At Least We Didn't Slip Up

It seems a long time now since weekend, particularly as I was looking forward to getting some ringing in, but the forecast Friday evening indicated that it would be too windy for any mist nets! Saturday dawned and I headed to the coastal farm fields at the Obs. It seemed quite calm at first, but the wind very quickly picked up and I could console myself with the fact that at least we hadn't slipped up!

At first light I had full cloud cover with a 10-15 mph SE wind. I headed along the track ducking every other second to avoid the Wasps that were speeding along here, it was like a motorway for Wasps! I witnessed this phenomenon last year, and can only assume it is Wasps leaving what is left of their nests and heading out to feeding areas.

I walked the fields and hedges and there wasn't any grounded migrants. I headed to the mound behind the sea wall and set my scope up. The sea was very quiet and for what it's worth all I had was 17 Cormorants, three Auk sp., five Sandwich Terns and a Teal.

Of interest from a wader perspective was a group of five Bar-tailed Godwits on the beach; obvious migrants that had dropped in for a rest.

The vis was slow as well with just three Tree Pipits, six Meadow Pipits, ten House Martins, six Alba Wags and a Grey Wagtail south.

I watched the above Grey Heron fishing in one of the tidal pools and you 

can see from the picture below that it caught a small fish before flying off.

I then headed to the cemetery to have a look there to see if there was any grounded migrants, and there wasn't. I had a bit more vis in the form of three Swallows and a Tree Pipit south.

I've got my last three woodland bird surveys to squeeze in this week starting with one in northeast Cumbria tomorrow, so I'll let you know if I record anything interesting.