Very light and variable breeze till mid morning, then it increased slightly and remained a southerly for the rest of the day. Very low cloud till late morning when the sun broke through for a while. Dry.
It was ideal weather this morning but only two nets set to sample what might be about. Twenty one birds caught eventually including five Chiffchaffs and another unringed Cetti's Warbler.
Meadow Pipit 1
Wren 1 retrap
Redwing 2
Cetti's Warbler 1 + 2 retraps
Chiffchaff 5
Goldcrest 3 + 3 retraps
Great Tit 1
Reed Bunting 2
At about 07.30 the Pink-footed Geese put on a noisy and spectacular show with a few thousand filling the sky above the reserve and over as far as the shore, flying low northwards to their feeding grounds. (Just before 17:00 they made the return trip flying low, first over Janet's house then over mine (MD))
I was also entertained by a Stoat towards the end of concrete road which darted about bothering a pair of Pied Wagtails that had landed there - they did not seem sufficiently alarmed to fly away until the confrontation had carried on for at least ten minutes.
A number of Meadow Pipits that responded to my mp3 player (7-10) could have been late migrants but might also have been local birds.
I had a quick look round after lunch (MD)
Mute, Mallard and Moorhen unchanged
Gadwall 26
Tufted Duck 2 males
Shoveler 1 female
Cetti's warbler singing from central marsh
Chiffchaff 2 heard calling
Meadow Pipits 4 (3+1) drifting through to south
Pete and Jean did the Webs count today.
These highlights from Pete:
Black Redstart 1 Female/imm near naze area at south end Heysham heliport. It was catching insects along with c5 pied and one Grey Wagtail plus one Rock Pipit and Meadow Pipit - a lot of chasing and spooking each other.
It was mobile and elusive and may have gone along seawall towards harbour mouth.
At 15:00 Jean counted 22 Pied Wagtail feeding.
I checked a little later (MD). Couldn't find the Black Redstart, but there were probably more Pied Wagtail, plus 3 Meadow and 1 Rock Pipit.
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| Not a great shot, but a good comparison of Meadow Pipit (above) and Rock Pipit On Heliport wall |
A second Black Redstart was very mobile between the slipway and Red Nab on Ocean Edge foreshore, located by Alan Physick.
This full report from Jean:
South shore (MD)
I checked in the morning, no sign of the Black Redstart then
Lapwing 90 out from saltmarsh
Shelduck 58 most in the freshwater pool out from Red Nab
Wigeon 165 in channel along No.2 outflow
Greenfinch 7 at Red Nab
Rock Pipit 1 Red Nab
Meadow Pipit 3 landed briefly near the lighthouse before heading off to the north side (possibly the ones seen feeding later)
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| Meadow Pipit silhouetted on the sea wall |
Just as I got back to Red Nab, the sun finally broke through the low clouds. As I reached the gate to track to the Nature Park a "dragonfly" was flying north over the copse just behind Red Nab. Too distant to make out any colours, but its size and shape would normally be enough to identify it as a Migrant Hawker, but I couldn't be certain.
Goldcrest 1 near small anemometer
Goldfinch 70+ in one flock milling around over the non operational land just north of the Nature Park.
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| Goldfinch flock - if you open this shot you can identify most of the birds. |
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