Heysham Obs
Interesting Twite statistics. 35 were caught yesterday, two lots of 20 were caught today. Only 10 of the 40 caught today were not caught yesterday and 7 of the first lot of 20 were retrapped in the second lot. Yet the grand total of Twite in the last two days has been c82 yesterday and c75 today with just 5-6 unringed/day. These probably accounted for the 5 unringed birds caught in the last two days. Conclusion being that there is a 'core' of habituated birds, a handful of unringed birds unfamiliar with whoosh nets and a gang of wary ones! Permission granted to use in Key Stage ?5 maths. 60-70 were back on the seed by lunchtime
Meadow Pipit and Kittiwakes were on the move today with three very short seawatches producing the latter and there may have been many others
North harbour wall
Twite - c75, including the usual Machrihanish-ringed bird
Med Gull - the displaying summer adults were still there early on at least
Mute Swan - 2 in harbour, one inshore
Vis mig
Kittiwake - flocks of 18, 38 and 15 seen heading up the bay early morning
Red-throated Diver - 3+1 as above
Carrion Crow - flock of four purposefully north
Grey Wagtail - one north
alba Wagtail - minimum of 35 north
Meadow Pipit - c480 north
Goldfinch - c20 north
large raptor - Buzzard or harrier spp as a disappearing V shape heading over Heysham head early on
Miscellany
Pintail - male still at Middleton
No Wheatear seen today
Knot - 8,200 on sands south of Ocean Edge
Bar-tailed Godwit - 2,850 as above
Dunlin - 2,400 as above
Grey Plover - 175 as above
