Saturday 12th November 2022

After the wind this week it was a pleasant calm mild, mostly sunny, day that brought a Siberian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita tristis, which will have originated somewhere east of the Urals, plus a couple of Goldcrest, Blackbirds, Redwings, Brambling & Woodcock. A bit of early morning vis mig included southbound 103 Wood Pigeon, 74 Goldfinch, 47 Starling, 24 Siskin, 12 Redpoll, 7 Chaffinch, 3 Skylark, 2 Linnet, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting & Swallow. 6 Long-tailed Tit visited, 2 Rock Pipit were on the point, a Great Spotted Woodpecker appeared early afternoon with the recent Snow Bunting & Wheatear on the reserve still with us.

Ringing: 6 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Blackbird, 2 Goldcrest, 2 Robin, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Chiffchaff.

Friday 11th November 2022

A snow bunting was still present on the beach, along with the wheatear that has been there for a few days now. A few goldcrests, a blackcap and a chiffchaff were feeding in the observatory compound. A hundred or so finches flew south, dominated by goldfinch and siskin, and singles of swallow and house martin. Meadow pipits are still trickling through as are skylarks. 

The picture above is of one of our local slime moulds, the charmingly named 'Dog Vomit' or Mucilago crustacea. This is a group of organisms we know very little about and are poorly recorded.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 1.  

Thursday 10th November 2022

A reasonable amount of passage today. Finch numbers picked up with 137 siskin, 115 lesser redpoll and 262 goldfinch passing south. Woodpigeons and stock doves were passing through in similar numbers, somewhat disturbed by a peregrine and 3 sparrowhawks that were hunting/moving through the site during the morning. Out on the nature reserve there was a snow bunting and a wheatear and our first water rail of the autumn on the Icky Ridge. A couple of late hirundines passed over, 2 swallow and a house martin heading south, though sadly no red-rumped swallows! 

Diamond-back is normally one of our commonest immigrants with numbers this autumn well below par. 

Birds Ringed: Lesser Redpoll 13, Song Thrush 1. 

 

Wednesday 9th November 2022

Belt of rain/drizzle first thing didn't help proceedings followed by an increasing wind speed throughout the morning. Despite this some Vis Mig including southbound 186 Goldfinch, 90 Starling, 58 Siskin, 33 Redpoll, 31 Linnet, 4 Chaffinch, 4 Swallow, Greenfinch, Little Egret, Rock Pipit & Skylark. Offshore movements fairly paltry although included 14 Pintail south with dredging of the shipping offshore now pulling in 2,000 big gulls to look through. On site migrants included 2 Blackcap, Black Red, Chaffinch, Fieldfare, Redwing, Snow Bunting plus a couple of new Blackies.

Larval case of Psyche casta on wild Privet which the larvae carry around with them until they emerge. Only occasionally have we seen the adult moth.

Ringing: 2 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Chaffinch.

Tuesday 8th November 2022

Strong winds once again made for a quiet day. As the morning wore on, we did get some birds coming across the sea, small numbers of chaffinch and starling. Despite the poor weather, there were some migrants found, a wheatear at the point and a fieldfare on the reserve, a summer migrant leaving and a winter migrant arriving. A glaucous gull was briefly seen heading out to sea but not refound. 

We had our first December Moth of the "winter", though the warm temperatures and the leaves still on the poplars here might lead you to believe it was still early autumn. 

 

Monday 7th November 2022

Med Gull

A classic windy November morning meant the bird numbers were low. Migrants were thin on the ground, with a few goldcrest in the compound and some meadow pipits. A sparrowhawk in the compound was perhaps the bird ringed a few days ago. No sign of the recent snow buntings in the foul weather, though that's hardly surprising. Finch species were still going through, though in  incredibly low numbers, 1 redpoll south being a 'highlight'. 

Moth trapping given the time of year and weather was hardly productive, though we have done well for site firsts and county scarcities this year, so we can't really complain.  

Birds Ringed: 1 Goldcrest.

Sunday 6th November

 

Grey Oyster mushrooms the size of dinner plates on decaying Poplar.

Heavy rain. Very little moving offshore with southbound 108 Cormorant, 2 Common Scoter, 2 Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Goosander & Oyk in about 3 hours observation plus following shipping 220 Great Black-backs, 150 Herring Gull & 2 Gannet. What few migrants that were on site were keeping their heads down although 5 Redwing, Fieldfare, Mistle Thrush & Ring Ouzel are worth a mention.

Ringing: nil.