Sunday 1 October 2017

Intermittent migration

The forecasted rain belted through much earlier than anticipated and was followed by a slacker period where we, not for the first time this autumn, dodged heavy showers hitting SW Cumbria or just south of us.  Then the wind took over, albeit not a helpful direction for any seabirds.....yet

A grey-backed Lapwing on Ocean Edge foreshore saw no Pallas's Peewit fitting the bill, unlike the charter-plane-launching probable Siberian Oystercatcher on Shetland.  Undoubtedly a bit of leucism.



A 40 foot net was set near the office where it is completely sheltered and the feeder net was also run until the wind got up.  Not a bad catch of 31 new birds

Miscellany
Gadwall - record count of 26 on Middleton
Coot - 1 Middleton
Mute Swan - 4 ads and 2 1CY
Tufted Duck - pair
Moorhen  7
Water rail - 2
Little Egret - 8 on shore
Wigeon - 5 Red Nab
Med Gull - 2 ads
No small calidrids within identifiable range

Grounded
Treecreeper - one ringed Hey NR office area
Chiffchaff - 3 ringed and only a couple of additional birds reported.  None at all on Middleton
Goldcrest - a handful compared to yesterday around Hey NR and 10 ringed
Blackcap - at least one (1 ringed)
Song Thrush - 6 birds grounded then flew high to the east
Robin - one new bird ringed
Coal Tit - no obvious vis mig but two unringed birds caught

Vis mig
Linnet - 6 SE (flock)
Redpoll  1 S
Skylark - 26 SE (flock of 25)
Goldfinch - 115 S
Grey wagtail - 1 SE
Swallow - 1 SW
Meadow Pipit - 68 SE
Chaffinch - 15 S
alba Wagtail - 28 SE

Butterfly
Very late male Large White getting buffeted around

Fungi
A rare foray into this topic - these Fly Agaric were on Heysham NR: