Friday 14 October 2011

Good coastal vis and a new moth

Heysham Obs
A dawn until midday session was again lacking in exotic eastern fare but was a pretty decent day for vis mig plus a smattering of odds and ends in the mist nets

Heysham office area vis mig first light-1200hrs (last hour very intermittent)
Reed Bunting - 4
Chaffinch - 305
alba Wagtail - 51
Redwing - 50 or so at dawn plus 253, including a flock of 112.  Most of the rest were with large Fieldfare flocks
Fieldfare - 985, largest flock 220
Song Thrush - 7 migrants on vis mig
Bullfinch - 9 south, mainly singletons but also a flock of 3
Meadow Pipit - 30
Goldfinch - 35
Dunnock - 1
Linnet - just 3
Sparrowhawk - three singletons high to the south (2 females)
Starling - three flocks southbound totalling 115
Greenfinch - 53
Swallow - 2
Grey Wagtail - 2
Mistle Thrush - 2
Brambling - just one heard
Snipe - 1
Skylark - 52
Crossbill - one
Woodpigeon - 12
Raven - 2+2+1 south-west

Grounded
Not brilliant
Chiffchaff - 2-3
Goldcrest - 2-3 new ones & a handful of lingering retraps
see above for early morning Redwings
Song Thrush - not many - c5 going inland at dawn
Blackbird - at least 3 perceived migrants at dawn

Ringing
New birds: Chiffchaff (1), Goldcrest (2), Great-spotted Woodpecker (1), Greenfinch (7), Chaffinch (11), Robin (1), Coal Tit (2), Redwing (1), SongThrush (1), Wren (1), Blue Tit (6), Great Tit (1)

Moth
Acleris hyemana is new for SD45 - it frequents heather clad lowland raised bogs and heathland and can be found locally on Heysham Moss (SD46) and Winmarleigh Moss (SD44).  There is some of the 'correct' habitat actively managed on Heysham Nature reserve.  Thanks John.