparrowhawk - one high SW
Siskin - 3 S
Bullfinch - 10 S (inc flock of 6)
Starling - 66 SW
Linnet - 2
Pink-footed Goose - one flock of 120
Meadow Pipit - 2
Long-tailed Tit - c10

Grounded
Very little - two new Goldcrest caught, a Chiffchaff heard and about 15 grounded Blackbird audible from around the office

Ringing
New birds:  11 Greenfinch, 3 Chaffinch, Goldfinch, 4 Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, 2 Goldcrest, Great Tit, Blackbird

Insects
Small Tortoiseshell, 2 x Speckled Wood, Common Darter

Middleton Nature Reserve - mid morning
(Not much!)
Gadwall 13
Coot 1
Water Rail 3
Cetti's 1 male singing
Redwing 6 grounded 4 south
Jackdaw 23 south

South Shore - mid afternoon
Common Darter - typically just one between dog walk and Red Nab, untill the last 20m of wooden fence, where 8 were sunning themselves.

The last three sections of fence, just 50m from Red Nab, had 3, 3 & 2 each.

Another "red bodied" darter was seen in scrub near lighthouse. There has not been a record of common darter here this year. Presumably this implies some sort of movement in the SE wind. (MD)

Andrew Cadman

Andrew died just recently and he will be remembered as a valuable part of the Obs team in the 1990s and early 2000s.   Andrew used to treat his workplace at Rossall School as a pre-work Observatory, and also visited Canada on a regular basis on ringing expeditions.  He then retired north to live at Over Kellet and involved himself in the Leighton and Heysham ringing programmes.  Given his ringing history, it was not surprising that he instantly identified a tan-morph White-throated Sparrow which appeared in nets set by the Heysham NR dipping pond!  Andrew also played a major role in the day to day running of the local bird club, Lancaster and District Birdwatching Society with his conscientious dedication a role model for others.  Thanks for all your help over the years Andrew and rest in peace

Routine west coast October north-easterly

No great expectations of scarce or rare this morning and so it proved with the only warblers recorded being three Blackcap.  The vis mig was quite good with a major "theme" being checks of the southbound Pink-feet for yesterday's Lesser Snow Goose which was grounded with Pinks due north of us in mid-south Scotland

Vis mig dawnish to 1030 - most birds flying N or NW into wind
Brambling - 2 NW
Fieldfare - 210
Redwing - 421
Pink-footed Goose - 1370 - all southbound
Chaffinch - exactly 200!
Meadow Pipit - 2
alba Wagtail - 23
Siskin - 4
Linnet - 2
Starling - 150
Bullfinch - 5
Blackbird - 29
Song Thrush - 3
Collared Dove - 1 SW
Tree Sparrow - 1 S
Woodpigeon - 20
Goldfinch - 17
Jackdaw - 18 one flock
Rook - 8 with above
Redpoll spp - 2
Skylark - 2

Grounded
Redwing - 55 flew inland at or just after dawn
Blackbird - 24 ditto
Fieldfare - 3 ditto
Blackcap - one probably additional to the ringing by the office
no Goldcrest seen/heard other than those ringed!

Ringing
As usual when the vis is northbound, the office nets do no seem to catch the finches, so only four Chaffinch were ringed.  Three Blackcap were unexpected, otherwise the rest pretty routine with 6 Goldcrest and 9 Redwing of minor note

Numerically challenging thrushes

Its dead awkward when vis decides to head north here as it invariably involves milling about - this was certainly the case with Redwing (and corvids) this am with the figures combining Middleton and Heysham 'somewhere between 1100-1600'.  So I've taken the definite Heysham numbers plus extras from Middleton after my watch finished (PM, AJD, R de F)

Vis mig dawnish to 1030ish
Redwing - c1300 north
Fieldfare - c350 north
Mistle Thrush - 2 SW
Chaffinch - 52 N
alba Wagtail - 5 SW
Greenfinch - 23 N
Grey wagtail - 2 SE
Raven - 1 S
Jackdaw - 44 N
Rook - 25 N
Carrion Crow - 10 N
R/CC distant with JD - 32 N
Meadow Pipit - 5 SW
Coal Tit - 1 S
Skylark - 4 S
Siskin - 11 NE
Goldfinch - 9 N
Long-tailed Tit - unringed flock 14 (HNR) south
Reed Bunting - 2 S

Grounded
Blackbird - c20 HNR office area
Song Thrush - 3 HNR office area
Goldcrest - 2 ringed Middleton - none heard by office HNR
no sign of any Chiffs/YBW (Midd/HNR office area)

South Shore.
Greenfinch 14 Red Nab, 12 Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Jack Snipe, two occasions of bird lifting from Ocean Edge saltmarsh to land again nearby. No obvious reason unless predator in area. Three Common snipe simarly lifted but moved on.
Meadow pipit 3
Rock pipit 1
Little gull - 1 adult seaward end No.2 outflow

Corvid passage

Weather: NE 2, mostly clear and sunny, mild
A generally quieter day but corvids heading south in numbers.   An unexpected flurry of warblers in the western marsh net comprised 6 new Chiffchaff, 4 new Goldcrest and 2 new Blackcap

Middleton NR
Vis 0700-1200hrs
Meadow Pipit - 18
alba wagtail - 9
Grey Wagtail - 4
Greenfinch - 2
Siskin - 5
Redwing - 36
Song Thrush - 3
Carrion Crow - 12
Rook - 27
Jackdaw - 67
Raven - 4 (together SE)
Skylark - 1
Linnet - 4
Tree Sparrow - 1
Snipe - 1
Woodpigeon - 44
Coal Tit - 1
Redpoll - 1
Reed Bunting - 3

A Yellow-Browed Warbler was heard calling from the SE golf course edge copse area.

Insects of note at Middleton NR
Migrant Hawker - 3
Brimstone - 1

Another day, another Yellow-browed Warbler

Weather - SE F2, 8-15C, 995mB, cloudy to east, clear to west.

Vis (in no particular order):
A Short-eared Owl flew eastwards across the reserve and appeared to land near the old classroom
Woodpigeon - 37
Meadow Pipit - 12
alba wagtail - 34
Chaffinch - 28
Song Thrush - 10
Redwing - 23
Dunnock - 2
Blue tit - 3
Siskin - 22
Goldfinch - 23
Pink-footed Goose - 3200 N at 0910hrs
Lesser Redpoll - 1
Sparrowhawk - 3
Jackdaw - 40
Carrion Crow - 7
Linnet - 2
Jay - 1
Yellowhammer - 1

Grounded
Wheatear (1st winter female) at Half Moon Bay

Ringing
Yellow-browed Warbler - 1. This had a very high fat score so had probably been around for several days and was possibly the one heard near the office a couple of days ago. It arrived from the direction of the "Tank Farm" which is to the south of Heysham office.

Other new birds caught included Blue Tit (3),Goldcrest (6), Redwing (1), Chaffinch (4), Greenfinch (10), Goldfinch (4)

Vis mig pays off with Snow Bunting

Vis mig 0805-1030
Snow Bunting - one NNE to SSW at c0940 (two S over Starr gate Blackpool at 0956 unlikely to involve this one!)
Chaffinch - 193 SW
Brambling - 15 SW
Chaff/Bramb - c70 SW
Siskin - just 3 SE
alba Wagtail - 15 SE
Meadow Pipit - 20 SE
Jackdaw - flock of 6 S
Common Buzzard - one E
Jay - 4 S
Goldfinch - c35 S
Greenfinch - x25 S
Pink-footed Goose - 30+3 SE
Redwing - 40 SW, 6 down, 4 down

No obvious sign of anything grounded by office - just one Goldcrest

After the rain

Once the rain stopped at 10am birding and ringing could begin.

Heysham NR
A Yellow-browed Warbler still frequented the NE corner of the Reserve but took some finding. Luckily visiting birder JJ had the patience to winkle it out.

Ringing consisted of a few Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs.

Outfalls
Adult Little Gull phtographed by Kevin Eaves

Harbour
Ringed Black-headed Gull photographed by Janet Packham

A close up of the ring revealed it to be a Polish bird returning to the harbour for its third winter

Middleton NR

Malcolm enjoyed a very pleasant stroll in the afternoon sun but found no sign of Yellow-browed Warblers. Instead there were the following:

Redwing c10 on golf club strip.

Goldcrest 3

Chiffchaff 3

Common snipe 3

Little grebe 2.

Gadwall 10.

Insects:

Common Darter 22

Migrant Hawker 7

Speckled wood 4

Small Tortoiseshell 1