Saturday 13 August 2011

The bottomless pit

Heysham Obs
More Greenfinch ringing this morning with another 26 unringed birds, one of which escaped.  Only two retraps from previous occasions.  This is about 170 new birds since the feeding station as set up at the end of July - where have they come from as there is no obvious 'vis mig' at this time of year?  Most of them are birds of the year.

The outfalls were visited very briefly, but too late in the tide cycle. "Inevitably" there were four birders there wondering where everything was.  Maybe we need to continue to keep repeating that this site is no good on high 'spring' tides unless you are doing some 'pure' seawatching/landbird searching/waiting for Jack Snipe being flushed off Ocean Edge in winter

Little Gull - Ad on sea by Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Redshank - now 475 roosting on Ocean Edge saltmarsh
Turnstone - 17 roosting on Ocean Edge south shore

Insects
First Migrant Hawker (noticed) this autumn by the office during a small amount of afternoon sun which also produced a Comma and two Red Admiral on the buddleia.  No moths of interest.