Friday 14 October 2011

Crossbill Traffic (so hard to get through to you)

Dan again.

A bit of visible migration this morning (0830-1230), but lower figures than might have been expected, especially with big numbers of winter thrushes moving a few miles either side of the patch.

Fieldfares were in shorter supply than yesterday and chaffinches, also a key feature of local vis-mig logs, were barely into double figures.

I didn't scribble much down on account of the strange paucity of vis, with only skylark, meadow pipit, linnet, alba wagtails and c.50 redwings getting into mid-double figures.

All that being said, the morning was fun nonetheless, with a party of seven crossbills briefly circling the walled meadow as if to land, before gaining height and chip-chip-chipping off West.

This is a new species for my own Aldcliffe list, if my memory serves me well.. Mr. Carter-- have you recorded them here before?

Two Southbound bramblings were also nice to see and hear. Single figures of tree sparrow, swallow, reed buntings, mistle thrushes and high Eastbound snipes were also noted overhead.

Five chiffchaffs and 3 goldcrests were seen. A green sandpiper was at Freeman's Pools and a greenshank is still using Aldcliffe Marsh.

DH

2 comments:

Ernest said...

I got a Crossbill a few years ago, flying over the sewage works... and a few years before that, 3 circled round my house for a few turns. Hey... today [Friday] down at Aldcliffe, rather jammily, 5 Swallows went over the little cutting. Now that is late. I was chuffed.... hence the unusual breaking of my self-imposed silence.

Jon Carter said...

Hmmm - don't recall having crossbill at Aldcliffe, but do remember having them fly over my house on Sibsey St once... I'll add it to the dusty Aldcliffe Parish list, Dan.
Enjoy the remainder of the autumn!