It certainly has been trying, and I have been trying hard to get out and record as much as possible so far this autumn, but it has been a struggle with the weather. I can't believe that we haven't had a ringing session since the 22nd September, for example, or perhaps I can, as this is all getting a bit frustratingly familiar now!
On the 24th September, I ventured forth on a solo outing to Rossall Point for a sea and vis watch, in the moderate south-easterly wind. I had just got out of my car, and was gathering my gear together, when a Jay headed east. I am seeing more and more Jays in odd locations this autumn, so I think it is shaping up to be a Jay autumn.
On the visible migration front, most of the passage was southerly, but some birds were heading west and east. I recorded 180 Meadow Pipits, 52 Linnets, five Alba Wags, and three Skylarks. There were more Skylarks, because I kept hearing them, but couldn’t see them because they were beyond the range of my vision.
On the visible migration front, most of the passage was southerly, but some birds were heading west and east. I recorded 180 Meadow Pipits, 52 Linnets, five Alba Wags, and three Skylarks. There were more Skylarks, because I kept hearing them, but couldn’t see them because they were beyond the range of my vision.
Linnets
Out at sea I had 40 Pink-footed Geese heading west, plus 67 Common Scoters, three Auk sp., 20 Eiders, and seven Mallards.
On the shore as the tide ran in, were 35 Oystercatchers, 390 Sanderlings, 115 Ringed Plovers, three Turnstones, and 10 Dunlins.
On the shore as the tide ran in, were 35 Oystercatchers, 390 Sanderlings, 115 Ringed Plovers, three Turnstones, and 10 Dunlins.
Sanderlings. The leg-flagged bird is the bird furthest on the right.
When looking at my photographs, I noticed that one of the Sanderlings was colour ringed; green and white leg flag on the right leg, and three colour rings on the left leg. I looked up the scheme, and reported it.
Below is the information that I received back from the ringer Olivier.
"This is a young bird we metal ringed in NE Greenland (Hochstetter: 75.16674, -19.78446) on 23/7/2025 in a nest that we had monitored since 8/7/25 and that then contained 3 young and 1 unhatched egg. It was recaptured and colour ringed nearby on 30/7. But we never got any re-sighting since, so this is the first evidence that it fledged and survived its first year! Please let me know if you see it again".
I've posted a Google Earth image below that illustrates how far this Sanderling, weighing on average 56g, has flown. Amazing!
The only grounded migrants were two Wheatears that dropped onto the beach, flipped over the sea wall, and onto the golf course.
I had a look in Mount Park, and the only grounded migrant was a Goldcrest. Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and a couple of Swallows were still moving south, and I had another 139 Pink-footed Geese arrive from across the bay.
I had a walk along the estuary from Jubilee Quay on my way home, and out on the mud, that was being exposed by the falling tide, were 90 Redshanks. Meadow Pipits and Alba Wags were still on the move, and I had a Great Spotted Woodpecker heading high, south. Well, high for a Great Spot anyway!
A few insects were on the wing, including several Common Drone Flies, two Painted Lady’s, two Red Admirals, and another Hummingbird Hawkmoth. I wonder if this will be my last for the year.
I had a look in Mount Park, and the only grounded migrant was a Goldcrest. Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and a couple of Swallows were still moving south, and I had another 139 Pink-footed Geese arrive from across the bay.
I had a walk along the estuary from Jubilee Quay on my way home, and out on the mud, that was being exposed by the falling tide, were 90 Redshanks. Meadow Pipits and Alba Wags were still on the move, and I had a Great Spotted Woodpecker heading high, south. Well, high for a Great Spot anyway!
A few insects were on the wing, including several Common Drone Flies, two Painted Lady’s, two Red Admirals, and another Hummingbird Hawkmoth. I wonder if this will be my last for the year.
On the morning of the 28th September, I recorded 17 Jays over our Thornton Cleveleys garden, a single flock of 15 that headed west, and then two further singles (one west and one south).
One of the 17 Jays. Honest!
It was obvious that it was a bit of a 'vis' morning, so in between episodes of 'Paw Patrol', building magnetic block castles, I tried to spend as much time in the garden as possible, but I was constantly called back into the house by shouts of “Grandad” from Alex.
However, I did still manage to record 10 Skylarks, 169 Meadow Pipits, a Kestrel, four Starlings, two Goldfinches, eight Alba Wagtails, five Carrion Crows, 44 Pink-footed Geese, or Pink-furry Geese as Alex called them, two Chaffinches, a Grey Wagtail, four Siskins, 11 Red Admirals, 16 Jackdaws, a Greenfinch, a Linnet, a Swallow, and a Blue Tit (dropped in and then headed south) all heading more or less south.
The last two times that our garden light trap (including this morning) has been out it has been really quiet, and over two sessions we recorded 11 moths of seven species; two Square-spot Rustics, three Lesser Yellow Underwings, two Large Yellow Underwings, a Garden Rose Tortrix, a Ruddy Streak, a Light Brown Apple Moth, and a Light Emerald.
However, I did still manage to record 10 Skylarks, 169 Meadow Pipits, a Kestrel, four Starlings, two Goldfinches, eight Alba Wagtails, five Carrion Crows, 44 Pink-footed Geese, or Pink-furry Geese as Alex called them, two Chaffinches, a Grey Wagtail, four Siskins, 11 Red Admirals, 16 Jackdaws, a Greenfinch, a Linnet, a Swallow, and a Blue Tit (dropped in and then headed south) all heading more or less south.
The last two times that our garden light trap (including this morning) has been out it has been really quiet, and over two sessions we recorded 11 moths of seven species; two Square-spot Rustics, three Lesser Yellow Underwings, two Large Yellow Underwings, a Garden Rose Tortrix, a Ruddy Streak, a Light Brown Apple Moth, and a Light Emerald.
On the last day of September, late morning, Gail and I did our usual walk along the estuary from Jubilee Quay. Out on the mud of the quay as the tide was running in, were 96 Redshanks, two Oystercatchers, two Teal, and a Common Sandpiper.
A handful of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, and Grey Wagtails went south overhead, and butterflies were restricted to singles of Speckled Wood and Painted Lady.
I couldn’t get out early the following morning, but checked a couple of migrant sites late morning. The weather wasn’t conducive for grounded migrants, and with the strong south-westerly wind, it wasn’t the best for any visible migration either. Having said that, it was late when I got out, so I could easily have missed stuff.
Both the cemetery and Mount Park drew a blank for migrants, other than a Coal Tit in the Mount, and the odd Meadow Pipit, Skylark, and Grey Wagtail overhead.
I did enjoy decent views of a female Sparrowhawk in the cemetery. She allowed me to get fairly close, and I was a little concerned about her at first, but her crop looked quite full to me, and I wondered whether she was perhaps just digesting a meal of Woodpigeon, as there are plenty of them in the cemetery.
A handful of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, and Grey Wagtails went south overhead, and butterflies were restricted to singles of Speckled Wood and Painted Lady.
I couldn’t get out early the following morning, but checked a couple of migrant sites late morning. The weather wasn’t conducive for grounded migrants, and with the strong south-westerly wind, it wasn’t the best for any visible migration either. Having said that, it was late when I got out, so I could easily have missed stuff.
Both the cemetery and Mount Park drew a blank for migrants, other than a Coal Tit in the Mount, and the odd Meadow Pipit, Skylark, and Grey Wagtail overhead.
I did enjoy decent views of a female Sparrowhawk in the cemetery. She allowed me to get fairly close, and I was a little concerned about her at first, but her crop looked quite full to me, and I wondered whether she was perhaps just digesting a meal of Woodpigeon, as there are plenty of them in the cemetery.
The Common Sandpiper was still at Jubilee Quay on the 2nd October, and the following morning I was once again trying, and it was trying! I decided to have a look at the Marine Gardens, as they are right on the coast, but other than a single Wheatear, and 400 Golden Plovers heading south, I drew a blank. I always enjoy seeing a large flock of 'Goldies', or should that be 'hear', as the noise from their wings is often the first thing that alerts you to their presence.
The Mount was equally quiet, and so too the cemetery, other than a Great Spotted Woodpecker that arrived high from the east, and dropped into the trees along the western edge of the cemetery.
Real Ale the night before, and ‘having to see a man’ about a large quantity of Yellow Rattle seed, meant that we were late to get out on the 7th. We had our first Whooper Swans of the autumn, four magnificent ‘bugling’ birds heading south over our house as we put our gear in the car.
We only had time for our usual walk along the estuary at Jubilee Quay, and it was a tad chilly in the brisk north-westerly wind. However, in sheltered sunny spots we noted numbers of Common Drone Flies on the wing, and still a few butterflies in the form of four Small Whites, a Painted Lady, and a single Silver Y (moth).
On their usual high tide roost in the quay, 205 Redshanks and six Oystercatchers waited for the tide to drop, and when we returned, they were out feeding on the muddy margins of the pools and creeks.
Real Ale the night before, and ‘having to see a man’ about a large quantity of Yellow Rattle seed, meant that we were late to get out on the 7th. We had our first Whooper Swans of the autumn, four magnificent ‘bugling’ birds heading south over our house as we put our gear in the car.
We only had time for our usual walk along the estuary at Jubilee Quay, and it was a tad chilly in the brisk north-westerly wind. However, in sheltered sunny spots we noted numbers of Common Drone Flies on the wing, and still a few butterflies in the form of four Small Whites, a Painted Lady, and a single Silver Y (moth).
On their usual high tide roost in the quay, 205 Redshanks and six Oystercatchers waited for the tide to drop, and when we returned, they were out feeding on the muddy margins of the pools and creeks.
Some of the 205 Redshanks
Overhead, Meadow Pipits, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Linnets, and Skylarks headed high south, their calls giving them away, but remaining out of sight in the crisp, blue sky, and their thin calls were accompanied by the similarly invisible “wink-wink” of Pink-footed Geese.
Two species of grounded migrants, with two of each, were Chiffchaff and Wheatear. The Chiffies in the Willows alongside the old quay, and the Wheatears out on the mud, wrecks, and wall of the quay.
Two species of grounded migrants, with two of each, were Chiffchaff and Wheatear. The Chiffies in the Willows alongside the old quay, and the Wheatears out on the mud, wrecks, and wall of the quay.
It was cold the following morning at first light at Rossall Point, and as such, I am starting to transition into winter plumage; letting my beard grow longer, woolly hat & gloves making an appearance, and an extra layer of clothing etc. The wind was a stiff north-northwesterly, and it was crystal clear from a landscape perspective, with Walney Island, Barrow and the Lakes only looking a stone’s throw away. However, that cold air blowing across a still warm sea, caused an annoying heat haze.
As soon as I got out of my car in the car park, I was noting vis. In total I recorded (a mixture of east and west) 27 Meadow Pipits, 41 Linnets, 47 Carrion Crows, 15 Skylarks, two Rock Pipits, and 106 Jackdaws.
I heard some Whooper Swans, looked round and eleven were coming in from the south, over the golf course, and headed north across the bay. They were heading directly towards Walney Island, but I lost them before they reached the wind turbines.
As soon as I got out of my car in the car park, I was noting vis. In total I recorded (a mixture of east and west) 27 Meadow Pipits, 41 Linnets, 47 Carrion Crows, 15 Skylarks, two Rock Pipits, and 106 Jackdaws.
I heard some Whooper Swans, looked round and eleven were coming in from the south, over the golf course, and headed north across the bay. They were heading directly towards Walney Island, but I lost them before they reached the wind turbines.
Whooper Swans (above & below)
On the shore were 16 Curlews, five Oystercatchers (large numbers were distant on King Scar Island), 25 Dunlin, 80 Ringed Plovers, 286 Sanderlings, and 81 Turnstones.
Dunlin
The sea was very quiet, the heat haze didn’t help, with just four Common Scoters, a Guillemot, five Eiders, three Gannets, and 13 Cormorants.
Talking of Cormorants, I noticed a juvenile Cormorant perched on one of the last remaining wooden groynes, and I noticed that it was colour ringed, with a single dark green ring with three numbers on it. I couldn’t make the numbers out, even through my scope, but I managed to take a couple of photos, and sent them to the ringer Stephen Dodd.
Talking of Cormorants, I noticed a juvenile Cormorant perched on one of the last remaining wooden groynes, and I noticed that it was colour ringed, with a single dark green ring with three numbers on it. I couldn’t make the numbers out, even through my scope, but I managed to take a couple of photos, and sent them to the ringer Stephen Dodd.
Colour ringed Cormorant
Stephen came back to me to say that it was ringed as a chick on 20th June 2026 on Puffin Island, off the north-east tip of Anglesey in North Wales, 93 km south-west of Rossall. This is its first sighting since ringing, so it will be interesting to see if I record it again this winter.
It started off wet, with some light rain on the morning of the 11th, when Gail and I completed our October Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) count. Even though it was drizzly, there was some light visible migration, with a handful of Grey Wagtails, Chaffinches, Linnets and Alba Wags south.
Four bugling Whooper Swans over Jubilee Quay was undoubtedly the highlight, except perhaps for a Peregrine, belting low over the mud of the river. A Reed Bunting dropped into an Apple tree when it started raining a bit heavier, and it called another one out of the sky. Four Teal and 25 Redshanks were feeding out in the quay, and 20 Jackdaws headed east.
By the time we walked down to the estuary to look on the reservoir next to the river, it had cleared up. A number of Robins were tick-tick-ticking as we walked the footpath, and we recorded eleven, along with at least 28 Long - tailed Tits. Two Cetti’s Warblers were singing, and a Water Rail squealed from some Willow Carr.
On the reservoir were six Moorhens, nine Mallards, ten Tufted Ducks, four Little Grebes, 21 Coots, and a pair of Mute Swans.
We walked across the saltmarsh, flushing a Rock Pipit, to have a look on the river, but the tide was running in, and had covered most of the mud. We recorded just 30 Wigeon (there was a lot more than that on the river, but we just count the birds on ‘our’ side of the river, and along a certain section, and this doesn’t form part of our WeBS count), 55 Redshanks, 55 Teal, two Little Egrets, two Grey Herons, four Lapwings, two Turnstones, and a Greenshank.
Four bugling Whooper Swans over Jubilee Quay was undoubtedly the highlight, except perhaps for a Peregrine, belting low over the mud of the river. A Reed Bunting dropped into an Apple tree when it started raining a bit heavier, and it called another one out of the sky. Four Teal and 25 Redshanks were feeding out in the quay, and 20 Jackdaws headed east.
By the time we walked down to the estuary to look on the reservoir next to the river, it had cleared up. A number of Robins were tick-tick-ticking as we walked the footpath, and we recorded eleven, along with at least 28 Long - tailed Tits. Two Cetti’s Warblers were singing, and a Water Rail squealed from some Willow Carr.
On the reservoir were six Moorhens, nine Mallards, ten Tufted Ducks, four Little Grebes, 21 Coots, and a pair of Mute Swans.
We walked across the saltmarsh, flushing a Rock Pipit, to have a look on the river, but the tide was running in, and had covered most of the mud. We recorded just 30 Wigeon (there was a lot more than that on the river, but we just count the birds on ‘our’ side of the river, and along a certain section, and this doesn’t form part of our WeBS count), 55 Redshanks, 55 Teal, two Little Egrets, two Grey Herons, four Lapwings, two Turnstones, and a Greenshank.
Redshank
It is noticeable now that few plants are flowering, but we came across a patch of Sea Aster, that had several Common Drone Flies and Buff-tailed Bumblebees foraging on it.
Sea Aster
We also noticed lots of small chocolate-brown coloured snails, perhaps just 1 cm across their shell, on the leaves of Greater Burdock, and we wondered if they were Girdled Snails.
A couple of days later I was at my client's farm in Bowland, looking at some meadows that we are hoping to sow with Yellow Rattle over the next week, in attempt to reduce the dominance of the grasses in the sward. We've noted that over the past few years we have had a period of wet weather just when the Curlews are hatching, and if the sward is too dense, it is hard for them to dry off. Also, in a very dense sward, the chicks are unable to penetrate it, and walk along the top of the sward, where they are more obvious to predators.
On the way home I had a Barn Owl fly over the road to the west of Myerscough College at 4:15 pm, and I wondered whether it was out early because it had been quite wet over the last couple of nights.
For about the first hour and a half yesterday morning, the wind was a 15 mph southerly, and then after that it picked up to 20 – 25 mph. It was crystal clear, and for the first hour or so there was a short rush of visible migration, but as soon as the wind picked up, it switched off.
I recorded vis over Fleetwood Cemetery and Mount Park, and I have lumped the totals together. I haven’t posted the direction of movement unless it is relevant, but this morning it was anywhere between west and east.
I recorded 24 Chaffinches (there were many more than this that I just couldn’t see in the clear blue yonder), two Song Thrushes, 25 Goldfinches, eight Siskins, four Greenfinches, two Alba Wags, six Linnets, 118 Starlings, 96 Jackdaws, 12 Meadow Pipits, nine Collared Doves (single flock high south), 55 Pink-footed Geese, a Brambling, a Rook, two Skylarks, 112 Redwings (west), a Grey Wagtail, a Jay, a Rock Pipit, and four Carrion Crows.
I wasn’t expecting any grounded migrants under the clear conditions, so all I had were two Song Thrushes, and a Goldcrest.
I had a quick look at Jubilee Quay later in the morning, and the highlight was a Great White Egret flying downstream towards the mouth of the estuary.
I recorded vis over Fleetwood Cemetery and Mount Park, and I have lumped the totals together. I haven’t posted the direction of movement unless it is relevant, but this morning it was anywhere between west and east.
I recorded 24 Chaffinches (there were many more than this that I just couldn’t see in the clear blue yonder), two Song Thrushes, 25 Goldfinches, eight Siskins, four Greenfinches, two Alba Wags, six Linnets, 118 Starlings, 96 Jackdaws, 12 Meadow Pipits, nine Collared Doves (single flock high south), 55 Pink-footed Geese, a Brambling, a Rook, two Skylarks, 112 Redwings (west), a Grey Wagtail, a Jay, a Rock Pipit, and four Carrion Crows.
I wasn’t expecting any grounded migrants under the clear conditions, so all I had were two Song Thrushes, and a Goldcrest.
I had a quick look at Jubilee Quay later in the morning, and the highlight was a Great White Egret flying downstream towards the mouth of the estuary.
We ran our garden light trap for the first time in a week or two last night, but this morning when we checked it, we only recorded seven moths of three species; five Light Brown Apple Moths, an Acleris sparsana, and a Square-spot Rustic.
So, I hope that you will agree, that autumn has been trying so far, and that's not for the want of trying either!
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