Saturday 30 August 2008

A few migrants moving through

The most notable thing yesterday (Friday) was the number of hirundines around. I was aware of large numbers feeding from the moment I left home in the morning and all the way to Morecambe - there were feeding groups of mainly swallow with lesser numbers of house martin, all over the place. At Aldcliffe in the evening this was yet again evident with literally hundreds of birds, including a few sand martins, feeding over the fields and pools - doubtless fuelling up before taking advantage of the change in weather.
This morning, there were very few hirundines feeding in the Aldcliffe area but there was a definite thinly scattered but persistent movement south.

4 wheatear were on the tideline.
Going through a few tit flocks I came across just one chiffchaff and a single lesser whitethroat (yesterday evening one tit flock contained 6 willow warbler and a chiff). Another notable feature in the past couple of days is the 'return' of singing robins all along the cycle track - presumably establishing their winter territories.

2 green sandpiper were over the marsh and landed on the river off Heaton, I imagine these were the same 2 seen 20 minutes later at the regular haunt of the Wildfowlers' Pools.
A single common buzzard drifted over the marsh while both a peregrine and a female merlin also put in appearances. The resident raven pair were kicking about.
2 common sandpiper were on the Lune as was a shoveler in amongst a group of mallard.
Went through the gulls but despite the many BH's there were no Meds present.

Lots of dragonflies & damselflies around with dozens of common darter throughout the area and a single ruddy darter at Frog Pond. Brown hawkers were also much in evidence.

No comments: