Heysham Obs
The highlight of the day was a Red Admiral butterfly soaking up the sun on the south side of the office at 1300hrs before rather geriatrically flying towards the Power Stations. The temperature was about 6C. As I had the door open for ringing activities, there remains a possibility that this butterfly had been hibernating in the relative warmth of the office block. The office was certainly warm enough to attract a Wren inside, which was most reluctant to depart
Ringing: Two hours with a single net at the feeding station, hoping to see what the composition of the 60+ Greenfinches was in terms of retraps etc.. As is often the case with feeding stations e.g. a project to catch all the wintering 'birdtable' Blackcaps in the area sounds ideal in theory.......large numbers of Blue and Great Tits were trapped and indeed almost certainly reduced the numbers of the 'target species'. The first ringing of the year comprised: 9 Greenfinch, 6 Blue Tit, 1 Robin, I Great-spotted Woodpecker, 1 Great Tit.... with about 15 retraps, mainly tits but including another Great-spotted Woodpecker which had been ringed a a juvenile in early autumn 2006 and just one Greenfinch. Oh yes, an unringed Blue Tit escaped!
North harbour wall
Ad & 1st W Med Gulls seen
Harbour
At least 12 Shags and at least 7 Kittiwake
The outfalls were not checked
Elsewhere
Purple Sandpiper still at the high tide roost on the Bubbles groyne by Morecambe Stone jetty.
NB: c/f the Leighton Brent, the two Black Brants are still present in the collection by my house
along with some superb Mandarin & Wood Duck as well as free-flying Shelduck.
