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