Nightjar

I heard and saw 2 Nightjars last night whilst out trapping which reminded me to dig out some pictures that I took back in 2010.

Nighjar

Nightjar

Curlew Sandpipers

A big arrival of Curlew Sandpipers occurred mid to late August mainly along the east coast. There was a big rise in records and numbers on 24th August but how much has to do with this being a Saturday is difficult to determine. For Weston the peak was on the 3rd September when 4 were in Sand Bay

Curlew Sandpiper

Dunlin

Ringed Plover

Arctic Tern passage Saturday 24th August

Not noticed by many nationally I sea watched in 20mph NW winds off Sand Point and had two parties of Arctic Terns flying down channel post 4pm. Finding birds on the patch this day was a struggle but 4 Wigeon and a Garganey were new in at Weston STW. A Greenshank and 3 Wheatear were on the Banwell Estuary.

first trip of the year to Brean Down 23rd August

It's been a long time but finally made my first trip of the year to
Brean Down: 9 Wheatear, 1 Redstart and a Clouded Yellow.
Sand Point: 2 Wheatear
Sand Bay: 76 Ringed Plover, 120 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 8 Blackwit
Weston STW: 4 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 7 Teal

Mediterranean Gull and Garganey

There was still a good wader count in Sand Bay this morning with 343 Ringed Plover, 214 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 2 Whimbrel, 50+ Curlew and a Turnstone. Also on the beach was an adult winter Mediterranean Gull.

This evening at Weston STW a Garganey and 3 Gadwall were present.

Garganey Anas querquedula

Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus

Sea watching 15th June

A good morning sea watching on Sand Point produced c.200 Manx Shearwater, 2 Fulmar, 3 Gannet and a Pomarine Skua. One of the Fulmars came so close it went out of sight under the cliff.

Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis

Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis

Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis

Glyphipterix fuscoviridella and Red Kite

Another fine sunny day with a cooling breeze from the north-east. The morning started off a bit slow but gathered pace steadily throughout the morning. First year tick of the day was Elachista argentella. I found a coleophora case on the upper side of an apple tree which is likely to mean one of three species. I may collect the case for rearing tomorrow. A Mother Shipton was perhaps my highlight of the day over shadowing a Red Kite that flew east over the Down. I had another new moth today, another micro which took a little time to identify but turned out to be Glyphipterix fuscoviridella.

Mother Shipton

Red Kite

Glyphipterix fuscoviridella

First Dunlin back and sea bird dearth

Sand Point/Bay: Winds changed from south-westerly to WNW today and although still quite strong no sea birds were recorded. In Sand Bay 3 Dunlin turned up. Shelduck numbers were up to 24 and Black-headed Gulls up to 120. 219 Starling (count from photo) attempted migration off Sand Point but returned.

Manx Shearwater numbers again in treble figures

Manx Shearwater

A 2 hour sea watch off Sand Point produced good numbers of Manx Shearwater again but numbers not so good today. Yesterday 600 an hour recorded compared to todays 350 an hour. Birds were more distant today with several hundred moving mid channel. Birds were moving both up and down channel but mainly down. Also moving through 2 Woodpigeon, 61 Starling, 3 Swallow, 1 House Martin.
In Sand Bay just 104 Black-headed Gulls remained and Curlew numbers were up to 31

Max Manx Shearwater count

Off Anchor Head in an hour 600 Manx Shearwater nearly all heading south, 7 Fulmar south and 2 Gannet south before the count was abandoned for work.
Sand Point later in the morning: 150 Manx, 1 Gannet, 3 Fulmar (A.Hockey)
Sand Bay: 186 Black-headed Gulls and 15 Curlew.
Garden moth trap: 1 Silver Y

A few more sea birds

The Low system passing now and today saw lessening south-westerly winds and clearing skies. Just 13mph with gusts to 15mph. Temperatures much the same as yesterday 13c (10c with wind chill). 2 hours of Sand Point produced 27 Manx Shearwater, 1 Storm Petrel, 4 Tern sp and 13 Gannet. Black-headed Gull count in Sand Bay remained about 70 birds.

Sea watching in southerly winds

Sand Point: 13 degrees celcius, 10 with wind chill. 22mph SSW winds with 26mph gusts. 2 hours sea watch this morning produced 232 Manx Shearwater all but 15 up channel, 1 Commic Tern down channel, 10 Gannet up channel, 1 Grey Plover south, 24 Swift south and 2 Swallow west. In Sand Bay 70 Black-headed Gulls feeding on the tideline.
3 Crossbills seen flying over Clarence Park (B.Blake)

10th June

A wind drop and swing to a 6.5mph SE. Winds were light all night giving opportunity for the sea birds to make their way out of the channel in darkness.
13 Manx Shearwater (9 up, 4 down)
18 Swift E
1 Sand Martin SE
1 House Martin W
3 Swallow W
In Sand Bay 8 Curlew and 7 Black-headed Gull

Storm Petrels

Storm Petrel (not bad views for Sand Point)

Shag

Another good sea bird day at Sand Point. Winds around 12mph with gusts up to 18mph throughout the morning.
1 dark phase Arctic Skua down channel
1 Great Skua on the sea
1 Pomarine Skua up channel
1 Kittiwake up channel
1 Gannet up channel
16 Storm Petrel down channel
42 Manx Shearwater involving birds up and down
1 Shag on the sea
1 Crossbill west
1 Siskin west
3 Swallow west

Sea birds

Fulmar

Manx Shearwater

Storm Petrel

30mph south-westerly winds with gusts up to 60mph hit overnight and still around 25mph by the evening. At Sand Point birds started moving up channel around 6:30am lasting until mid-morning when a continuous movement throughout the rest of the day involved birds heading back down channel.
2 Arctic Skua
1 Pomarine Skua
1 Great Skua
8 Gannet
175 Manx Shearwater
79 Fulmar
2 Common Scoter
1 Swift
5 Storm Petrel
7 Kittiwake
30 House Martin
Also 1,000+ Lesser Black-back Gulls west all day. Presumably these are local movements.

Grey Plovers and new garden moth E.bilunana

Grey Plover

Epinotia bilunana

Temperatures still very poor for the time of year with a series of Atlantic lows sweeping through. The outlook is for more of the same. A sea watch could be on for Friday but otherwise it's a waiting game for a change in the weather.
A short visit to Sand Bay/Point this morning produced 3 Grey Plover in winter type plumage whilst at the Point nothing was recorded migrating through.
The garden moth trap still holding small numbers but Large Tabby, Freyer's Pug were new for the year and Epinotia bilunana was a garden first bringing the total to 446.

Marbled Coronet and some waders hang on

Marbled Coronet

Archips podana

Good conditions today with a light easterly wind and some heavy cloud at times, cloud base around 120 metres. Despite this I couldn't find any vismig this morning.
A Bar-tailed Godwit heard over Brean Down at 1am whilst moth trapping
1 Siskin over Weston this afternoon
Sand Bay: 25 Ringed Plover, 25 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling, 5 Black-headed Gull
Brean Down moth highlights: Marbled Coronet and Glyphipterix fuscoviridella (TBC)

Curlew Sandpiper

Record shot of Curlew Sandpiper

Waders in Sand Bay this evening provided some interest on an otherwise dull day. 9 Sanderling, 34 Ringed Plover, 50 Dunlin and a Curlew Sandpiper fed on the beach on the ebbing tide.

Swift passage and some Waders

Grey Plover

Migration not over just yet:
25th May some minor passage at Sand Point early morning with 2 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Flava and small numbers of hirundines through.
26th May Winds NE3. In Sand Bay 1 Grey Plover, 7 Greenshank, 8 Curlew, 2 Oyc, 50 Ringed Plover, 30 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling + a steady passage of hirundines and Swifts. From Sand Point 2 Sandwich Tern flew up river. 26th May was the peak passage day for this migration period reaching an apex in temperatures. Breskens, Netherlands recorded a record breaking 41,000 Swifts along with 7,000 House Martin. Not only this, 4 Spoonbill, 20 Turtle Dove, Red-backed Shrike, Golden Oriole and Tawny Pipit also went through.
27th May Winds - NE3. A distinct drop in visible migration. Yesterdays warm winds changing to a much cooler wind. At Sand Point Arctic Skua, 22 Kittiwake, 4 flava and a Turnstone were noteworthy whilst the high tide in Sand Bay produced a Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit and 15 Curlew.
28th/29th May Winds - West1. Nothing much to report on the bird front other than the disappearance of all the small waders in Sand Bay and the larger waders all still present in much lighter wind conditions. Painted Lady, Diamond-back Moth and Rusty Dot Pearl recorded.

Great Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler - Weston Sewage Works

After two weeks of tweeting from China normal service will now resume with migration in Weston.