A very light west(ish) breeze. Largely overcast with light fine rain by evening.
Heysham Nature Reserve
Report by Jean:
Yet more Goldfinches caught today - 15 new ones and 6 retraps. This October 102 new Goldfinches have been ringed. Only 17% of 124 caught have been retrapped indicating that they are moving through whereas 74% of the Great Tits caught have been retraps indicating that they are mostly resident ones.
Some UK goldfinches get together in flocks and roam around for food in winter but there is a steady food source at the moment on the reserve as there are several feeders so you might expect a higher rate of retraps as there is no need to wander too far for food. The new birds might be those that migrate southwards and notice a core of Goldfinches that are heading to a food source and follow them in. I haven't looked up where Heysham Goldfinches sometimes end up in winter but I've caught a couple in the Lune Valley that had been in Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire in late autumn. Some Goldfinches go as far south as Spain and Portugal.
Today's list:
Woodpigeon 1 new
Coal Tit 1 new
Blue Tit 3 new, 3 retraps
Great Tit 1 new, 6 retraps
Chiffchaff 4 new
Goldcrest 0 new, 1 retrap
Dunnock 1 new
Greenfinch 9 new
Goldfinch 15 new, 6 retraps
The Chiffchaffs keep coming through and there have been NO retraps during September and October. Here's a photo of one of today's Chiffchaffs.
You can see how small it is compared to my fingers and it weighed 7.2 grams which is roughly the same as two one pence coins. Amazing to think how some of these migrate to Southern Europe or even North Africa in the winter, although some stay in the the south of the UK now that winters are milder.
Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)
Fieldfare c60 flew south
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| Fieldfare |
North shore
Howard checked out the Knot at high water.
There were c3000 Knot at the heliport, but after two attacks by a Sparrowhawk they flew over to the Sunnyslopes' groyne. They didn't fare much better there, spooked by dog walkers they headed back to the heliport, most on the outer sloping wall.
Heysham skear (Malcolm)
Little Egret 6
Eider 6 (all quickly flew further north)
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| Four Eider flying north, another on the sea below them |
Red-breasted Merganser 5
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| Male Red-breasted Merganser, showing off his red breast |
This pair were fishing (crabbing) and preening in one of the larger pools. You can see that there is still loads of gutweed on the mud.
Great Crested Grebe 11
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| Mainly individuals feeding |
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| But these two were together |
Oystercatcher 1,500
Curlew just 30 today
Redshank and Turnstone not counted but similar to recent.
Ringed Plover 12 close to shore
Knot only c1,000 arrived at the skear, and very few were colour coded. I had thought none, but eventually spotted two and managed to read one of them.
The melanistic (dark) bird seen yesterday was not present today. Peter Knight identified it as a juvenile as were the other Knot photographed with it (see yesterday's post). Rose Maciewicz kindly sent this link to a very interesting paper on melanism (it isn't all heavy stuff, and there are some nice photographic examples)
