Monday, 6th May 2019

Offshore

258 Common Scoters east, 2 Red-throated Divers east, 4 Manx Shearwaters east, 29 Gannets east, 1 Great Crested Grebe east, 1 Arctic Skua east, 1 Pomarine Skua east, 3 Razorbills east, 4 Guillemots east, 48 Auk sp. east, 23 Sandwich Terns west, 3 Common Terns east, 111 Arctic Terns east and 49 Kittiwakes east.

Visible Migration

2 Lapwings east, 26 Swallows north-east, 7 House Martins north-east and 3 Goldfinch east.

Grounded Migrants 

2 Willow Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Spotted Flycatcher and 5 Wheatears.

Others

1 Little Egret, 185 Ringed Plovers, 13 Whimbrels, 33 Turnstones, 380 Sanderlings, 1800 Dunlins, 8 Swifts and 17 House Martins.

 Whimbrel

 Dunlins

Ringing

We recently received details from the BTO of a Goldfinch that IG ringed at the Obs on 4th April 2019, that was controlled at Leswalt near Stranraer on 11th April 2019, travelling 175 km NW. Please see Google Earth image below. Leswalt is in the North Rhins, to the west of Loch Ryan. 

Rather than fly directly across Morecambe Bay, based on IG's years of experience of observing Goldfinches on visible migration during the Spring, this bird has probably headed east in to Morecambe Bay and followed the coast of the Bay round in a large anti-clockwise circuit. Likewise, the Solway Firth would prove a similar obstacle and SE observed many Goldfinches this Spring flying along the coast, below the cliffs, at Whitehaven. It is therefore likely that Goldfinch AJD6754 took a similarly long circuitous route of the Solway Firth to reach Leswalt.

 Goldfinch AJD6754 (click to enlarge)