Twitter

A Twitter feed for this blog has been available for some time but by adding a Twitter feed button on the blog to advertise this fact has resulted in more people signing up. The way we are using this at the moment is just as a means of notifying you that the blog for that day has been published. Unfortunately, if after a blog is published for that day and then edited later on, to add extra information, it appears that this will not result in another "tweet" being sent out in the same way that it does not change the time that the blog was published. Although blogs are not altered very often, on occasions decent birds have been found later in the day & edited into the days blog. As far as we are concerned Twitter is a work in progress but be warned that if a blog is edited then this does not result in a fresh "tweet". Hope that makes sense.

Monday 4th February 2013

A Rock Pipit going south is notable as none are wintering here this winter - in fact for those of you who wander up our estuaries in the winter the cataclysmic decline in the numbers of this species wintering in local saltmarsh's & along sea walls is almost depressing as this is yet another example of a severely declining common species that we, until quite recently, took for granted. Only other things of note on the rough pad for today are 12 Red-throated Divers, 2 Oystercatchers & a Skylark south plus 2 Great-crested Grebes north. 6 Med Gulls in the View Point car park a couple of minutes ago.

Sunday 3rd February 2013

Cold & dull. 9 Red-throated Divers north & a Shelduck south. Fairly grim returns but it's not all that bad with c1,000 seagulls to look at in the harbour area following ships (+ another 1,000 a long way out). Interestingly many of the Herring Gulls are pairing up & loitering around favoured nesting sites in the docks but only one Lesser Black-back seen this morning as they haven't even contemplating returning so far. With a northerly air flow due this coming week then if we are going to get any big white winged gulls then now's the time.  Finally the Sanderling is still on the beach.

2012 Ringing Totals

For those of you have trouble sleeping the 2012 ringing totals & updated stats are now on www.lbo.org.uk & if that doesn't do the trick nothing will. Seriously, the annual totals were higher due to the best spring for years & some notable late autumn falls. Wheatear & Lesser Redpoll figures were impressive as was a record day catch of Ring Ouzel & our 5th best day ringing total of 296 birds on 22nd October.

Saturday 2nd February 2013

The cold wind doth blow & we shall have wintry showers. A Skylark went south but nil sign of any other movements. Despite the cold the local Great Tits are singing well.

Friday 1st February 2013

Dull & wet morning. On the move going north 45 Brents + 2 Red-throated Divers & going south 9 Barnacles, 2 Gadwal, Shelduck & Grey Plover. The Water Rail is still with us & the only other thing worth a mention is a new Chaffinch ringed.

January Ringing Total

For what it's worth 21 birds of 9 species ringed (compared with just 1 bird of 1 species ringed in both 2011 & 2012).

Black-headed Gull 7, Song Thrush 7, Med Gull 1, Herring Gull 1, Common Gull 1, Water Rail 1, Woodcock 1, Blackbird 1 & Greenfinch 1.