Short-strawed Field Vole

Heysham Obs
A Short-tailed Field Vole was running about on top of the north harbour wall mound in bright sunlight this morning looking rather lost.  Obviously the prestige of being a new dot on a mammal atlas (is there one?) was worth the effort and the serious predation risk (SD36V, the rest of this 10km square is under the sea/intertidal)

Adult Med Gull north harbour wall.  Thanks Janet

North harbour wall SD36V blitz
Twite - 14
Goldfinch - just 2
Rock Pipit - 1-2 (seen on both harbour and seawall side)
Meadow Pipit - 2
Med Gull - 2CY conspicuous, two adults
Red-throated Diver - 2 sat on water together offshore in "heat" haze
Song Thrush - 1
Robin - 2 (one mound, one sandworks)
No Wren or Dunnock seen/heard

Heysham Nature reserve
Meadow Pipit - flock of three around - probably wintering birds from non-op land

Mammal
Frst known record of ST Field Vole for SD36V

Cold but fairly productive

Heysham Obs
A walk around the north wall circuit was quite bracing - need to get the woolly hat, coat and gloves out

Purple Sandpiper - TWO on the seawall below the gate then flushed and flew towards the wooden jetty with about 5 Turnstone
Med Gull - adult and 2CY together
Rock Pipit - 1
Meadow Pipit - 2
Robin - 2 including the usual bird in the mound gorse
Song Thrush - one mound gorse - elusive returning wintering bird at this strange location?
Twite - at least 6 with 2+ unringed at lunchtime
Goldfinch - just 3 early am, 14 at lunchtime

Twittering

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
A Twite-ringing session saw 6 new birds, 7 retraps and two ringed at Machrihanish on the Mull of Kintyre, one a new bird, the other a regular visitor during both this (so far) and last winter period

Also a decent number of Goldfinch but just 3/14 were unringed birds as you would perhaps expect at this time of year

Rock Pipit - 1
Meadow Pipit - 3
Linnet - at least one - one unringed bird was caught
Med Gull - adult

minimal stuff

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall
Goldfinch - 20
Twite - 2

Reserve circuit late pm
Blackbird - 5
Song Thrush - 1

Med masterclass and more Waxwing

Heysham Obs
Red Nab high tide
Med Gull - 1CY, 2CY and 2 adults

North harbour wall
No finches at 1040hrs

Reserve circuit
Song Thrush - 2
Blackbird - 11
Redwing - 1
Waxwing - flock of 6 flew into the tank farm at 1400hrs, seemingly from the direction of the power station, then headed across the golf course just to the south of the 'cream store' 

Moth
Another single Winter Moth was a bit of a surprise, given the conditions

Twite increase

Heysham Obs
North harbour wall circuit
Robin - 2
Twite - c37, 11 unringed at least
Linnet - 2
Goldfinch - 12
Med Gull - Czech bird on the railings
Rock Pipit - one by Near Naze

South harbour/wooden jetty
Dunnock 1!

Moth
1 Winter Moth

Slimming pickings

Heysham Obs
After yesterday's couch-potato weather, a power walk around the coastal circuit was the order of the day

Harbour/outfalls/Red Nab
Grey Wagtail - 1 Red Nab
Rock Pipit - one Red Nab
Med Gull - ad Red Nab

North harbour wall
Goldfinch - c20
Twite - 6
Linnet - 2

H N Reserve circuit
Blackbird - 8

Barmy Blackbird

Heysham Obs
The most interesting thing this morning was behavioural.  A cursory glance out to sea from the north wall saw a dark bird battling its way in towards the shore at right angles to the howling southerly.  It transpired to be a female Blackbird which flopped down right next to the car.  A microcosm of what happens on a very much larger scale at the likes of Spurn during October/November easterly gales and rain approaching from the south (and deceptively nice departure weather for this latest of the regular migrants over Scandinavia).  That scenario you can understand, but what was this bird doing over the sea at 0845hrs on the west coast?  It flew into the centrica compound where there is cover of sorts

North harbour wall
Blackbird - see above
Twite - 4 in short visit
Goldfinch - 12 as above

Red Nab
Med Gull - large adult and 2CY

Species heading in different directions

Heysham Obs
Two pics taken by Janet today.  Little Owl used to breed in the Obs recording area until very recently and still occurs in the adjoining tetrad SD45J.  This pic was taken within 1km of the recording area but it is about 8 years at least since one was last seen on Middleton NR.  Jays on the other hand have colonised over the last few years which has been a bit of a nuisance as it is more difficult to discern any migratory movements.  Ideally you dont want any resident birds at a Bird Observatory! 

Thanks Janet

Smithy Lane

At least 10 Waxwing early to mid-pm but not later

North wall

c25 Twite, 'some' Goldfinch plus on Rock Pipit

Absolutely dead around the mound/south harbour/in the harbour/outfalls with the best being a Robin on the mound and a Wren by the wheel!

Lot of mossies in the moth trap but no moths

Stoatally quiet

No moths to report, but superb view of a stoat from the office window mid-afternoon- briefly investigating rabbit burrows in the sandy bank

North harbour wall: Twite (c20), Linnet 2, Goldfinch (c6)

Thanks Steve & John