Saturday 9th March 2013
A few bits n' bobs of note this morning. High tide roost of 22 Ringos, 5 Sanderling, 4 Turnstone & a Purp on the beach. Migrants on site today include single Snipe, Fieldfare plus a new Blacky ringed. Going north offshore 51 Wigeon, 17 Teal, 7 Shoveler, 6 Red-throated Divers, 5 Pintail, 4 Gannet, Grey Heron plus 5 Oyks & 3 Red-throats south. A couple of Frogs in the Butts pond were the first noted this year.
Thursday 7th March 2013
A Short-eared Owl is always a good spring migrant to get here. A Grey Wag went south, then north, then south - make your mind up ! A Yellowhammer was calling briefly on the reserve which is the second here within a week. 5 Crows south were probably not going far but it's difficult to know what 3 Stockies heading north were up to. A single Skylark also went south with today's new birds ringed being a Blacky & a Chaffy. Offshore despite the murky conditions 5 Curlew, 3 Red-throated Divers, 3 Gannets, 2 Great-crested Grebes & a Brent went north with 2 Mute Swans going south. The first moths of the year appeared in the moth traps with singles of Small Brindled Beauty & Agonopterix heracliana. We only have two previous site records of Small Brindled Beauty & both of these were on consecutive days in March 2010.
Recent Recoveries
A fairly large batch of recoveries received mostly of Lesser Redpolls moving around site within East Anglia. Worth a mention are one ringed here 20/10/2012 retrapped 124km away at Icklesham, East Sussex 7 days later, one ringed here 12/10/2011 retrapped 75km away at Sandwich Bay, Kent 06/11/2012, one ringed in Doncaster, South Yorkshire 14/10/2012 retrapped here 15/11/2012, one ringed Cannock Chase, Staffordshire 29/09/2011 retrapped here 15/11/2012, one ringed Carluke, South Lanarkshire 21/07/2012 retrapped here 14/11/2012. The good thing about Redpoll ringing is that it does produce a fair number of returns. From a selection of Blackbirds moving around Suffolk is one ringed 29/10/2011 at Westkapelle, Zeeland, Holland retrapped here 30/10/2012.
Wednesday 6th March 2012
2 Stonechats on the Butts which is the classic time for spring migrants to turn up as a large proportion of British breeding Stonechats go down to the Iberian peninsula for the winter. More of a surprise was a Jack Snipe at the Butts pond. Not sure if we have any previous spring records at all of this species but if we do they are very few in numbers. This bird was accidentally flushed whilst checking to see if any frogs have returned yet. A Lapwing on the Butts first light was possibly the one on the point later in the morning that departed south into Essex. Offshore quiet but 2 Great-crested Grebes went south & 4 Shelduck and a Curlew north. In the obs compound the only signs of spring passage was a new Song thrush & an emaciated young male Sparrowhawk which weighed in at no more than the weight of a Blackbird. Why this individual was so thin is not known but it may well have been a migrant that got lost over the North Sea and used up all it's fat reserves before finding land. Finally one of the Collared Doves is now siting tight on her nest in the Holm Oaks.
Tuesday 5th March 2013
Glorious sunny morning although the onshore breeze is keeping the temperature down. "Migrant less" in the bushes. 7 Mipits, 4 Goldfinch & a Skylark went south with a Lapwing on the reserve departing to the north. 12 Barnacle Geese, 9 Red-throated Divers & 3 Oyks went north plus 5 Oyks & 3 Shelduck south. 4 Ringos were on the reserve.
Monday 4th March 2013
Although it still feels & looks like the bleak mid-winter the sun coming out this morning made it feel a bit more pleasant despite the onshore breeze. A small arrival of Song Thrush's apparent plus the odd new Blacky, Chaffinch & a Skylark. As evidenced by the small numbers of Songies ringed in recent days, birds are of the race T.p.clarkei. Although the bulk of British birds are fairly sedentary a proportion either migrate south in the autumn or move in response to cold weather conditions. The birds we are getting at the moment could be migrants responding to either of the aforementioned strategies. Going north offshore 19 Red-throated Divers, 15 Cormorants, 2 Shelduck, Oyk, Grey Plover & Curlew plus going south 2 Shoveler & 2 Teal. 3 Sanderling are on the beach with 2 Ringed Plovers on the reserve probably a couple of locals checking the place is still here.
Sunday 3rd March 2013
Flat calm but still cold. A handful of new migrants in today including single Yellowhammer and Mistle thrush both of whom only stayed briefly plus singles of Song Thrush, Blue & Great Tit ringed. 3 Skylarks, 2 Goldfinch & a Jackdaw went south with 5 Crows going north. Curlew (or a flock ?) were heard calling going over but not seen so they were probably at a great height overhead.
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