I am currently sat on an oil rig approximately mid way between the Shetlands and Norway. The weather has been appalling for two days, not stormy but continual rain with a very low cloud base.Yesterday afternoon was the largest fall of migrants I ahve seen in nearly 10 years working offshore.
There were probably 100+ Redwings continually circling the rig throughout the night but very few landed for a rest, this is common behaviour for redwings and fieldfares. This morning there were also good numbers of song thrush and blackbirds but they do actually land on the rig.
The most numerous birds actually on the rig are goldcrests and brambings with around forty of each, possibly many more (its a huge oil rig!). Other sightings in the last 24 hours are:
Black caps.
Yellow browed warbler
Green finch
Siskins
Starlings
Snipe
Curlew
2 Herons
Two skeins of pink footed geese flew by jsut above the waves. I managed to call the single in so that it flew slowly past me just 20 yards away. These are the first wildfowl of any desciption I've seen offshore.
The Black backed gulls are picking off the odd tired migrant and I've found a couple of corpses already, a hen blackcap and another small warbler. Luckliy most of the birds are moving off as the weather is improving.
There were probably 100+ Redwings continually circling the rig throughout the night but very few landed for a rest, this is common behaviour for redwings and fieldfares. This morning there were also good numbers of song thrush and blackbirds but they do actually land on the rig.
The most numerous birds actually on the rig are goldcrests and brambings with around forty of each, possibly many more (its a huge oil rig!). Other sightings in the last 24 hours are:
Black caps.
Yellow browed warbler
Green finch
Siskins
Starlings
Snipe
Curlew
2 Herons
Two skeins of pink footed geese flew by jsut above the waves. I managed to call the single in so that it flew slowly past me just 20 yards away. These are the first wildfowl of any desciption I've seen offshore.
The Black backed gulls are picking off the odd tired migrant and I've found a couple of corpses already, a hen blackcap and another small warbler. Luckliy most of the birds are moving off as the weather is improving.