Wednesday 23 July 2008

Ants, Swifts and a strange Golden Plover

Heysham Obs
The ants "reached" us this afternoon c/f complaints on the national media.

Red Nab/outfalls/north harbour wall to the gate
Med Gull: Czech adult on the north harbour wall & one 2nd S. 1st summer moulting to 2nd W, 2nd summer and adult on Red Nab
Whimbrel - 2 Red Nab

Middleton IE am
Golden Plover - Juvenile landed on the road between the western and central marshes and proceeded to feed for about 15 minutes before walking through the gate and then flying off!!!! As well as the bizarre occurence, this is a rare bird at Heysham with 1-2 records per year if you ignore distant 'seen froms' looking south from OE.
Reed Warbler - they DID breed (male not heard to sing) - female ringed last year trapped with large brood patch. Also two juveniles and another unringed adult which may or may not have been local.
Swift - c220 south, possibly more
Meadow Pipit - 5 really early migrants high to the south-east
Grasshopper Warbler - one still singing and two juveniles trapped and ringed, one a retrap from earlier in the month

Middleton IE pm
13 Little Grebe, including 3 new young. Singing Grasshopper Warbler. 30+ Swallow & a few Swift. Water Rail heard

Moths
Middleton IE was trapped last night with sheet/light for 1.5 hours and turned up good numbers of Double Lobed and Pinion-streaked Snout as well as a few Southern Wainscot, two Ebulea crocealis and a local scarcity in the form of Dark Spinach. The Heysham hut trap was again 'full' and records included 2 Bordered Beauty, 2 Dingy Footman and the first (and probably the last) Common White Wave of the year! The prolific 2nd brood of Early Thorn continued (15) with Double-striped Pug (16) the 'top' moth.

Elsewhere
Ad Yellow-legged Gull Lune Estuary