Saturday 8 April 2023

More Swallows in the sunshine

A much warmer day, peaking at 16C. Very light winds initially NE and ending NW.

Report from Pete:
3Cy Shag feeding in low tide channel off Heysham north wall, near Naze end
17 Red-breasted Merganser
5 Great Crested Grebe
c150 Eider
2 Sandwich Tern. 
Migration: 
12 Lesser Redpoll north, 
13 Swallow, 
1 Sand Martin 
 c5 willow warbler Heysham Nature Reserve first thing  but no other evidence of migration with the cloud edge just too far to west. 

Heysham Nature Reserve 
Ringing report from Jean:

I was ringing at Heysham NR from 7am to 11am. Willow Warblers were singing loudly on arrival and seemed to be moving through as it went very quiet at 9am, however I didn't manage to catch any until one appeared in the net at 1015. 16 birds caught in total.


New birds:

Lesser Redpoll 2

Blackcap 1

Chiffchaff 2

Willow Warbler 1

Chaffinch 1

Goldfinch 2

Blue Tit 1


Retraps were recent birds coming to the feeders again:

Goldfinch 2

Dunnock 2

Wren 1

Reed Bunting 1


The Carrion Crows and Ravens were slugging it out again. Surprisingly the Crows managed to chase off the larger Ravens.


A Sparrowhawk was calling and displaying over the reserve.


A Pied Wagtail flew over (the only "vis"!)


South shore mid morning (MD)
Swallow 1 over as I got out of the car 09:15 then no others!
Wheatear 1 on foreshore 
Linnet 11 foreshore/Red Nab plus 3 near the lighthouse 
Kittiwake 2 x 2nd calendar feeding on the outflows, but they were back on their pipe when I reached the harbour.
2nd calendar year Kittiwake

Shag 1 immature on the wooden jetty, probably the same as the one seen feeding earlier by Pete.
Immature Shag with a couple of Cormorant 

Rock Pipit 3 - Red Nab, Sea wall and Lighthouse 

Nature Park
Mistle Thrush 2 (first records here this spring)
Mistle Thrush

It was nest building time for the residents 
Carrion Crow with Reed Mace 

Greenfinch with more modest nesting material

Small Tortoiseshell 1
Brimstone 1 male

Angela was pleased to see this Swallow resting outside her house this morning.
She saw 2 more Swallows come in off at Ocean Edge this evening,  a Wheatear and the Linnet were still there too.