Saturday 28 July 2007

Meds return from the drying fields?

Heysham Obs
All known birding coverage was during the morning
Wooden jetty area
Two Black Guillemot but sometimes elusive. No Shag reports

Outfalls/Red Nab
Mediterranean Gull: two adults, two 1st summer and one metal-ringed 2nd summer. There has been no sign as yet of either of the two wintering birds - the Czech-ringed adult is already two weeks 'late' c/p 2006.
Kittiwake: 1st summer
Sandwich Tern: 2
Whimbrel: 2

Insects
One of the best butterfly transects in a F3-4 wind - it was almost wall-to-wall sunshine! Small Copper (2), Common Blue (15), Small White (7), Large White (1), Green-veined White (3), Meadow Brown (20), Small Skipper (90), Red Admiral (3), Peacock (4), Small Tortoiseshell (2), Brimstone (1). Forgot Gatekeeper (4)! Also 6 Burnet spp. recorded.

The moth trap produced two new species in the form of Dot Moth and Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing (not checked for Langmaid's - escaped!!)

Six Brown Hawker and two Emperor on Heysham Nature reserve

Elsewhere
Lesser Yellowlegs
in the large field between the level crossing and L Moss at 0800hrs but promptly flew towards the Griesdale area [square white rump patch, no white on wing, same size as Redshank, slightly trailing legs etc] . There is a huge area for feeding waders out of sight of hides/hillside scoping and a bird was glimpsed which may have been this when birds were v. briefly flushed by Marsh Harrier. The problematic yellow-legged juv Redshank was in this field during the afternoon and was initially misidentified by experienced birders in the absence of immediate flight views. A 'lady on a bike' insisted a claim during mid-morning yesterday was of the juvenile Redshank. What a classic two-bird reality this is! Three Spoonbill & at least 5 Little Egret around the Allen/EM Pools. Ad Med Gull 36W has returned to north Morecambe seafront and was undoubtedly the bird also seen yesterday at the Stone Jetty