Clear and cloudless

Heysham Obs

One of today's Meadow Pipits.
Note the dark "thorns" on the median coverts - this indicates it is a young bird born last year (5 in ringing parlance, 2CY in other parlance)

Unlike yesterday's cloud cover and low-flying Meadow Pipits, this was is a "stratosphere" day with any vis mig presumably out of visual and audible range for the most part.

Highlights so far:
Cetti's Warbler singing and calling from the usual place at Middleton - presumably it hadn't gone! (per Malcolm)

Vis 0800-1200
Siskin - 5
Meadow Pipit - 27
Pied Wagtail - 1

North Harbour Wall
Eider - 327 in the low tide channels
Great-crested Grebe - 3
Red-breasted Merganser - 12 (in pairs)

Middleton Nature Reserve
Mute 3 pairs
5 tufted
2 mallard
0 teal, pochard or gadwall
1 little grebe
1 cetti's warbler
3 reed bunting
58 pink-foot NE

Ocean Edge
2 little egret
2 stonechat (Female)


What looks like Mompha jurassicella was in the (proper!) toilet!

Meadow Pipit pulse Sunday 13th March

Heysham Obs
The first day of any 'real' vis mig with intermittent coverage during the morning suggesting Meadow Pipit were in the region of 60 per hour N/NE, with a significant proportion of these over the sea

Vis mig intermittent 0800 onwards
Meadow Pipit - 186
alba Wagtail - 37
Skylark - 1
Reed Bunting - 1
Goldfinch - 4+

Ringing included 5 x Meadow Pipit, 3 x Goldfinch, an unringed Robin

Saturday 12th March

Not a lot happening today other than in the moth trap which held a couple of new for the year Common Quaker and a Mompha, thought probably to be a well-marked subbistrigella

A bit of vis produced a Grey and two alba Wagtail north but no Meadow Pipit

North Harbour Wall
Goldfinch - 9
Eider - 9
Red-breasted Merganser - 2 pairs floated into the Bay

Today was final record of over wintering male blackcap in Heysham garden. Gave 5 minutes of song in late afternoon, then was seen or heard no more. MD 17/3/16