Stonechat movement begining

Very light variable breeze. Mainly overcast although the sun did make a few valiant efforts to break through in the morning.

First, Alison Hayward sent this nice shot of an immature Shag in the Harbour on Saturday (11/02)

Immature Shag

Today

Heysham Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Jean

I put a net up at the feeders again and soon caught 28 birds (17 new and 11 retraps) (Paul, John and Alan got roped in as well!)

New birds:

A nice surprise today was a Siskin - an adult male. 

The most  numerous species was Goldfinch with 8 caught 

Another surprise was catching no less than 5 Bullfinches (4 new and 1 retrap)

Other new birds were a Dunnock, 2 Blue tits and a Greenfinch

Retraps:

Blue Tits were the most numerous (5) but one was notable for its age: It was first ringed as a juvenile in September 2015, making it the grand old age of 7yrs and 5mths. The oldest captured Blue Tit in the UK was a bird in 1984 that was 9yrs 8mths 16dys, so the Heysham bird only has a couple of years to go to beat that record. The average age of a Blue Tit is 3yrs.

Two Long-tailed Tits were retrapped, one from this winter but the other was ringed on 15 March last year.

Other retraps were fairly recently ringed birds - a Great Tit, a Goldfinch, a Greenfinch, the Bullfinch mentioned above, a Robin, and a Dunnock

Two flocks of Pink-footed Geese flew over Heysham NR mid afternoon - one flock of 200 S and another unseen flock in the same direction. 

  

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

I was as breathless as the weather (man flu again!), and might not have bothered at all today, but I was committed to taking my daughter's dog out. We had a trundle around the reserve and I did feel a bit better for getting out. 

Still 2 additional adult Mute Swans on the "no swimming" pond.

Moorhen 6 

Coot 6 - the additional birds were not exactly welcomed!

Mallard 17 - 13 on the main pond plus 2 each "no swimming" pond and western scrape

Some of the main pond Mallard

Gadwall 12

Teal 8

Pochard 1 male

Grey Heron - the "resident" bird was present, but not where it normally rests,

Can't say I've seen the Heron on the pylon before

Redwing c15 milling around the eastern side.

Redwing

Song Thrush 3 - 1 singing

Blackbird 8

Jay 2

Jay

Great Spotted Woodpecker - drumming

Stonechat 2 - 1 female and a male. They were both close together, but the female quite elusive 

Meanwhile the male was much more prominent. Here he has a leather jacket (Crane Fly larvae). He flies with it to where the female was skulking (Bullfinch calling in the background)

The female was out of sight, but I assume he handed the grub to her as he quickly returned, empty billed.

Male Stonechat 

This is the male Bullfinch that was calling the in the above clip

On the way home I drove along Imperial Road, it can be good for Stonechat movement here, but none seen today.