Wednesday 17 November 2010

The day that time will probably forget

Heysham Obs
Foul, wet south-easterly - the sort which sometimes produces bedraggled Black Redstarts...or Desert Wheatears for the optimistic dreamers.  Some preliminary analysis of this year's CES results available at

http://blx1.bto.org/general/ces_results.pdf

This includes contributions from our sites at Heysham NR and Middleton NR.  A notable correlation with our findings has been the serious reduction of adult Greenfinch (trich. disease), counterbalanced by excellent productivity.  Therefore a majority of the above-average 250+ ringed at Heysham this year were 1CY's during August-October.

North harbour wall
Twite - an Askam-ringed bird for the first time this autumn, but I didnt definitely see the split ring properly, but looked like yellow over green/white, no sign of the two Machrihanish birds, at least 5 out of the 27 ringed birds were red/white, 10-11 unringed
Linnet - 5-6
Goldfinch - 1
Med Gull - adult

Ocean Edge/Red Nab
Med Gull - 2CY on the mudflats
Meadow Pipit - 1

Elsewhere
This site does not usually comment on issues, but can birders who can't afford/be bothered to own a pager, yet go and see rare/scarce birds, please make sure they are in full possession of the access arrangements before entering sites.  Thanks.

Good numbers of grounded thrushes but no vis

Heysham Obs
A short ringing session by the office should in retrospect have included some other nets to obtain a reasonable thrush catch.  Indeed, 5 long-winged continental Blackbirds were caught in the feeder nets with the same number escaping as is their want.  A walk round the reserve wetlands to check for Cetti's Warbler produced a good number of grounded thrushes, but little else of interest

Heysham NR
Blackbird - c40 (those caught suggested 2:3 ratio of new birds/off-passage)
Redwing - c40
Song Thrush - 5
Skylark - 1 SE, the only absolutely definite vis mig!
Chaffinch - 5 early on S/SW
Goldfinch - flock of 25 high to SW may have been on vis mig
Wren - at least 7 in the wetland areas

Late news for yesterday
Chiffchaff - silent 'brown' bird Middleton NR
Water Rail - 2+ Middleton NR