Doodling around yesterday evening checking XC, Metcheck, Ventursky etc seemed to show the approaching depression grinding to a halt and contorting itself amoeba-like producing (for Heysham) a slack, hopefully dry-ish east-south-easterly at least seeming to reach the east coast. This was supposed to be day two of the great wet and windy lie-in but Jean and I decided to go for the pre-dawn ringing start. Probably a mixture of odds and ends dropped by yesterday’s wet southeasterly and this mornings arrivals saw Yellow-browed Warbler in the first net of the first mist net round! The decent little session also produced a late Garden Warbler. Really grateful for detailed weather forecasts suggesting this successful option - ok sometimes they are wrong like yesterdays eight hour rain delay but sometimes the jackpot like this morning
New birds ringed this am:
Yellow-browed Warbler -1
Chiffchaff - 10
Goldcrest - 8
Blackcap - 6
Garden Warbler - 1
Chaffinch - 1
Goldfinch - 1
Greenfinch - 5
Coal Tit - 2
Great Tit - 1
Blackbird - 1
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| Yellow-browed warbler |
Only notable vis was a flock of 47 Woodpigeon south and 11 Jackdaw ‘purposefully’ south. Just low single figures of common finch species and thrushes with perhaps a spike of c20 Blackbird grounded. Incidentally the absence of Wrens in the nets has been puzzling although we are not complaining. Only 8 ringed all year at Heysham NR and the forecast suggests that might be it for migrant ringing this autumn
Teal 9 on No Swimming Pond.
Tufted Duck 4 and Gadwall 6 on the main pond.
Goosander 3 female types over heading west quite high.
Woodpigeon 24 heading south.
Great Spotted Woodpecker pair
Cetti's Warbler 3 singing.
Blackcap 6
Chiffchaff 5
Goldcrest just 1
Three tit flocks with 22 Long-tailed Tits and 3 Coal Tits.
Blackbird 40
Song Thrush 6
Redwing 35
Chaffinch 12 SW
Reed Bunting 2 dropped down then headed off SW high.
Had a scout around Moneyclose car park and nature park area but nothing calling/found, except a Chiffchaff and a Blackcap.
Imperial Rd (Malcolm) 10:30 - 11:00
Woodpigeon 35, feeding not moving through
Pheasant 1 male
Kestrel 1
Stonechat 1 female type
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| Stonechat |
Long-tailed Tits 8
Roebuck 3 - 1 mature plus 2 youngsters together
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| Mature Roebuck, his antlers are quite large |
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| This is one of this year's males, he is not sat down but beyond the crest of a slope. He only has tiny antler buds |
Heysham skear (Malcolm) 14:30 - 15:30
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| They were on the sea in all directions some close in others distant. There were always some on the move too. Making accurate counts difficult |
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| Red-breasted Mergansers |
Great Crested Grebe 6
Little Egret 8
Oystercatcher 500
Curlew 20
Black-Tailed Godwit 5 north
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| Black-Tailed Godwits flying towards the inner bay |
Redshank 250
Knot 100
Turnstone 45
