Heysham Bird Observatory: 11/18/25

The forecast had been for light showers, but they were heavy and occasionally of hail. Kevin's weather station recorded 18mm of rain during today's daylight hours. A variable and gusty wind mainly from the west.

Here are the ringing totals for this year

Some Comments:

1) Equal highest ever Chiffchaff numbers and by far the highest in October

2) Blackcap boosted by good October passage

3) Coal Tit and Long tailed tit autumnal movement giving above average totals

4) Very poor late autumn Greenfinch passage

5) Non-existent autumn Bullfinch passage

6) Very poor Wren passage, especially October

7) No decent Redwing falls

8) Despite MP3 playing the significant redpoll passage in autumn to the east of here was not replicated over here

9) Midsummer/early autumn ringing below par but not as bad as last year

10) Grey Wagtail ringing disrupted by seabird weather at the peak time!

11) Dreadful autumn passage for Meadow Pipit

12) Cetti’s continue to increase, especially autumn migrants

Imperial Rd (Malcolm)

I called in three times this morning, before I eventually managed a gap in the rain. But there was little to see at first.

Little Egret 2

Cetti's warbler 1 glimpsed

No Water Rails calling today

Stonechat 1 female type located just before the rain returned.

Female/first winter Stonechat, you can see the first streaks of rain

South shore (Malcolm) 12:30 - 14:00

It poured down as I was walking out along the sea wall.

Wigeon c80 still around the edges of Red Nab, but beginning to disperse

I took shelter under No.2 outfall superstructure for a while. Plenty of feeding gulls but all Black-Headed. This clip gives an impression of the conditions.

Wigeon in a sea of raindrops

There was little along the rest of the sea wall except for a handful of Black-Headed gulls on No.1 outfall and a few Cormorants still on the wooden jetty roost.

The rain stopped for a while on the way back

Curlew 6

Turnstone 5

Redshank 35