Wednesday 26 October 2011

Double-striped Pug and Yellowhammer top the bill

Heysham Obs
Vis by the office dawn until 1040
Woodpigeon - 13
Skylark - 14
Meadow Pipit - 10
Grey wagtail - 1
alba Wagtail - 13
Blackbird - 40 at dawn then inland
Song Thrush - 2 inland
Redwing - 25 first thing, then inland, 14 SW
Mistle Thrush - 1
Jackdaw - 12
Rook - 10+3
Starling - 190
Chaffinch - 213
Brambling - 1
Greenfinch - 14
Goldfinch - 38
Linnet - 2
Lesser Redpoll - 13
Bullfinch - 2
Reed Bunting - 3
Rock Pipit - 1
Yellowhammer - 1

Grounded
Goldcrest - small influx arriving from the south from 0900 with 7 ringed
Blackcap - newly-arrived female ringed
Wren - three unringed birds caught 'in the dark'
thrushes - see above
tits were conspicuous by their absence, given the 'open' nature of the morning, and not a hint of any movements, other than two unringed Blue Tit late morning

Ringing
A short session for Redwing/Reed Bunting at Middleton was a little too windy.  The nets by the office are workable in SE/SSE winds, allowing ringing this week.  This morning was quite productive with the following newly-ringed birds:  Reed Bunting (2), Redwing (7), Blackbird (2), Song Thrush (1), Wren (3), Goldcrest (7), Dunnock (2), Greenfinch (8), Chaffinch (11), Goldfinch (4), Lesser Redpoll (1), Blue Tit (2), Blackcap (1)

Miscellany
Twite - 12 Ocean Edge beach at high tide
Med Gull - adult outfalls area

Moths
Amazingly productive given the early morning was freezing cold.  Double-striped Pug was very unexpected so late in the autumn (even though it can be very early in the spring, autumnal records usually terminate in September), Satellite is scarce here and the other two were 'routine'; Parsnip Moth and Mottled Umber