Avoidance Tactics

Redwings were arriving last night and my usual way of assessing how heavy the passage is, is to count how many calls I hear per minute. Lat night I was hearing on average 3 calls per minute, so the passage was fairly light, but at least they were here!

This morning I wanted to go birding, but avoid any numbers of people, and the reason being was that I didn't want to hear anyone discussing the results of the Japanese F1 GP or the Malaysian Moto GP, both of which were run in the early hours UK time. I am a big fan of these two motorsports, but birding comes first, and I had recorded both and it was my plan to watch them later. I wanted to get out and see what was about, so I planned to just bird a couple of migrant sites and then go home to watch the GPs before there were too many people about.

 Rossi; the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time)

I first went to Mount Park and straight away 6 Redwings came out of the site. Other thrushes included single Mistle and Song, and 3 Blackbirds. Vis included Chaffinch and Meadow Pipit going east in ones and twos and 30 Goldfinch east as well.

Redwing

There were a few grounded migrants including 3 Coal Tits, 2 Goldcrests, Chiffchaff and male Blackcap. The most bizarre sight I had was a pale bellied Brent Goose flying south with 4 Cormorants! Interestingly, Ian had 2 Brent Geese on the sea later in the morning off Rossall Point, but he couldn't 'race' them as they were a long way out and bobbing up and down on the sea.

 Coal Tit

I then went on to Fleetwood Cemetery and it was more of the same. I had 2 Redwings, 11 Meadow Pipits, 31 Chaffinch, 15 Siskins, 2 Skylarks, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch, 2 Swallows and a Rock Pipit go over on vis. A juvenile male Sparrowhawk caused a commotion as it shot along the west side of the cemetery.

 Reed Bunting

There were a few grounded migrants in the cemetery including 4 Blackbirds, 4 Robins and a Chniffchaff. There were more people around now, so it was time to go home and watch the GPs. As it was calm in my south facing garden (sheltered from the ENE) I put a net up and managed to ring 3 House Sparrows and a Great Tit.

House Sparrow and Great Tit. 

The odd background are the blinds in my ringing room, err conservatory!