Tuesday 10th May 2011

Another lovely warm day with hardly any wind, coming from a southerly direction; the skies had very little cloud early morning before becoming completely clear. Migrants moving through were 3 Shelduck, 1 Knot, 1 Dunlin, 1 Whimbrel, 4 Common Tern, 28 Swallow, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Goldfinch and 35 Crossbill. Out on the reserve 1 Wheatear was present. There were 2 Yellow Wagtail seen feeding mid morning on the reserve alongside a very interesting 3rd Yellow Wagtail; this partcular bird maybe the race Motacilla flava cinereocapilla, the italian race of Yellow Wagtail. If it this it maybe the 1st record for Britain! A Spotted Flycatcher (the 2nd record for the year) was found feeding behind the Bird Observatory kitchen. The first record of Reed Warbler for the year was found within the Bird Observatory compound. Birds ringed were 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Garden Warbler, 3 Common Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Linnet, 1 Robin (the first young Robin of the year) and 1 Greenfinch. Butterflies present included our first record of Common Blue, Brimstone and Small Heath for the year. Other species seen were Green Hairstreak, Small Copper and Large White. A Muntjac was sighted as was a Grass Snake.