A colour-ringed Grey Wagtail was read by Guy McClelland on Red Nab (Heysham) this afternoon. This suggests that it is one of the tiny number of prospective wintering birds. Unfortunately it was from the days of using a single colour ring. Nevertheless, it can be narrowed down reasonably well to one of 11 1st calendar year birds ringed on either 4/09/07 (4) or 11/9/07 (7) at Heysham Nature Reserve.
This is perhaps surprising, because birds passing through at this time of year have been perceived to be lengthy-distance migrants. In this respect, there is no evidence of off-passage birds so early in the autumn (not until mid-October), therefore where it spent the 2007/8 winter is open to speculation. Also speculative is the possibility that it is of relatively local breeding-season origin, as perhaps suggested by a now adult bird which looks like spending the winter in this area.
More questions than answers!
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