Coal Tit invasion.

There seems  to have been an invasion of Coal Tits into the UK recently. Looking at the blogs linked to the BTO's ringing demographic site many ringers are reporting unusual numbers of Coal Tits at their regular ringing stations. We even saw a few on the Scillys' a couple of weekends ago - an Islands 'mega'  - including several of the presumed hibernicus or Irish race.

Coal Tits are a regular but scarce winter visitor in my garden and despite ringing there for over 18 months I'd never caught one. Until this weekend................................

Suddenly I caught three in one session including this primrose looking one that I assume is hibernicus. With a yellow wash to the cheeks and a lemon rather than apricot / buff tinge to the underparts it certainly looked the part.

 

With bright sunshine instead of rain I took the opportunity to walk one of my regular haunts and explore the stubble fields in the hope of finding a rare pipit. Donning wellies I walked the flooded fields (they do look good for a Richard's or something rarer) and was disappointed with a haul of 5 Meadow Pipits and 2 Skylarks although the local Buzzard performed well.

 

An adjacent field must have just been sprayed with slurry judging by the  number of Common & Black-headed Gulls it attracted but despite diligent searching I couldn't find either a Med Gull or a rare Yank.

 

We were commenting on Hilbre that we haven't had a passage of winter thrushes on the Island yet with only a single Song Thrush being ringed recently. I'd noted that there hadn't been the usual numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares flying over the house yet this winter and all the hedges are still laden with hawthorn berries. Just as I was returning from my perambulations a large mixed flock of Redwings and Fieldfares flew over from the east and disappeared towards Wales. The first big flock I've seen.

Hilbre was very quiet on Sunday with no new birds being ringed. The weather was fantastic but bitterly cold. As well as the lack of seasonal thrushes we've also noticed a distinct lack of sea ducks.