Redpoll movement begins in earnest.

It always gives me a buzz seeing something slightly or subtely different. After watching many Lesser Redpolls on the Orme already this past few weeks, this morning saw a big increase in the number of Redpolls over. I managed to tempt some 50+ birds down into the hawthorns with the iPhone, with many more passing overhead. The bird above appeared with one group - paler than accompanying Lessers, nice white rump with white tramlines up the back, a white disk around the cheek, white vent and undertail coverts with a few dark streaks, much less buffiness on the whole, all just about visible in the one picture I managed to grab of it before in continued North West - surely a Mealy? Another was caught on Hilbre today - not a million miles away as the crow flies - pics of that one here - http://hilbrebirdobs.blogspot.co.uk/
Amazingly just 2 Siskins were involved in the movement; a huge reduction. Other birds seen this morning included a cracking male House Sparrow which accompanied a group of 6 Chaffinches. Sparrows are a good bird on the Orme away from the town border areas. Spring is certainly the best time to see them, but even then only a handful of birds are seen each year (possibly less records than Mealy Redpolls!). A Wheatear, 5 Goldcrests, 2 Chough and a Peregrine made up the best of the rest.