Heysham Obs
This weather has two uses, lottery-winning odds of dropping a nearctic passerine or producing excellent late autumn moth trapping conditions, not so much at open sites such as Heysham, but in wooded areas. It also can produce migrant species and two Silver Y were in the trap this morning
Vis mig 0905-1005
A few birds struggled through the murk but nowhere near as many as by my own house at the western end of the "Aire-Wenning gap" flightline. Plenty of Redwing/Fieldfare and a few Siskin/alba Wagtail/Chaffinch prompted a belated visit to Heysham:
Redwing - 2
Redpoll, presumed Lesser - 1
Chaffinch - 6
Greenfinch - 7
Siskin - 5
Meadow Pipit - 3
alba Wagtail - 2
Song Thrush - 2
Most of these were heading in a general north to south direction!
Grounded
Really poor with ringing comprising one new Robin and two each of Greenfinch and Chaffinch tempted down from overhead vis mig. The bushes around the office were the quietest for some time.
North wall
Three 2nd W Med Gulls during a brief visit which did not include the mound end
Elsewhere
A secondhand report of a Great Grey Shrike from the valley to the south of Cold Park Wood, near Wray 'a few days ago'. A visit saw the area crawling with birds e.g. winter thrushes, Bullfinch. Access by turning right at the Post Office in Wray and view the area to the right after the pond (=on left hand side) c1/2 mile up the road.
