Immobilised by a trapped nerve in the left leg is not a good recipe in an east wind, but a flurry of early stuff was followed by a very poor period with no sign of the anticipated Fieldfare wave (or later at High Tatham watching the Aire/Wenning flightline) and the more mobile members of the team also had rather meagre fare.
The next three mornings look pretty wet for the first three hours or so but the recipe for dropping a few late odds and ends is certainly there. However, this has been a most peculiar autumn with the awful 'in house' breeding season (notably, based on Heysham ringing totals in relation to effort, for Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit, Sedge Warbler, Greenfinch, Blackbird and even to a lesser extent e.g. Robin and Wren) compensated for by good numbers of presumed north European/west Siberian migrants inflating the ringing totals of e.g. Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest and contributing about 33% of the all time grand total for Yellow-browed Warbler.
However, there still seems to be a lot of unfinished business with continental Chaffinch/Brambling as well as the anticipated Fieldfare arrival. Sunday onwards looks good for vis mig.
Some more interesting ringing recoveries:
Grey Wagtail
Z835237 3 16.09.15 Middleton NRSighted 0 28.09.15 Blacon Chester (Cheshire) 91 km S in 12 days
Z297587 Ist CY. 6/9/15 Heysham NR, Lancs
Read in field: 26/10/15 Etherow country park, SJ973911, Greater Manchester
Dare one say "typical" sightings of this species, but they are part of a growing cluster along/near the M56 corridor
Goldcrest
CXK886 5M 27.01.15 Langport
Sewage Works (Somerset)Recaptured 4M 04.10.15 Heysham 334 km N in 250 days
This, of course, has not only flown north from Somerset but south from an unknown breeding site. The second adult bird ringed to the south of here caught this autumn
Lesser Redpoll
D519978 5 01.05.13 Humshaugh (Northumberland)
Recaptured 4M 12.10.15 Middleton
124 km SSW in 894 days
Heysham NR today
Long-tailed Tit - mainly unringed flock of about 17 (5 caught and ringed)
Coal Tit - one unringed bird and at least one south
Fieldfare - just 26
Redwing - just 43
Chaffinch - 45
Meadow Pipit - 8
Starling - 32
Pink-footed Goose - 175
Linnet - 2
Skylark - 5
alba Wagtail - 1
Grounded Heysham office area & tank farm
Song Thrush - 8
Blackbird - 10
Goldcrest - 5
Redwing - 1
Middleton
Lesser Redpoll - 2 ringed
Chiffchaff - 1 ringed
Goldcrest - 7 unringed birds caught
Redwing - 'a few' but just one ringed
North wall late morning
Linnet 19-21
Goldfinch 13-15
Twite 1
Robin 1
Reed Bunting 1
mostly on the seed, but not the Twite which was unringed and the gcs suggested 1CY
North wall late morning
Linnet 19-21
Goldfinch 13-15
Twite 1
Robin 1
Reed Bunting 1
mostly on the seed, but not the Twite which was unringed and the gcs suggested 1CY
Insects
Red Admiral - 2 south very purposefully
Silver Y - one in trap
