Saturday 19 September 2015

Nice migration morning for British stuff plus a Black Tern

Heysham Obs
Without ever feeling that a Yellow-browed was going to pop up, cloud from the south-west at dawn dropped a few Goldcrests, Chiffchaffs and Robins, yet still 'allowed' reasonable vis mig........ and kept the sun off the net.   Best was a juv Black Tern in the boat channel

Brief look at outfalls low tide
Med Gull - 2 x 2CY
Black Tern - juv in the boating channel by No 8 buoy gradually making its way along the outfalls 'slick'
Little Gull - adult Heysham one seaward end

Vis mig intermittently dawn to 1100hrs
Only the last hour was in the stratosphere, so the vis was numerically manageable in the cloud cover apart from, as usual, Siskin noises!  However visits to the mist nets obviously saw the eye off the ball for 5 minutes at a time every half hour

Coal Tit - further signs of a small irruption or beginnings of a larger one - 6+4+2+2 south
Meadow Pipit - better - 87 S
Grey Wagtail - 17 S (9 ringed - one a freshly moulted adult - the second this year but only the third ever)
Chaffinch -49 S
alba Wagtail - 23 S
Siskin - H+4+H+H
Goldfinch - 53 S
Linnet - 5 S
Reed Bunting - 1 S

Grounded (office area only)
Goldcrest - 20+
Chiffchaff - 3
Blackcap - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Reed Warbler - 1
Robin - at least 3 migrants

Ringing (single 18m net by office with Grey Wagtail and Goldcrest tape)
A Reed Warbler was given the full works then forgot to ring it (long history of this with birds needing the full works!), Grey Wagtail (9), Goldcrest (12), Robin (3), Chiffchaff (1), Blue Tit (2), Wren (1)