Friday 25 October 2019

Pre-rain vis session

Not too bad a session pre-rain this morning with clear-cut southbound vis mig, allowing the more subtle lower-flying fare to be logged as such instead of indeterminate possible 'bloggers'.  Much better than chasing down to Hertfordshire for what proved to be a manicured wire-hopper.

Vis 0800-1000 HNR office
No cross-bay vis in the cloudy conditions, everything was from Heysham head direction along the coast
Whooper Swan - 3 - very high and nearly missed - an odd record in the conditions
Greylag - 3
Carrion Crow - 14
Chaffinch - 297 (no Brambling perceived, certainly no nasal calls)
Goldfinch - 52
Greenfinch - 67
Bullfinch - 9 (5+2+2)
Long-tailed Tit - flock 11
Jay - 5 (2+1+1+1)
Tree Sparrow - flock of 7
Blackbird - odd - none first thing but steady stream heading south over the office out of the bushes to the north after 0900 - total 67, including loose flock of 29
Redwing - just two with the above
Song Thrush - 1
Collared Dove - 3+1
Woodpigeon - 46 - no big gangs
Pink-footed Goose - 450+ 640 north - suspiciously like roost >feeding area but definitely not Oxcliffe fields unless they swung back south oos.

Blogging raptors noticeable - 2 x Peregrine, Kestrel, 2-3 x Sparrowhawk

Grounded
Goldcrest conspicuous by its absence within audible range HNR office
Chiffchaff - one calling from fire pond area
Plus the above thrushes

Thursday 24th

Distracted this morning.  A female/imm Black Redstart was around my house and nearby stables early doors and this prompted a tour of likely sites at Heysham before the intended vis mig session.  Nowt - it does look like the home record was pure coincidence as regards an influx down south and no evidence of coastal records up here

General
Med Gull - lingering 1CY Red Nab
Little Gull - ad reported a few times - unusually lingering

Vis 0930-1030ish
Blackbird - 56 south - a sign of what might have been rather productive earlier on
Chaffinch - 27 S
Brambling - three unusually on feeder
Goldfinch - 8 S
Pink-footed Goose - 20+40 S
Song Thrush - 2 S