Hilbre Bird Observatory: 1st November 2015

Weather E, force 0/1 thick fog at times

Middle Eye not visible from the main island (AEH)

The heavy mist became thick fog at intervals during the morning with visibility down to about 200 yards or so. A party of 11 Long-tailed Tits, a very scarce bird for Hilbre, flew around the gardens first thing but left the island quite quickly, perhaps sensing their way back to the mainland. There were not as many thrushes passing through as some days in the past week, a couple of Redwings were logged and up to 6 Blackbirds and 4 Song Thrushes were about the paddocks. A male Blackcap was glimpsed briefly while 5 Goldcrests stayed around for the whole morning and 6 Chaffinches, 10 Greenfinches, a Siskin and a Reed Bunting visited on occasions. Small parties of Starlings flew south, totalling 24 birds, also 5 Skylarks called in the mist overhead. Shore birds were hard to see in the fog, a few Brent were off the west side, 2 Little Egrets in the gutter and a Grey Plover called.