Friday 10 August 2012

Harbour to Hartford

On Wednesday evening I went to Blyth Harbour with SH to do a Cormorant Count. A new August peak of  5 Shag were resting on the staithes near the pier along with 133 Cormorant.
Although many of the birds were ringed two in particular caught are attention.

A bird with yellow ring ZR6 was ringed in Rutland Water as a chick in May 2011 and was seen at Castle Island last August before moving to Blyth harbour from December 2011.

A Shag with a blue ring IUC was ringed at Isle of May as a chick in June 2011 and has been seen several times at Blyth since Sep 2011.
Also in the harbour were 2 adult Roseate Terns, which were amongst the Common Terns in the railings of the shorter pier, 2 Rock Pipit and around 80 Ringed Plover on the yellow factory roof. A freshly dead Guillemot and Razorbill were floating in the water near the jetty.
On our way back we called in a West Hartford where on arrival 3 Gadwall took off from the main pool just before a cream crown Marsh Harrier flew from the row of dead trees and in the reeds south of the pool.
It was a very dark almost black bird with raggy wings, which has also been seen at Hartford over the past 2 days.
With news of the Harrier LMcD soon appeared and once he had seen the bird we went off to Beacon Lane in search of the Little Owl. As we were leaving a Yellowhammer was calling near the sub station.
It didn’t take long to find the Owl, sitting on the same fence post I had seen it on a while ago. It then flew into the trees and wasn’t seen again.

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