Sorted

Our international correspondants have now sent details of Med 3CY.  This Belgian youngster was ringed as a chick in Antwerp on 17/05/2011 with ring no. E929291.

Other news from the North Harbour Wall today:
Mediterranean Gull - one of the adults around
Turnstone have increased to 150.
Twite 17 at 10am

That was it 2 hours before high tide (unless you want to include the 13 Cormorants, 1 Magpie, 7 GBB Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls on the wooden jetty).

The Great Med Mystery - almost solved

Super sleuths Packham and Cook continued to track down the 3CY Med and, armed with no more than slices of cheap bread and rather expensive cameras, took more covert photos of its leg ring to, hopefully, reveal the secrets of this bird. 

Here we can see the the first letter and number very clearly.

And here are the last three numbers.

When enlarged this appears to read 9291 but it's not really clear enough to clinch it.

Attractive though its legs might be, here's the rest of the bird showing its attached body and wings!

 

 

Investigations continue via our international contacts and we hope to bring the results soon.

 

 

The usual adult Meds were on the railings at the north Harbour Wall.

Visit to top-up nyger seed at lunchtime but only c20 Twite seen flying across the harbour.   



 

Excellent visibility

 Excellent visibility but nothing unusual about (up to 1310hrs anyway).

North Harbour Wall
Twite 60, Goldfinch 2, Robin 1, Dunnock 1, Pied Wagtail

Harbour
Mediterranean Gull 1 adult, Black-headed Gull 124, Herring Gull 46

Wooden Jetty
Turnstone 127, no sign Purp Sand.
Great Black-backed Gull 12, Cormorant 26

Red Nab
Redshank 10, Curlew 86, Shelduck 37, Wigeon 68, Lapwing 48, Knot 1, Black-headed Gull 52, Lesser Black-back 2, Oystercatcher 290

Outfalls
Black-headed Gull 30

The only other bird of "note" was a Siskin which flew over the dogwalk track.

Middleton NR
1 stoat in full ermine
5 mute (3 juvenile)
9 coot
4 moorhen
7 gadwall (1 "spare" male)
3 tufted
2 pochard
1 goldeneye
17 teal
10 mallard
1 little grebe
4 snipe
10 redwing

More Twite

North Harbour Wall
Increase in Twite from previous days
52 Twite
Only 3 unringed and at least 1 Machrahainish bird red / white
2 Linnet
1 Robin
2 Med Gulls Adult and 2nd Winter
Red-throated Diver in at 1330hrs

Heysham Reserve
20+ Mixed Finches Greenfinch Chaffinch and Goldfinch

Med Gulls

North Harbour Wall

The two usual adult Med Gulls came to bread.
But no sign of the 2nd Winter.
Also 30+ Twite and 3 Goldfinch, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Robin and 2 feral pigeons.
Red-breasted Merganser - pair in channel at high tide

Twite observed at 0900hrs:
1 out of 22 birds unringed
2 Machrahanish birds - 1 x red over white , 1 x green over white


Middleton NR - Model Boat Pond
Mute Swan  - 2 adult and 3 juvs
Tufted Duck - 2 male, 1 female
Coot - 4
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls also present
Dunnock - pair in the brash at the side of the pond.
Oystercatcher - flew to MBP but couldn't see where it landed

No Swimming Pond
Coot 1, Mallard 1 male.

Awayday

Most of the usual observers were out of the area today but Janet took a pic of one of the Herring Gulls:

Note the colour ring.  It may be a bird from Walney but we await details.

Quick Visit

Just a quick visit early afternoon to top up food and feeders.
North Harbour Wall
32 Twite
2 Goldfinch
These competing for food with 4 Feral Pigeons.
Also unringed Adult Med Gull

Belgian-ringed 3CY Med nearly 'sorted'

Heysham Obs
The 3CY Med Gull saga took a positive step today with the reading of the last two numbers (91) and two lines of rather small vertical writing between the end numbers and the butt of the ring = 1000 Brussels. Thanks Renaud.

North harbour wall
Twite - 101, including at least 6 unringed and Machrihanish-ringed bird

Thanks Janet

Med Gull - 2 adults and 3CY
Guillemot - 1
Red-throated Diver - 1, but offshore visibility poor

Heysham Nature reserve
Lesser Redpoll - one north
Siskin - Four grounded along the dog track

Routine odds and ends

Heysham Obs
The 3CY Med Gull showed the butt end of its ring today and there might be another number to add to the painful process of reading it when the pics are scrutinised!  Thanks Janet

North harbour wall late stages of dropping tide
Red-throated Diver - 1
Eider - just 131 - tide not as low as yesterday
Med Gull - 2 Ads in the morning, 3CY in the afternoon
Twite - at least 81
Guillemot - 1

Eiders top 200

Heysham Obs

North wall low tide
Eider - 245
Red-throated Diver - 2 together
Great-crested Grebe - 7
Med Gull - adult
Twite - 70+ but light bad

Moth
One Chestnut