Friday 13 September 2013

More north-westerly rubbish but a trickle of vis

Heysham Obs
A bit of pre-work vis coverage plus a single mist net at a sheltered site for any Grey Wagtails passing over

Grey wagtail this morning.  Photo Reuben Neville who put the spanner down to take the pic - its nothing to do with the ringing operation (!) where specially made pliers are used for precision results.  The individual colour rings are on the right leg, the left leg (for this year) comprises the site/year code plus metal BTO ring.

Therefore to trace to an individual bird such as this light green over white - always name the top colour first, even if the legs are upside down - the right leg needs to be seen as well as the left.  A sighting of the left leg only will just trace the bird to this area, either used in Bowland in 2009 (unlikely to still be alive?) or the remainder of the allocated sequence being used up at Heysham this year

Vis mig on and off dawn to 0830
Meadow Pipit - 27 SE
alba Wagtail - 18 SE
Grey Wagtail - just the one which was caught
Chaffinch - 14 SW
Goldfinch - 11 S
Swallow - 22 Sish
Common Buzzard - one south at 0745hrs

Outfalls and area
Our Med Gulls are still with us and numbered 11 with 4 1CY, 4 2CY and 3 adult-type including one with a green darvic on the left leg.  Our ad-type Little Gull was fast asleep on the mudflats.  New in were two Sandwich terns sitting on Red Nab