Wednesday 10 December 2008

Cold weather thrush displacement

Heysham Obs
To repeat....Fieldfare are very rare here outside the autumn passage period - i.e. even absent on spring passage in many years. Therefore whilst todays numbers might not seem a big deal, they are most unusual.

1000-1045 hrs - Office
Fieldfare - 35 over
Redwing - 34 over
Kingfisher - 1 flew towards tank farm
Snipe - 5 flushed from marsh
Great Spotted woodpecker - 1
Bullfinch - male
Sparrowhawk - female

North wall and Ocean Edge very briefly
Red-throated Diver - one out
Shag - there ARE two juvs still around
No finches... high level of verbal and mechanical racket in the sand works as the infrastructure is being demolished. It would be good if they could leave the remaining sand to acquire sand dune vegetation.......... [no immediate plans to use this area]
Med Gull - adult off the seaward end of the outfalls

Observers: John Wood, Reuben Neville, John Clarke, Pete Marsh

Elsewhere
Waxwing sitting in a tree in the centre of Glasson (0925hrs). 17 Waxwings near the White Lund Honda garage at northern end of A683 "Heysham" bypass 1300-1345hrs, but not there later. Plenty of suitable habitat, including in nearby housing estates. No sign Quernmore Hooded Crow during midday search