Saturday 17 March 2012

All sorts of odds and ends on the move

Heysham Obs
Heysham NR office area
My muttered request to the rain clouds to stay away from here worked well-enough to allow a morning's ringing, albeit with double the usual number of mist-net rounds and a careful eye kept on the sky.  The ringing was not quite what was expected with a real mixed bag, in contrast to the Goldcrest-fest of the previous few days
Blue Tit - three unringed birds caught
Long-tailed Tit - unringed bird caught
Dunnock - unringed bird caught
Robin - 4 migrants caught
Blackbird - female ringed with 'continental' wing length
Goldcrest - just four ringed and another escaped from the net
.............plus a few Chaffinch & Greenfinch finches  

North harbour wall
Twite - 10 (one unringed out of 7 examined)
Linnet - 2
Goldfinch- 2
Song Thrush - one on mound
Robin - one on mound (first for a bit, presumed migrant)
Common Scoter - 65 (flying about, then on), 4 'in' at 0800hrs
Red-throated Diver - 2 'out' at 0800hrs
(no Shag seen)

Half-Moon Bay
Wheatear (2) - 2CY male-type and ad male-type - same birds as yesterday moved north a bit?

Vis mig by the office
Sand Martin - 2 north (IOY)
Sparrowhawk - female north-east (high)
Woodpigeon - possible migrants comprised flocks of 5 & 4 & 6 arriving from SE and landing
Meadow Pipit - 15 north
Sisikin - 3 north
Chaffinch - 14 north
Grey Wagtail - one north

Moths
Hebrew Character (12), Clouded Drab (1), Double-striped Pug (1)