Thursday 18 September 2008

Chiffchaff fall and late Yellow Wagtail

Heysham Obs
A bit like the old days without the fitness level for me today. Pre-dawn mist net setting (just two), a Grey Wagtail tape, and then concentration on 'vis' between mist net rounds. This was a short session due to work committments (dawn-0900hrs)

Grounded
Chiffchaff - good numbers with at least 20 passing through the bushes within view of the NR office (4 ringed)
Goldcrest - just 2 (one ringed)
Robin - a lot of ticking birds first thing but just one ringed
Blackcap - thin on the ground this autumn so far, so a single low weight/low fat bird ringed was actually notable!
Kingfisher - one heading for the Obs Tower Pond at some unearthly hour (hence forgetting about it)

Vis mig
Yellow Wagtail - one quite low to the SSW at 0750hrs - sounded like flavissima
House Sparrow - one heard but not seen very high in sky heading south at 0840
Chaffinch - 42 SW
Meadow Pipit - just 152, mainly SE
Grey Wagtail - 4 S/SE (2 colour-ringed)
Siskin - 12 S/SE
alba Wagtail 19 SE
Redpoll agg. 1 S
Linnet - 6 S
Greenfinch - 1 S
Goldfinch - 71 S
Swallow - 18 S/SE
Mistle Thrush - 11 E
Raven - 2 E & 1 NW (not sure what the status of these was)

Elsewhere
Nothing yet but keep your eyes on the sky as plenty of Honey Buzzards on pager, albeit all but one east of the Pennines [Red-backed Shrike still Rossall]. Black-necked Grebe Conder Pool. Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher Freeman's Wood

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