Six of the best

This looks like its had six of the best.  Rather tame and scrawny fox taken by Janet at Middleton late afternoon (thanks Janet)

Heysham Obs
An initiative which unfortunately only reached the planning stage may have cost us a nice addition to the ringing list if the birds had decided to emulate Adam and Eve.  The scenario at 0655hrs was a flock of 6 Waxwings sat in a hawthorn behind a double mist-net set at the feeding station.  The "initiative" which failed was to stick some apples on the branches, in case Waxwing return passage materialised.....................  After a bit of trilling, they headed off towards Heysham Head, dragging a single Redwing in their wake

North wall 0630-0800
Too clear with a trickle of vis:
Pied Wagtail - 12
Meadow Pipit - 13
Linnet - 3
Grey Wagtail - 1
Chaffinch - 1
Siskin - 1
Greenfinch - 2
Redpoll sp - 2
Woodpigeon - 2 flew "in-off"
Red-throated Diver - 2 in and 1 on

Feeder: 33 Twite
Low tide channel: 121 Eider, 8 Red-breasted Merganser, 4 Great-crested Grebe.


Office area 0645-0930
Meadow Pipit - 113 NE (most of these only seen due to tape/ringing)
Reed Bunting - 2 NE
Siskin - 2 "lots" heard only plus a singleton north
alba Wagtail - 11 NE
Goldfinch - 14 NE
Waxwing - flock of 6 NE at 0758hrs
Redwing - one grounded then NE with Waxwings
Wren - unringed bird trapped
Bullfinch - unringed female trapped - a real surprise
Chiffchaff - seemingly one local bird and 2-3 males passing through by office (one ringed)
Goldcrest - zero past the office early on but two calling in the NE corner (thanks Pete) and one appeared by the office mid-morning

Middleton NR
Jack Snipe - 2 in the afternoon (& 5 Snipe), 5 Tufted Duck, sitting Mute Swan

Moths
Shoulder Stripe a predictable new addition to the year list