Tuesday 2 April 2013

Slightly more over the sea, less overhead

Heysham Obs
Fractionally more interest today although Meadow Pipits and alba Wagtails are in reduced numbers so far

North harbour wall
Common Scoter - flock of 17 out
Red-throated Diver, 14 in, including groups of 3+5
Raven - one purposefully north over the sea
Coal Tit - very noisy flock of 5 on the fence by the ex-sand-works, then flew towards Heysham Head along the seawall!
Pink-footed Goose - 4+47 NW
Twite - maximum of just 47 but a lot of activity in nearby yard
Linnet - one on seed, first for a bit
Purple Sandpiper - on rocks below seawall on dropping tide
Eider - 189
In addition, 3 small gulls together in the direction of the wind turbines were almost certainly Little but extremely distant!

Office area & general vis mig
Goldfinch - 7 north
Reed Bunting - one north
alba Wagtail - 12 north
Meadow Pipit - just c35 north during the morning (9 ringed)

Ringing in March
Don't normally post much about ringing totals, but the newly-ringed stats for March are quite interesting for the wrong reasons!  Note that most of the activity involved nets set next to feeders, which were just not producing "any" new birds apart from a trickle of Blue and Great Tits, a few migrants Robins and the occasional 'new' finch:  Long-tailed Tit (3), Great Tit (5), Goldfinch (6), Blackbird (2), Chaffinch (2), Greenfinch (8), Twite (9), Mediterranean Gull (1), Robin (8), Meadow Pipit (49), Dunnock (3), Blue Tit (5).  The grand total of this lot was more than doubled by Goldcrest and Lesser Redpoll in March 2012 - conspicuously absent this year, along with Chiffchaff.