At Last The Fog's Gone!

Whilst the rest of the UK has been bathed in glorious sunshine over the Easter hols, up here in northwest Lancashire, particularly along the Irish Sea coast we have been 'locked down' with dense fog! So it was a pleasure to be out this morning on the coast at the Obs in clear conditions. At first light I had just one okta cloud cover and it was calm.

Not the best conditions for grounded migrants but I did have two Redwings and three Goldcrests grounded.

It was more of a vis morning and because of the clear conditions everything was high, and with most species this morning I was just hearing a flight call without seeing the bird or more to the point birds. This means that in my notebook one call = one bird, when in reality it probably meant several.

My vis totals were 34 Woodpigeons, 73 Meadow Pipits, five Alba Wags, twelve Goldfinches, 33 Linnets, a Reed Bunting, nine Lesser Redpolls, six Collared Doves, a Swallow and two Carrion Crows.

Meadow Pipit. I didn't know this bird was ringed until looking at the picture

on my computer! 

The sea was fairly quiet but I did have my first Sandwich Terns when two flew north. In addition to the 'Sarnies' were 300 Knot, 15 Eiders, three Red-breasted Mergansers, three Cormorants and five Common Scoters.

I have four breeding wader surveys to do in the Lancashire uplands tomorrow, so it will be Friday before I'm back on the patch.