Heysham Obs
Twisted my ankle, one of just three birds trapped escaped prior to ringing, the Meadow Pipit/Grey Wag tape machine wouldnt work, freezing cold (3 C on the car temperature guage 0615hrs), too clear, failed to satisfactorily identify an interesting calling fly-over. Apart from that, the vis was not too bad.
Vis by the office 0700-0930hrs
Grey Wagtail - 5 SE
Meadow Pipit - 415 SE
Chaffinch - 4 S
Linnet 12 S
Reed Bunting - 2 S
Redpoll spp - 2 SE
Cormorant - one high to the SE
alba Wagtail - 20 SE
mystery bird = a pipit giving rather clipped consistent disyllabic calls 12 times, recalling a cross between Meadow Pipit and Grey Wagtail call. Couldnt work out which bird of 5 (rest Meadow Pipit) at just above electricity pylon height. It was absolutely definitely one of this group of pipits, not a proximate alba Wagtail etc. - these were the only birds going over in this area of the sky at the time. Interesting.
Grounded
Robin - quite a few first thing with no Robins starting to sing until about 0900hrs, but lots of ticking and chasing. c15 migrants around the office?
Goldcrest - about 5 round the office
Chiffchaff - 2 passed through quickly & presumably the same off-passage bird seen regularly
Jay - one blogging - difficult to work out status at present as they appear to breed locally
Elsewhere
[Juv Stilt Sandpiper about an hour away at Campfield Marsh N Cumbria - 2nd day]
