An earlier start?

The intended seawatch was unfortunately later than intended and coincided with a big wadge of clearing skies and reducing wind speed with no squally gusts.  As a result most of the interest was of outbound birds on the first sweep

Sea 0925-1015
Kittiwake - flock of 22 lifted off then out
Little Gull - two adults heading steadily out quite distantly, juvenile out much closer
Red-throated Diver - two out - one close, one distant
Med Gull - ad harbour mouth
Shag - 1CY flew out of harbour towards wooden jetty

Friday

Shag - 1CY in harbour (thanks Janice)

Short seawatch
Kittiwake - 5
Red-throated Diver - 1

OE saltmarsh edge
Reed Bunting - gang of four (thanks for pic Malcolm of 3 of them)

Common Snipe - 5

Moths!

An adult kittiwake was hehind the iom ferry and the ferry disturbed the 1cy Shag

Mottled Umber and three Winter Moth in trap

Valiant effort

Malcolm braved the foul weather this morning for the following local patch notables:

Jack Snipe - one OE saltmarsh
Shag - 1CY at waterfall

1CY Shag

The 1CY Shag which first surfaced two days ago was again around the waterfall in the harbour today

Thanks Malcolm

Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Reed Bunting - 2 (1 ringed)
Linnet - 30
Meadow Pipit - 1

Clear as a bell

Common Scoter - flock of 5 females, two separate females, one separate male off Heysham Head
Eider - only c150
Great-crested Grebe - at least 7

Fleshfly agg - one at large in HNR car park

SUNDAY at the waterfall

Thanks Malcolm

Poor visibility and wet

Six Meadow Pipit by the Near Naze had obviously wandered from the heliport grassland

Ringing in November was unremarkable and very office feeder-net orientated, which meant a decent passage of Blackbird was not reflected in the ringing totals.  144 of 17 species.   Most notably, just two of these were Blue Tits and none were Great Tits!  Continental Song Thrushes have been like hen's teeth this autumn and the only one caught was given the Yellow-brow level of minor excitement!  A high, over 50%, ratio of new birds until a sudden change on 22nd Nov when just 8 out of 34 were unringed and no further ringing was undertaken after 23rd.  Top five were Greenfinch (41), Goldfinch (30), Chaffinch (19), Blackbird (18), Goldcrest (8).  One Greenfinch control. 

Standard seawatching fodder

Shag - the presumed long staying bird still around
Little gull - ad out
Kittiwake - 52 out including flocks of 6,11,31
Auk spp - one long range
Duck spp - one at long range and not a lot to go on but possibly of interest!
Common Scoter -usual flock of 7-8 with Eider
Eider - c400

Wild

Little gull - ad out during 40 min seawatching
Common Scoter - drake in
Shoveler - Male Still middleton
Gadwall - c23 middleton
Coot - 1
Teal - female with Wigeon Red Nab
R b merg- 3 red nab (2 drake)

No seaduck check