It was a clear start after a clear night so I didn't expect to catch much or be able to see much vis but surprisingly there was a steady little flow of Chiffchaffs and evidence of Icelandic birds arriving with Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese overhead. The latter two species take a day or two to reach the Heysham area and usually "stage" ie rest up and feed up in at Scottish sites and/or Cumbria before continuing south. The passerines listed in the vis below are the absolute minimum that flew over but give an indication of what species were going over.
Vis:
Pink-footed Goose 60
Whooper Swan 18
Pied/White Wagtail 3
Chaffinch 9
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 3
Siskin 1
Reed Bunting 1
Ringing:
32 birds were caught in 5 hours, 21 were new and 11 were retraps
Blue Tit 0 new, 2 retraps (both this year's young birds)
Great Tit 1 new, 2 retraps ( ditto)
Long-tailed Tit 2 new
Chiffchaff 9 new
Goldcrest 1 new
Robin 2 new, 2 retraps (one a year old, the other this year's young)
Dunnock 1 new, 4 retraps (one a year old and the others this year's young)
Chaffinch 3 new, 1 retrap (from this year)
Greenfinch 1 new
Goldfinch 1 new
Also present on the reserve:
A Jay, probably collecting or burying acorns
13 Carrion Crows - these gather on the pylon opposite the office and call each other in forming a "parliament" of crows. They then disperse in various directions to feed or some at this time of year migrate south.
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| Immature Shag |
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| You can see in these last shots that the whelk shell is plummeting point down, and appearing empty. This is what you would expect for a Hermit crab, it would retreat right to the back of its shell, placing the centre of gravity just behind the point of the shell. Perhaps the architect of its own doom! |
The gull got there first this time, but had to repeat the process. I left them to it. My money would still be on the Hermit Crab, or at least on the whelk shell not breaking. I've never found a shell broken at the tip. That said, the gulls and the crows both seemed expectant, so perhaps the pounding renders the Hermit crab senseless and then easier pickings. I do regularly find empty whelk shells. |
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| Ringed Plover |
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| This is the new adult on the "no swimming" pond |
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| I didn't manage to see one this afternoon, but Mark Jones took this shot shortly before I arrived |
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| I thought this Brown rat was scurrying off with a wafer biscuit...... |
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| ........but it turned out to be a complete fat ball! |
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| Heron resting on the wooden jetty |
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| A smallish Blenny first dive |
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| Quite a large one, as Blennies go, the next dive |
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| Wigeon |
