Wednesday 6 November 2013

Rusty Dot Pearl tops some late autumn migration

Heysham Obs
Missed a probable Snow Bunting flyover due to being in an enclosed space extracting birds from a mist net (just a single 'teuk' call), so a small migrant moth headlines - the only moth in the trap!   Southbound Chaffinch and Goldfinch were the order of the day with quite a few grounding themselves on the tank farm.  The main reason for getting up early - the possible thrush fest - was conspicuous by its absence, but was certainly (Fieldfare 500+) reaching my house in the first two hours after dawn (but not Bryan's vis site at Burton)

Vis mig dawn to 0930hrs
Chaffinch - 156 SW with several almost certainly missed
Goldfinch - 97 SW with comment as above
Greenfinch - at least 25 migrants but difficult to be certain about status
Brambling - 1
Meadow Pipit - 1
Redwing - heard high in the sky early on

Grounded around the office
Blackbird - conspicuous first thing with 26 moving through the bushes
Song Thrush - 3 as above
No evidence of Goldcrest other than one with a long-tailed Tit flock mid morning

Miscellany
Chaffinch - one grounded on the south harbour wall - unusual
Guillemot - one in the harbour
67 finches seen on the north harbour wall including a reflection of the Goldfinch arrival (c8) and at least 32 Linnet
Meadow Pipit - at least two north wall
Rock Pipit - one north wall
Green Woodpecker - a very welcome highlight of a wet power walk around Middleton - seen within the EDF strip
Snipe - 4+ Middleton

Moth
Single Rusty Dot Pearl - classic 'quality not quantity' as the only moth