Heysham Obs
Happy Christmas everyone. First please note the colour-ringed Waxwing from Aberdeen which was seen at Leighton Moss about 10 days ago was seen in Ely, Cambridgshire yesterday; 284km in 10 days! Noting that plenty are still around Leighton, presumably including some of the 'originals' in the flock, it just shows firstly the value of colour-marking and secondly just how 'erratically' mobile they are.
Heysham Nature Reserve area
Very short mid/late morning ringing session. Four Brambling were ringed - all 1CY females, along with a few unringed Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Blue Tit. All the weights were higher than average by about 2-3 grams. Idle thoughts included wondering if the newly branded BTO ought to change the very negative 5-letter species code of DUNNO to SHUFF - also ticks the 'use of traditional language' box.
Waxwing - 7 flew over heading for Heysham village at 1205hrs - the impression was that they had come from the SW end of the tank farm where there were a few rowan berries not so long ago
Snipe - one grounded briefly by the office
Reed Bunting - one by the NR feeder just as I left
Med Gull - adult north harbour wall
Twite - no nyger seed left when I got there (rabbits?) & 6 Twite were immediately down on the new supply (3 unringed)
Cormorant - 47 wooden jetty
Purple Sandpiper - one wooden jetty but hard to see on lower tiers of outer section
Elsewhere
Nothing of note on Pine Lake (incl. one Little Grebe & Black-headed Gull Brit Mus E?45011 - think we have had this before, but just couldn't clinch the important second letter, but it was a G or C, therefore surely:
EG45011 - 4 - Bowness on Windermere - Cumbria - 23/11/07
06/10/10 - Pine Lake, Carnforth, Lancashire - 26km
