Thursday 14 April 2011

Overnight arrivals, then the blocking cloud

Heysham Obs

Blackcap taken today (thanks Janet)

"Nice" to be able to predict what was going to happen today = precisely nothing landfalling/moving through after first light as a fairly localised splodge of cloud spilled in from the north-west.  Pre-dawn saw Lesser Whitethroat and Grasshopper Warbler (2) singing within audible range of the office and all the migrant captures were pre-dawn arrivals during the night (two Blackcaps (one 15.5 grams), a Lesser Whitethroat, a Wren and a Chiffchaff)

Office area to 0845hrs
Blackcap - 2 males ringed
Chiffchaff - one new bird ringed
Lesser Whitethroat - male singing well before dawn was immediately caught and ringed
Grasshopper Warbler - two different birds singing in the tank farm
alba Wagtail - 6 north, the only 'vis'

Middleton NR
Grasshopper Warbler - three singing males - two in the western marsh, one adjoining the golf course just to the north of the western marsh, possibly five later (or some shifting around)
Whitethroat - two singing males, one probably a mobile new arrival
Sedge warbler - two singing males central marsh
Blackcap - singing male edge of golf course
Greylag - 5 on the model boat pond (no white ones!)

Inshore
Sandwich Tern - c20 blogging off the north harbour wall