Redwing Throlly

I love some of the local and old names for birds and 'Redwing Throlly' is a Yorkshire name for Redwing. Others include Redwing Mavis (Forfar), Red Thrush (Midlands), Wind Thrush (Somerset), Windle (Devon) and Little Feltyfare (East Lothian) to name but a few. This morning when loading my car for my site visit I instantly had nine Redwings go over high heading southwest and they had been on the move last night as well. I keep all my beer in a fridge in the garage and I enjoy walking across the garden during these autumn evenings to select a real ale and listen to the Redwings and Blackbirds going over en route.

My site visit was to the West Pennines to the east of Accrington and as I turned on to the M61 from the M6 I had a Raven drifting north over the central reservation. Not a motorway tick per se, but certainly a motorway tick in this part of Lancs. Redwings were a feature of the morning and as I stepped out of my car at the site I was visiting I could hear Redwings calling and a flock of a hundred headed southwest. During my hour and a half visit I didn't have any more, but this could have been because of the location of the high ground to my north and east.

The view from the office today - that hill in east Lancs where the witches 
come from!

The small supporting avian cast included 3 Woodpigeons SW, a female Kestrel, six Meadow Pipits (off passage), two Reed Buntings and some calling Siskins (I couldn't see them so don't know whether it was one or ten!).

The forecast is okay for tomorrow so I will try and sneak out for an hour first thing before I have to spend the rest of the day report writing!