Sunday 18 March 2012

Nice sunny day for admin

Heysham Obs
A day for leaving everyone else to pull-back Laughing Gull for Cumbria and, apart from some early movement on the sea, one of those clear northerly-wind days when you can get on with admin catch-up without worrying what you are otherwise missing.

North harbour wall 0645-0830
Twite - 8, but no food left, put out at c0900hrs
Linnet - 2
Rock Pipit - migrant on the mound, then flew north
Red-throated Diver - 14 'in' (two lots of 4, rest singletons) and one out
Kittiwake - flocks of 18+16 floating in on the sea, then circled up and headed north
Common Scoter - 6 out
Little Gull - adult winter 'in'
alba Wagtail - 4 NE
Siskin - 1 NE
no Meadow Pipit passage

Middleton NR
Tufted Duck (19), Goldeneye (1 female)

Office area
Green Woodpecker - heard early morning
Raven - on the pylon
Goldcrest - 3 (2 ringed)
Siskin - 11 NE (one ringed)
Meadow Pipit - conspicuous by absence - only 5 seen/heard
Chaffinch - 7 NE
Pink-footed Goose - c100 north just to the east of here

Half Moon Bay
Wheatear - 1 male

Moths & Butterfly
The only new one for the year was a Herald (mention of Hebrew Character (6) and Clouded Drab (1) will cease forthwith!).  Small Tortoiseshell out in suburban SD46A but no check made on nature reserve.