Monday 3 September 2012

Tripits, Mipits & Mud

With a definite drawing in of the evenings and a few hirundines on the move it was time for a proper session of visible migration counting over at Mynydd Mawr this morning.

Weather conditions were great - dead calm, some high cloud and a great sunrise. I counted between 0637-0837 hrs and logged a nice selection including a flava wagtail, 8 Tee Pipits, 4 Grey Wagtail, 28 alba wagtails and a good count of 38 Red-billed Chough.

Full details are over at the amazing Trektellen migration website (I'm unable to copy the table but here is the link).:

http://trektellen.org/trektelling.asp?telpost=812

Having completed the count I wandered uphill to have a go at reading some of the Chough colour-rings but found the birds very skittish, the closer ones seemed to be unringed although I did manage to get a couple. I then headed for Porth Meudwy, when on arrival, I realised that I'd managed to leave my notebook on Mynydd Mawr. Fortunately I found it (never lost a notebook before fortunately) after an hour but decided to postpone a visit to the valley and enter some records instead!

After lunch I had to visit town so naturally checked the harbour. With the tide well out I wandered around and grilled the waders. The highlight was a single juvenile Little Stint - the first time I've connected with this species here - and although no great rarity they're a fairly scarce migrant in the area.

Also noted were: 9 Teal, 8 Oystercatcher, 131 Great Ringed Plover, 11 Red Knot, 5 Turnstone, 5 Dunlin, 50 Redshank, a single Bar-tailed Godwit, 12 Curlew with both Northern Wheatear and Common Whitethroat on the passerine migrant front.

3 comments:

  1. Could you be a tad more accurate with your times please?

    ReplyDelete
  2. WHAT THE FECK IS A GREAT RINGED PLOVER ???!!!!

    Nice one with the little stint btw....

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eddie - so sorry Sir, there was a slight water ingress and I drowned my stopwatch when training for the forthcoming Scopac Patchers Triathlon. Think Oriental Plover on Bardsey when no boats are running and you will get the drift...

    Stringer, not half as taxonomically exciting as a LITTLE RINGED PLOVER on the patch. Think I might weep with excitement if one plonked down in Pwllheli.

    ReplyDelete