Couple of updates

.....One good, one not so good

Honey Buzzard
The Scottish bird which roosted overnight in our area near Lupton on 13/14 September during its southbound migration. It has now either lost its transmitter in Morocco or is dead. Either way it is a closed book unless it turns up as a conventional ringing recovery. From the Highland Foundation Website:

3rd October
At 11.30am, she was on the western flanks of the Anti-Atlas mountains, heading for Imzilene; 60 kilometres SE of Agadir, Morocco

4th - 11th October
She had moved 60 kilometres to the south-east near Tameguert and then was along a river valley in these mountains.

12th to 18th October
She is still in the river valley area, with fixes being up to 6 kilometres apart north to south near Tameguert. It seems a strange place for her to stay.

19th -24th November
Signals are still coming in for the same place on mountain ridges. This is an earlier model transmitter without GPS or activity meter, but it is now pretty certain that the transmitter has either detached or the honey buzzard has died or been killed in the mountains.

20th December

Signals are still coming from same area, so the bird or radio must be out in the sun in an open area in the mountains. If anyone is going birding there this winter - please get in touch and I'll give an accurate location - in case you could solve the mystery.

Ringed Plover

The Snettisham bird has definitely overwintered by Ocean Edge caravan park, Heysham/Middleton, albeit elusively:

NW23526 Adult female
Ringed as a nestling at Snettisham, Norfolk on 16/7/04
Subsequently nested at Snettisham in at least 2005, 2006 and 2008
Seen: Cockersands on 30/9/07 by Ian Hartley
Seen: Ocean Edge caravan park foreshore 19/9/08 & 14/11/08 & 14/2/09