Pre-work minima

Heysham Obs
Just a quick walk round the reserve pre-rain and a very quick check of the noth wall

Grounded on reserve
Blackbird - c15 - more than yesterday!
Redwing - 7 - flew inland
Goldcrest - 5 (4 more than yesterday)
Chiffchaff - one NE corner - a silent rather brown bird but not looking very siberian

North harbour wall
Med Gull - 2CY patrolling - very intermittent bird this one, also 1CY
Twite - 6 - flew off before rings could be checked for
Goldfinch - 14
Linnet - 2

Moths
Single December Moth, Feathered Thorn and two Mottled Umber is above average for November!

Same place, same time?

Heysham Obs
Two Waxwings dropped in, again at 0745hrs, before flying east, then another singleton arrived at 0930hrs and ate a few hawthorn berries.  Good late-season vis today:

Vis  mig dawn(ish) to 0930hrs unless stated
Waxwing - 2 circled down from height at 0745hrs, landed briefly, circled around then flew high inland at about 0755hrs, perhaps those two seen later in the morning on Brier Drive, Heysham village (thanks Susan).  Another 'appeared' on top of a bush at 0930hrs and remained until about 1000hrs, eating some hawthorn berries before seemingly heading towards the power station
Fieldfare - flock of 85 grounded, then 76 of then flew inland
Redwing - c15, including 3 with the above
Chaffinch - at least 55 SW
Goldfinch - 6 SW
Bullfinch - 2 SW
Meadow Pipit - 3 SE high
Twite - 2 S
Woodpigeon - flocks of 32+27+4 south
Pink-footed Goose - 85 SE at about 1030hrs

North harbour wall
No food and no finches early morning - nyger seed put down
1CY Med Gull patrolling
Afternoon saw:
Goldfinch - c15
Linnet - up to 4
Twite - at least 6 individuals, including Machrihanish-ringed bird from autumn 2011

Moths
Angle Shades and Feathered Thorn

Waxwings

Heysham Obs
Noisy flock of four flew south-west over the office and appeared to land at the southern end of the tank farm at 0745hrs

Vis mig until 0900hrs
Waxwing - 4 SW
Redwing - 11 SW
Meadow Pipit - 2 SE
Chaffinch - 42 SW
Goldfinch - 15 SW
Woodpigeon - flock of 32 south over golf course
Greenfinch - prob a few moving

North harbour wall
After several days of a small but steady increase in Twite, today saw a big step backwards, possibly due to the morning high tide and disturbance but a birder encountered by the heliport just as I was leaving came out with the statement that "there didnt seem to be any food and 5 Goldfinches were pecking around for a few seconds but didnt seem to be finding anything".  This immediately followed taking two people new to the area down there and similarly drawing a blank.  Something must have really hammered the food between late morning and early afternoon - rabbits?  Perseverance saw a brief visit by 15 Goldfinch and 3 Twite late afternoon (thanks Kevin)

Office area grounded
Very brief ringing session included a continental male Chaffinch with wing of 94mm

MothsNo moths in the trap but a Nettle Tap moth was in the mist net ride

Pre-rain whistle-stop tour

Heysham Obs

 

Waxwings: Two out of a flock of 15 located by Janet this morning at SD447634 (Westgate cycle track old railiway bridge) in appalling weather conditions.  Do let us know if you see any, please.

Heysham N Reserve circuit
A bit of a thrush arrival
Blackbird - c30
Redwing - c15
Song Thrush -  2
Goldcrest - 5

North harbour wall
Just one quick check of the feeder
Linnet - 3
Twite - 9 (including Machrihanish bird)
Goldfinch - 24
Rock Pipit -1
Meadow Pipit - 5
Purple Sandpiper- one at base of seawall

Moths
Two December Moth in one night may be unprecedented - certainly scarce here.  Also late Pink-barred Sallow, Feathered Thirn and Parsnip Moth

North wall exercise and a few moths

Heysham Obs

Seen leaving Red Nab.  Thanks Janet

Didnt get chance to scope the finches today, just a quick exercise circuit:

Twite - 13 at least
Linnet - 5
Goldfinch - at least 10
Song Thrush - one mound, then flew over harbour
Med Gull - 1CY along wall, ad in harbour mouth

Moths
Single Epirrita, Feathered Thorn and Light-brown Apple Moth

End of an era and a returning Machrihanish twite?

Heysham Obs
The Observation Tower, built to observe the construction of the power station, is no more.  Also no more of Britains most frequently asked question: "Why is the tower not open?"   "Why has the tower been knocked down?" will hopefully have a short shelf-life.  It has been the victim of risk assessments and 'unsafe design' for years, but knocking it down at an earlier stage was not straightforward.

North harbour wall
Twite - 14, including a Machrihanish-ringed bird from autumn 2011 which may have been one which wintered in 2011/12 - hopefully it will be caught and the number checked.  6 were unringed, one ringed bird was pre-2011/12 winter, but the rest seemed to be either from earlier this autumn or last winter period
Goldfinch - a cohesive flock of 25 made two visits to the feeder, displacing the Twite.  A minimum of 7 were unringed, probably more
Linnet - 4 - 2 unringed
Med Gull - 1CY 'working' the seawall
Purple Sandpiper - one on the rocks at the base of the seawall by the red gate

Heysham Nature Reserve
A lot of banging and clattering (see above),but two Goldcrests were heard calling by the office

Moth
Parsnip Moth

Purple Sandpiper and a much better ratio

Heysham Obs

Taken today along north harbour wall.  Thanks Janet

A few wintry bits today including a returning Purple Sandpiper and a welcome reduction in the multi-coloured 'nyger seed rats' (Goldfinch) and a proportionate increase in Twite to double-figures at last.  Please note that the nyger seed feeding station is part of a ringing study of Twite.

North wall
Purple Sandpiper - 1 (thanks Janet)
Twite - 11 (6 unringed)
Linnet - 3
Goldfinch - 5
Med Gull - ad & 1CY

Red Nab
Med Gull - ad
No sign of any Little Gulls on outfalls 

A coastal passerine day

Heysham Obs
The hoped for Snow Bunting was not found but a rather unexpected Chiffchaff consorted with Wrens in the bits and pieces of bramble around the harbour waterfall.  Pity the winter atlas isnt still in operation as it would have been new for SD35Z!   Part of the moning was also spent addressing the niger seed with a whoosh net and hoping the Goldfinch hordes would move on and leave the food for the Twite.  A control Goldfinch of the Y484 sequence was of interest

Thanks Janet for these,all taken by the waterfall on the south harbour

 





North wall
Twite - 4 flew in-off, but didnt linger, 3 new ones were ringed along with four retraps
Linnet - 2 ringed
Goldfinch - 21 new ones and a few retraps plus the abovementioned 'control'
Med Gull - 2 adults

Moth
Feathered Thorn in the trap   



Few birds but more wasps!

Heysham Obs
Amazingly, today saw the highest registration this year on the nuisance index by worker social wasps.  One appeared in the office and blundered around the computer screen, two visitors were buzzed, one visited the ringing (or ringingless (see below)) station outside the front door.  A belated nest must be breaking up.  This all provides a rather feeble attempt at creating interest on what was a pretty birdless, mothless and butterflyless day.  Normally Red Admirals brighten things up on sunny early November days, but there have been hardly any this year and no late ones

Heysham NR office area
Vis mig comprised two late Meadow Pipits heading SE together and 6 Chaffinch heading SW.  Ringing was fairly dismal with virtually nothing on the feeders and new birds amounting to about one per hour (Dunnock, Greenfinch, Goldfinch)

North harbour wall
Goldfinch - c40
Twite - 4-5
Med Gull - 2 adult

Not a great deal

Heysham Obs
First of all two alerts today where visitors were warned that this site was unsafe to visit because of the Fatbirder web link.  I googled this and found the Cornwall bird society site had faced this problem a few months ago.  Most odd.  If anyone can explain, please email me privately on PMrsh123@aol.com.  In the meantime, I've removed the link. 

Thanks go Ian for inshore stuff which was unfortunately limited to the two adult Mediterranean Gulls

A short tour of the reserve was similarly quiet with just 10-15 Blackbird and 6 Redwing of note

No moths