Heysham Obs
The sort of cold and clear conditions which kick-start corvid movements, render small bird vis rather tricky at a low-level site and produce a dearth of night migrants. A few Mistle Thrushes on the move
Vis mig on and off dawn to about 1000hrs
Siskin - 3
Carrion Crow - 17 (max flock 6)
Chaffinch - 105 SW
Grey Wagtail - 4 SE, possibly 6 but one appeared to be off-passage
Goldfinch - at least 19 migrants S
Coal Tit - at least 17 migrants, mainly heading south (7 ringed) and one of yesterday's birds ringed at Heysham NR retrapped at Middleton this morning
Jackdaw - 54 SW (max flock 24)
Meadow Pipit - just 12 seen SE
Mistle Thrush - 2+3+11 SW
alba Wagtail - at least 35 SE
Bullfinch - 1 S & others heard in bushes which may have been on the move
Skylark - at least 8 SE
Blue Tit - 3 flying high to the south & another two unringed birds caught together, a further 3 ringed at Middleton - multiple movement at last!
Jay - one to south & it or another over Middleton
Greenfinch - as in other recent days, ignored but some of the trickle may have been on the move
Reed Bunting - 1 SE & 4 ringed at Middleton & 2 on north wall
Pink-footed Goose - four flocks of c100 (3) and 72 SE
Lesser Redpoll - 5 ringed (Middleton) but none heard arriving!
Grounded
Blackcap - 4 (3 ringed) - all high fat/high weight off-passage birds, one ringed Middleton
Chiffchaff - just the one encountered at Middleton, none Heysham NR
Goldcrest - just 2 unringed birds encountered at HNR
Snipe - 11 Middleton
Song Thrush - at least 4 dawn migrants round HNR office (one ringed)
Wren - 7 ringed, obviously some movement
Dunnock - no evidence of any migrants
Robin - no evidence of any migrants at Heysham NR (locals singing from dawn), but 3 ringed on Middleton
Ringing recovery
A colour-ringed adult female Ringed Plover on the heliport at the high tide roost on 17/9/12 (only) was ringed at nearby Arkholme in the Lune valley on 17/6/99 (as nesting adult female)
Ringing at Middleton/Heysham NR
New birds, indicating the lack of 'night' migrants: Goldcrest (2), Wren (7), Chaffinch (3), Song Thrush (1), Coal Tit (7), Blue Tit (6), Great Tit (1), Greenfinch (6), Goldfinch (3) Robin (3), Long-tailed Tit (1), Grey Wagtail (1), Lesser Redpoll (5), Reed Bunting (4), Blackcap (4), Chiffchaff (1)
North wall
Reed Bunting - 2 on seed along with c12 each of Linnet and Goldfinch
Outfalls
Predictably, in the conditions, no sign of any terns left in late afternoon. Ad Little Gull and 9 Med Gulls
Moths
Not too bad, but routine with Feathered Ranunculus the best
