Not sure whether it is more tedious for me writing this blog at this time of the year or more tedious for you lot out there reading it ! Today's migrant is a Fieldfare. Offshore "same old same old" despite the wind picking up with over an hour staring out producing south bound 5 Wigeon, 4 Brent, 3 Red-throated Divers, 2 Gannet, 2 Shelduck & Guillimot plus north bound 4 Brent, Red-throated Diver & Oyk.
Ringing: 1 Greenfinch (the first this month following on from a poor autumn for them ringing wise).
Friday 19th December 2014
10 Ringed Plover, 3 Sanderling & 3 Turnstone were on the beach around high tide. Offshore still tedious with 290 Cormorants heading out plus south bound 4 Shelduck & 2 Red-throated Diver and north bound 3 Red-throated Diver. A Sparrowhawk flew south over the river heading for Dovercourt which could be either migrating or just crossing to Essex for breakfast. 3 Little Owls obvious this morning which partly explains all the noise they have been making over the last month - either this years youngster is proving difficult to evict or junior plans on overthrowing one of it's parents.
Ringing Recoveries
Adult female Blackbird ringed here 14th November 2013 killed by a cat 225km away at Kapellen, Antwerpen, Belgium 16th June 2014 which is presumably it's natal area. Chiffchaff ringed at Creeting St Mary 13th September 2014 caught here 31km away five days later. Grey Wagtail ringed as a pullus 12th April 2014 caught here 108km away 28th September 2014 - not sure what this tells us about Grey Wagtail passage here except that we still have more to learn !
Thursday 18th December
2 Redwing plus a Mipit south are today's migrants noted in basic coverage. 40 mins seawatch produced just 2 Red-throated Diver + 77 Cormorants heading out.
Wednesday 17th December 2014
Avocet flying south is today's highlight - when you consider that this species is highly sociable in winter congregating in often large flocks it is difficult to know what possess's one individual to migrate on it's own at this time of the year. Apart from this deadly quiet with 351 Cormorants heading out early on and south bound 3 Common Scoter, 3 Shelduck & Red-throated Diver. On the reserve single Rock Pipit & Meadow Pipit but apart from that it's down to a few "garden" type birds that live or come here for the winter.
Tuesday 16th December 2014
405 Cormorants counted heading out to sea this morning. Offshore migration fairly limited at the moment with 9 Shelduck south plus Red-throated Diver & Brent Goose north this mornings sightings. Looks like the Mistle Thrush is still with us with other sightings worth a mention being 5 Linnet (not often here with us in the winter), Redwing & a late Mipit heading south. In the afternoon 2 Turnstone & a Dunlin were on the beach.
Monday 15th December 2014
Glorious winters morning. 4 Redwing were new in with a Mistle Thrush also noted which is the third record of it's kind in the past week which is making me suspect it might be the same individual loitering in the general area paying us a visit (Mistle Thrush's are largely non-existent in the Felixstowe area). Limited observations out to see produced south bound 70 Teal, 13 Wigeon, 5 Red-throated Diver & Red-breasted Merganser plus north bound 3 Red-throated Diver.
Sunday 14th December 2014
3 Goosanders in off & inland are this mornings highlight. A flock of 40 Wigeon + a Teal came out of the river then north but, apart from at least 380 Cormorants loitering well offshore, movements were limited to 2 Shelduck & 2 Grey Plover south with 2 Brent & Gannet north (although very little time spent starring out to sea this morning). Male Peregrine had breakfast on the beach fairly early on but a look for the corpse later failed (but a dog running loose bolting off away carrying something with the owner shouting obscenities at it's pet in a futile attempt to see what it was about to swallow might have something to do with it).
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