Saturday 5 November 2011

Diverse array of late migrants and odds and ends

Heysham Obs
This was undoubtedly one of the best single-day November species lists I can remember from here without anything particularly 'special'.  The wader flocks on the tideline between Ocean Edge and Potts Corner are spectacular with 3,500 or so Dunlin, 380 or so Grey Plover and up to 2,000 Barwit to add to the 17,000 Knot on this morning's neap high tide

North harbour wall
Twite - 17
Rock Pipit - 1
Meadow Pipit - 7
Dunnock - 2, including one in the mound gorse
Song Thrush - one descended into the gorse
Guillemot - one in the harbour
Med Gull - 2 adults (one Czech-ringed)
Sparrowhawk - 1CY male being a nuisance

Heysham nature reserve plus vis mig
Common Buzzard - one south (mobbed by Raven and Carrion Crow)
Whooper Swan - 5+ singleton (!) south
Mute Swan - 2 east
Pintail - flock of 22 south, then u-turned and headed north (seen from reserve)
Meadow Pipit - 11 SE
Chaffinch - 38 SW
Brambling - 1 SW
Reed Bunting - 4 S
Mistle Thrush - 1 SW
Skylark - 2 SW
Goldfinch - 20 SW
Greenfinch - 15 SW
Pink-footed Goose - 127 N, 116 S

Grounded
Chiffchaff - 1 (collybita)
Goldcrest - c6
Blackbird - 40-45
Redwing - 20, most flew high inland
Song Thrush - 2
Water Rail - 1+
Long-tailed Tit - flock of 6 unringed birds trapped

Ocean Edge/Red Nab/outfalls
Wheatear - rather small juv Northern with injured left leg
Jack Snipe - one flushed from saltmarsh
Twite - c29 saltmarsh, some flew towards harbour
Linnet - 18
Skylark - one grounded on saltmarsh
Reed Bunting - 2 in saltmarsh spartina
Rock Pipit - one
Little Gull - adult outfalls
Arctic Tern - juv outfalls (amazing it has stayed in this calm weather!)
Knot - 17,000

Insects
Despite the lower temperatures, the wind direction was better for the moth trap: 3 Mottled Umber, 3 Feathered Thorn and 2 Silver Y.  Two worker social wasps seen and a single Red Admiral