Monday 28 March 2011

Time for a Sandwich before Ospreys appear

Heysham Obs
Here is some of the stuff from a pretty good morning, ringing data will be added tomorrow

North Harbour Wall 0745-1030
The first Sandwich Terns of the year appeared - 17 in total.  Probably more but the sea fret made even the ones seen a bit blurred round the edges. 
0855 - ALL the gulls went into a mad panic and the culprit, an Osprey, was seen heading in the Morecambe direction.
This was the second Osprey of the morning as one had flown over the Nature Reserve 15 minutes earlier and had headed in the direction of the Lune (per Alan).

Vis:
Meadow Pipit - 108 (the vast majority flew over between 0900 - 0915)
alba Wagtail - 7
Linnet - 3
Goldfinch - 1
Greenfinch - 3

Grounded (mound area):
Wheatear - 6 (4 arrived between 0900 and 0915)

Other:
Purple Sandpiper - 1
Twite - 8
Mute Swan - 1 on the sea

The first Swallow for here seen by Janet on Middleton NR today


Elsewhere
150 Brambling (with many singing), Mealy Redpoll (an 'obvious' bird seen very well), 35 Lesser Redpoll, c18 Crossbill at Thrushgill plantation this morning, but only small numbers visible from public right of way. Visitors are requested to park in one of the laybys between Botton Mill and Lower Thrushgill, rather than drive through all the sheep and new-born lambs strewn across the 'open' road between Lower Thrushgill and Higher Thrushgill


Osprey over Arkholme at 1410hrs, perhaps the same bird an hour or so earlier at Lloyn Bridge