In the background throughout was the beautiful sound of a singing Mistle Thrush. I caught 18 birds, 7 of which were retraps .
The main aim was to catch Redpolls which are on the move at the moment heading to their breeding areas further north. A few came down but only two were caught, including the brightly coloured adult male in the photograph. It was a “control” - a bird ringed somewhere else, not at Heysham. We are awaiting details.
List of birds caught:
Goldfinch - 5 new
Greenfinch - 1 new
Chaffinch - 1 new
Lesser Redpoll - 1 new, 1 control
Chiffchaff - 1 new
Robin - 1 new, 1 retrap
Wren - 1 retrap
Blackbird - 1 new
Blue Tit - 2 retraps
Great Tit - 1 new
Dunnock - 1 retrap
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| This morning's previously ringed Lesser Redpoll Ringing location details awaited |
A Reed Bunting was singing in the vicinity of the Fire Pond.
Heysham Skear (Malcolm)
No Brent geese seen today
Pink-Footed goose four large flocks heading North
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| Pink-Footed geese high to the north |
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| Pink-Footed geese |
Whooper Swans 34
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| The sky was white, the sea was flat and reflecting the sky. Spotting swans wasn't easy! |
Eider 120 many quite distant, only observable due to the flat sea.
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| Eider close in, plus many of the specks on the "horizon" are also Eider. |
Red-breasted Merganser 12
Great Crested grebe 8
Little Egret 5
Oystercatchers flew directly from the outer skear to the waterline when displaced by the tide at least 1,000.
Curlew 3
Redshank 350
Knot - there were none feeding on the skear this morning and at least one of yesterday's birds was seen on Ainsdale shore today.
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| This Icelandic ringed Knot was feeding here yesterday. Today it was seen On Ainsdale shore some 30+ miles south |
Three flocks of constantly calling Knot flew from the north and continued south this morning. A total of 700 birds, they were flying in very spread out formation, not the tight balls that you normally see.
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| Part of today's largest flock of Knot passing over to the south. |
Ocean Edge (Janet)
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| Two Wheatear along foreshore |
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| Rock Pipit also on foreshore |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Looks to be a Green-Veined White |
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| Goldfinch taking nesting material from Janet's "feeder" |
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| One of two pairs of Jackdaw nesting in roofs near Meldon Rd |
Kevin Eaves had a walk along the south sea wall and spotted this beetle - not that it needed much spotting, it is a big one!
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| Hairy Rove Beetle They are fairly widespread but not common. |
