Saturday 24 March 2012

Very early morning French redpoll

Heysham Obs
Net-setting rather too late at 0600hrs missed two lots of Lesser Redpolls, apart from one bird which entered the half-opened net as it was being set - it bore a Paris ring!

Later, perhaps even less-likely, a Meadow Pipit was caught bearing ring number L742790 - any one own up to this, please?

Office area/north harbour wall vis mig/grounded
Meadow Pipit - 299 logged over the office (0600-1200) + 52 over NHW (0645-0700 and 0935-0950)
alba Wagtail - just 3 over the office and 2 over NHW
Lesser Redpoll - early morning groups of 18 + 9, then just two singletons, and 4 NHW
Carrion Crow - 2 north very high
Raven - two northbound migrants tracked from Potts Corner to high over Heysham Head
Sparrowhawk - two singletons high to NE
Chaffinch - 3 NE
Goldfinch - 13 NE (underestimate)
Linnet - 4 NE + 2 over NHW
Woodpigeon - 4 to east, high, and 5 high over NHW
Chiffchaff - at least 10 migrants (7 ringed)
Goldcrest - a few early morning, then a reasonable arrival mid-morning after a change in wind direction - 40+, all but one trapped a female (27 ringed).  Also 3 on the NHW 'mound'
Jackdaw - 2 high to the west (rare here!)
Tree Sparrow - one (+?) heard but not seen
Siskin - 7 NE  over NHW
Skylark - 1 NE over NHW
Greenfinch - 2 over NHW
Goldfinch - 1 over NHW


Ocean Edge area
No Wheatears, despite good coverage doing survey work
Knot - 14,500
Bar-tailed Godwit - 390
Blackcap - singing male by the OE entrance gate for a short period (first of year for British Energy Obs area, but birds wintering in suburban area), heard later nearby by visiting birders (thanks for the report)
Med Gull - 2CY, probably same as the other day

Insects
A few Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock on the reserve.  Early Thorn a bit of an overdue addition to the moth year list