Land, sea and air blockade

Heysham Obs
Absolutely nothing happened this morning in the continuing hopeless migrant synopsis other than the possible passage status of two Rock Pipit!

North harbour wall
Twite - 85, including the usual Machrihanish bird, just one-two  unringed
Linnet - two by heliport
Rock Pipit - either one very fast flyer (c30mph and beating the car) or one by the twite feeder and one on the near naze
Red-throated Diver - a singleton blogging was the only bird seen offshore on the incoming tide - really bad!

Heysham NR
Despite plenty of opportunity to connect, not a single bird in the 'vis' category headed overhead during the morning

Back to winter mode

Heysham Obs
The 3CY Med returned for a short period at high tide, along with a 'new' adult female.  Hardly anything was singing and even the Twite were quieter than usual at this time of year.  A trilling call sounding like an overflying Snow Bunting was heard during a mid-morning visit by Jean, but no bird could be located in the bright sunlight

North harbour wall
Twite - at least 91
Med Gull - The now darvic-ringed 3CY returned for a short period before being seen later in the afternoon around Morecamhbe old lifeboat station by Snow Bunting watchers, along with a 'new' adult female - the wintering adult female had a more advanced summer plumage on the head.  These are the first Med sightings since the 3CY was ringed
Goldfinch - one on seed
Red-throated Diver - despite the good visibility, just the one seen on the dropping tide

Heysham NR
Meadow Pipit - one flew over heading north-east!
Goldfinch - influx of 10+ on to feeders

Stock Dove return

Heysham Obs
First Stock Doves for a couple of years by the Middleton model boat pond

Middleton NR model boat pond
Lapwing - two pairs by model boat pond, one female with ring on - over to you dog walkers as to whether this is going to be a successful breeding season
Stock Dove - two by model boat pond
Gadwall - 3 pairs - promising!
Goldeneye - female
Tufted Dove - 8
Mallard -2
Pochard - 3 males
Mute Swan -  2 ad, 2 2CY

North harbour wall
Up to at least 74 twite, 69 of them here: (thanks Janet)

Nearby:
An extremely confiding Snow Bunting showing well by the old lifeboat station north of the stone jetty - on the gravel right alongside the promenade:

Thanks Janet

.Also c25 Waxwings Clarendon Road but mobile

Good job it is not midwinter!

Heysham Obs
Big wind-chill today - especially for the single Sand Martin at Pine lake!  WeBS count was stunningly unremarkable with just the Purple Sandpiper of note and further confirmation that the Meds have gone. Better was a gang of 5 Waxwings, mainly in the tank farm for at least 15 minutes.

Office area
Waxwing - 5 between at least 1300 and 1315hrs in the tank farm area & wouldnt touch the apples which have been stuck on the end of the branches in the mist net ride!
Long-tailed Tit -as per the weather - up to 5 still in 'feeder attendance' mode, not nestbuilding!

WeBS
Purple Sandpiper - on the seawall near the harbour mouth
Turnstone - 111 roosting on what remained of Red Nab, not on the wooden jetty
Wigeon - 82 Red Nab

Twite - only seen briefly and block counted to around 100

Doing the rounds

Heysham Obs
Malcolm and I gave the area pretty good coverage this morning and the most notable things were a male Blackcap at Middleton, a Black-tailed Godwit off Ocean Edge and confirmation of  the impression of the last two days that most of the small gulls have departed with just 23 Black-headed on Fisher's roof at high tide and none of the Meds around

North harbour wall
Twite - max count of 106.  The usual Machrihanish bird, green/white over pale blue (1), pale blue over green/white (2), orange/blue over pale blue (2-3), pale blue over orange/blue (1), pale blue over red/white (2-3), unringed 3 poss 4, c90 with this winter's colour ring sequences. No other finches on the seed
Purple Sandpiper - 1
Turnstone - 84 (& 38 Red Nab)
Red-throated Diver - just one offshore at HT

Red Nab and area
Wigeon - 76
Little Egret -  1
Black-tailed Godwit -  1

Middleton NR ponds
Blackcap - male near no swimming pond
Gadwall - jusst 2
Goldeneye -  1
Tufted Duck - 9
Teal -  5
Coott - 9
Little Grebe -1+
Pochard - 3
Mallard - 6
Moorhen - 3+
Mute Swan - 6

Meadow Pipit trickle

Heysham Obs
Out for three relatively short periods today and all three produced some overhead Meadow Pipits.  However, hardly the numbers to prompt a vis session: All heading north-east rather low in the stiff easterly wind

Office area
Meadow Pipit: 2+1+2 north-east

North harbour wall
Twite - c95

Twite mystery

Heysham Obs
A Twite was seen this morning with a dark green (presumed) site ring above another palish ring but the views were ever so brief before they were flushed by activity in the centrica yard

North harbour wall
106 birds on the seed of which 104 were ringed:
Twite - 101, 2 unringed, the above bird and the usual Machrihanish-ringed bird (the 67 end of the ring was read)
Linnet -3 ringed
Goldfinch - 2 ringed

No obvious sign of any Meds

Thin pickings

Heysham Obs
The only remote sign of any new action today was a single Lapwing on territory on the model boat pond and two Meadow Pipit seemingly 'in-off' at the north harbour wall this morning.  Offshore visibility very poor.

North harbour wall
Twite - 84
Goldfinch - one ringed bird
Meadow Pipit - 2 in -off, then on to mound
no Meds seen

Middleton NR
Lapwing - one on territory

Perils of discarded fishing line

Heysham Obs
Fortunately there was a Twite-ringing session this morning...fortunately for the 3CY Med Gull which ended up with a barbed hook in its mouth with the weight at the other end jammed into a crevice on the seawall:

The hook was successfully removed and the bird seemed none the worse, so we added a darvic ring to the above-tarsus Belgian metal ring as follows:

This should make individually identifying this returning bird much easier when it comes back as an adult.....assuming it doesnt swallow some anglers bait away from assistance......and maybe it will be recorded on passage/on its future breeding grounds
Twite - 29 caught, including 4 unringed, the metal-only bird ringed elsewhere which was caught in January (origin unknown as yet) and the regular Machrihanish bird 
Med Gull - no obvious sign of any adults today

Insects
The first butterfly of the year - a Small Tortoiseshell at Red Nab

 Thanks Janet

 

Stonechat migrant and returning Purple sandpiper

Heysham Obs
Dont know what happened with yesterdays posting but its is now below this one - maybe it was such inconsequential rubbish, the blog refused to post

Red Nab
Stonechat - adult female - pics later (thanks for the info Janet -first successful twitch of the year!)

Thanks Janet for this and the Gadwall pic below

North harbour wall
Purple Sandpiper - one just the south side of harbour on rocks with Turnstone
Eider - c153
Twite - 95, 7 unringed, one Machrihanish bird and at least 18 with rings pre-winter 2012/3
Med Gull - remaining wintering female (unringed), new male displaying to her with not much summer pluameg on head & 3CY trying to muscle in and indicating that he is also a male.  NO sign of Czech-ringed adult, presumed gone (as usual by now)

Heysham NR
Small influx of thrushes with 5 migrant Blackbird, 2 Song Thrush and 3 Redwing
Jay - plucked feathers from this species in eastern woodland - Sparrowhawk?

Middleton NR
The usual quota of ducks, including: