Saturday 2nd March 2013

Flat calm but still feeling like the bleak mid-winter. A couple of new Blackies on site & a Redpoll flew over. Offshore a Shag went north with the only other movements being 50 Cormorants, 32 Red-throated Diver, 6 Common Scoter & 2 Curlew north, 7 Red-throats & 2 Brents south.

Friday 1st March 2013

First day of the year when all the mist nets were opened for an airing - what with it being St.Davids Day, eisteddfod's, daffodils, leeks & all that malarky. 3 Blackies ringed is about what one would expect as this species has started returning to the continent in recent days. A healthy dose of retraps also caught as several of the residents here have had all winter to forget where the nets are. The only surprise was a retrap Goldcrest from last autumn as we haven't seen one since 3rd December last year. It just goes to show how secretive some birds can be (or how inept the observers are !). This is only the second time in the observatories history that a Goldcrest has successfully wintered here. Going north offshore 27 Cormorants, 16 Red-throated Divers, 2 Brents, 2 Common Scoter, Golden Plover plus a drake Goldeneye out of the river & straight out to sea. 4 Red-throats also went south.

February Ringing Totals

Grand total of 8 birds of 5 species:
Blackbird               3
Song Thrush           2
Greenfinch              1
Chaffinch                1
Great Tit                 1
Low single figures are the norm for us this century largely due to the horrendous decline in the Starling population. Basically if we don't get any serious cold weather then the number of new birds that arrive on site at this time of the year is low.

Thursday 28th February 2012

Less than half hours sea watch produced 32 Red-throated Divers & 2 Greylags north before it was mist net repair time. During the morning 2 Barnacles followed later on by another 20 Barnacles came out of the river then north. A solitary Rook came in from the north-east before leaving to the north over the docks & finally, a second-winter Yellow-legged Gull was with a small group of gulls in the near part of the docks. Later news is off a first winter Glaucous Gull following the Quindao Tower out to sea early pm.

Wednesday 27th February 2013

Total of 37 adult Gannets (including a flock of 31) heading back north to be nearer their breeding grounds. More unusual was a male Goosander going north that even landed on the sea for a while which is odd in itself. Two groups of Barnacles totalling 19 birds went south with the only other birds on the move being 6 Brent, 6 Cormorants & 4 Red-throated Divers going north. It's not getting any warmer. No sooner than pressing the publish button & a flock of 64 Barnacles & a Canada Goose have flown past north just offshore.

Tuesday 26th February 2013

Murky with poor visibility. Both Peregrines present & accounted for. The highlight of a walk around the reserve was a Mipit ! Later news concerns a  Pom Skua in the rivermouth early pm.

Monday 25th February 2013

Mist nets put up for the season this morning so observations limited. 2 Barnacle Geese south is the only sighting of note apart from the usuals that live/winter here.

Sunday 24th February 2012

Juv Gannet flew north is a bit unusual as nearly all the Gannets we see in winter are adults (not that we see many in winter !). Rock Pipit by the point & a Sanderling + 4 Turnstones on the back beach concludes the interest for this morning.