Detailed records (spreadsheet) - updated 1/1/24
2024
Our garden Blackbird has survived to another year - no doubt about it from song phrases used in relaxed mode during the day; interestingly could not really tell from the rich dusk song, seems all new; extensive text in BWP does distinguish, "brilliant" dawn (advertising), daytime (variable) and dusk (territorial) song but surprisingly does not mention the repetition in daytime song - would be a good study (AI analysis?).
Migrant Swallow battling W into SSW7 wind (gusting SSW10) just a foot off the sand down at beach at dusk on 6 April - third earliest here after migrants over house 5/4/09 and 3/4/11.
First territorial Moorhen of the year with calls 01:28hrs 3 April.
Peacock butterfly 30 March, hibernating Small Tortoiseshell gone from garage roof.
First Chiffchaff 23-24 March, then in song from end of month.
Some early bumblebees from 1st week March with queen red-tailed on 19 March.
pr Mallard low over heading inland 2 March.
f/imm Blackcap in garden 29 January.
On 16 January, refound the inland Fieldfare roost - having seen birds again flying in at dusk over recent weeks, and peak of 370 S at 14:25hrs on 11 January, followed 50+ and found they continued over Longniddry farm and alighted in tall trees at Southfield, but continued then to the shelterbelt south-west of Hoprig Mains, near Greendykes (map); this location is about two miles inland and has good views of coast, as mentioned here previously the only historical Fieldfare roosts noted in Lothian were at Tailend Moss Mar-93 and Gullane Bents Dec-07 & Jan-18, the latter also being one of their main feeding sites so not a "dedicated" roost (I've since confirmed feeding birds roosted there at dusk on 26/12/22). Birds flying inland from sunset to 15 mins after and seen arriving in roost at 20 mins after sunset. Pic of staging at Southfield.
Scoping from loft through leafless poplar trees to north on New Year's Day, logged 3 Velvet Scoter W as well as around 20 Common Scoter W, and a couple of auk sp., likely Razorbills; Common Scoter is already on garden list from nocmig, while have not included seabirds previously as a "bit of a cheat" but now getting difficult to draw the line, so now added these and subsumed previously seen Gannet and Eider (scanning in April 2020). Don't really have time to be scanning in hope of adding Long-tailed Duck, RBM and Shag, and ID tricky at range, visible water no closer than about a mile.
[Overview of the year 2023
On insects, yet another Hummingbird Hawkmoth, nectaring on honeysuckle on 9 July, with Holly Blue also regular in July; on mammals, a cute juv Wood Mouse playing on patio, and Soprano Pipistrelle confirmed on detector on several dates June to October.
Not wildlife, but nacreous cloud showed up in December. ]
Hi
ReplyDeleteapologies for getting in touch via blog comments. Thought you could help re BH Gull darvic rings. Ad Esk Mouth 29/8/11 white ring J1J4 and Ad Esk Mouth 30/8//11 black ring P834. Also had 2nd winter Med Gull with white ring but no details - watched for 2 hours with no luck!
all the best
Stuart (sgillies126@aol.com)
Thanks Stuart, good to hear from you and these seem to be Norwegian (white) and Lithuanian (black) - I'll chase them down.
ReplyDeleteYour Med would be 32A4 reported on LBN* at Musselburgh 20 August*, a new one - ringed as a pullus on 24/06/2010 at De Kreupel Island, Ijsselmeer, Noord-Holland, also reported in Wexford on 06/04/2011; in general white is for Netherlands/Belgium/Denmark: http://medgull.free.fr/pages/coordinators.php
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lothianbirdnews/message/16668
J1J4 ringed Frognerpark, Oslo, 1/4/00 - thus a friend of metal-6158812, ringed same place same day and present at Eskside last December (see blog post*). Perhaps the colour ring had dropped off the latter bird? NB - same seen again at Musselburgh this evening (per Ian Andrews).
ReplyDelete* http://sedgewarbler.blogspot.com/2010/12/wknd-11-12-december.html
I appreciate the effort you put into engaging with your audience and building connections.
ReplyDelete