Friday 16 March 2012

Good variety including slightly overdue Wheatear and Chiffchaff

Heysham Obs
Office area
A bit breezy but quite a few birds around
Goldcrest - 30+ (17 ringed)
Robin - 2 migrants ringed
Coal Tit - passage bird ringed (unusual in spring)
Reed Bunting - 2 vis mig birds and one caught which had been ringed on Walney, across the bay (details not known)
Grey Wagtail - 6 north - all early morning as the nets were being set
Meadow Pipit - 109 north
Chaffinch - 15 north (mostly early morning)
alba Wagtail - 12 north
Siskin - 5 north

North wall
Intermittent early vis mig saw far fewer birds than heading across the reserve, but the sea could be covered....
Shag - 3 still around
alba Wagtail - 11 north
Meadow Pipit - 21 north
Skylark - 1 north
Siskin - 4 north
Goldcrest - one on mound
Red-throated Diver - flock of 6 'in' at 0915hrs
Gannet - flock of 6 adults 'in' at 0850hrs
Twite - probably no more than 10, including the 'winter resident' Machrihanish bird and one unringed bird (5 caught)

Ocean Edge
Wheatear - Two:  probably 2CY male mid-afternoon and a bright probable adult male just after a rain shower at 1700hrs
Little Egret - one off Red Nab (but no sign of Little Gull on incoming tide)
Linnet - c6

Middleton NR
Chiffchaff - one singing by no swimming pond
Gadwall - 2
Also: 3 mute swan, 5 coot, 3 moorhen, 16 tufted duck, 1 goldeneye, 4 mallard, 2 little grebe