Tuesday 4 November 2014

Near misses!

Heysham Obs
Definitely a day for nearby sites with our humble share being a few Chiffchaff, one of which had enough fat to open a chip shop whilst at least one other was obviously a new arrival, and Blackcap..............plus the usual mainstay of early November - a shedload of Blackbirds.  Woodcock new for the autumn


Middleton NR dawn to 1030 (wrong choice?)
Assumed vis mig stuff would be to the fore this morning - instead greeted by a series of shower clouds which managed to avoid us.
Blackcap - 2 ringed
Water Rail - at least 5
Reed Bunting - just 5
Goldcrest - just two unringed birds and two retraps with LTT flock
Blackbird - c15
Redwing - c200 over first thing noisily heading SSW
Fieldfare - c40 over first thing with the above
Whooper Swan - 5 south, possibly the top birds of a larger flock obscured by bank
Woodpigeon - 15 S
Meadow Pipit - 2 SE
Chaffinch - just 3 S
Redpoll spp - 6 SE (2 Lesser ringed)
Starling - one flock of 50 S
Jackdaw - 45+6
Mistle Thrush - 4 SE
Little Egret - one model boat pond
Mute Swan - the 7 juvs flew out to the shore then turned round and flew back on to model boat pond


Heysham NR 1100hrs onwards
Woodcock - one flushed from under dense willows along the office mist net ride
Chiffchaff - 4-5
Blackbird - 55-60
Redwing - 16 grounded
Song Thrush - 5 grounded
Siskin - 1
Chaffinch - 10 grounded on east side
Goldcrest - just 3
Blackcap - one male
Greenfinch - 20+ unringed birds caught at feeder
Water Rail - one in NW section of marsh


Insects
Migrant Hawker - one Middleton
Common Darter - 2 Middleton, one HNR
Red Admiral - one HNR
Honey Bee or similar - one nectaring from gorse
Wasps - still plenty