Friday 4th October 2024

Slightly slower on the migration front today, despite good conditions and a promising wind. However, the conditions did produce the observatories first (overdue) yellow-browed warbler of the year, a 1st year bird that was much more obliging than last years bird was, being pretty easy to find in the brief moments it wasn't on view. Yet more goldcrests were fresh in, a welcome sight of a species we have really struggled for in the last few years. A few more new robins, dunnocks and chiffchaffs in, though they have slowed down in recent days. A jay was briefly present, the first we've had in some time, though typically elusive. A skylark headed north, and 11 meadow pipits were present on the reserve as were a couple of blackcaps, though their numbers have fallen since earlier in the week. Finch numbers are down, with only 1 brambling, 3 chaffinch and 30 goldfinch joining the linnet flock, which is down to 80 today. 

Beaded Chestnut is an early October regular in small numbers. 

Birds Ringed: Chiffchaff 3, Dunnock 2, Goldcrest 7, Robin 2, Wren 2, Yellow-browed Warbler 1. 


 

Thursday 3rd October 2024

Steady migration this morning, with 12 siskins, 2 bramblings 10 goldcrests, 30 meadow pipits and 15 robins fresh in. A ring ouzel heard by an observer early morning was frustratingly elusive the rest of the day.  Dunnocks appear to be moving as well with 5 new birds on site today. 7 song thrush is an improvement on recent days numbers, though not as many as we might expect  considering the conditions. A few chiffchaffs and blackcaps still hanging around, along with the usual Cetti's. 2 rock pipits were on the jetty and a merlin was seen early on. Out to sea it was much quieter with the highlight being 873 Brent geese moving south, along with 5 pintail, and 6 teal.

This worn White Speck is the first here for 6 years. A migrant moth that, judging from its condition, may have flown a long way to reach us.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 1, Blue Tit 1, Chaffinch 2, Chiffchaff 3, Dunnock 5, Goldcrest 4, Great Tit 1, Grey Wagtail 1, Robin 5, Siskin 1, Song Thrush 2. 

 

Wednesday 2nd October 2024

 

Several Siskin were heard calling as it was getting light with a total of 425 logged heading south during the first couple of hours. Other migrants not plentiful but included 7 Grey Wag, 6 Chaffinch, 4 Chiffchaff, 3 Blackcap, 2 Reed Bunting, Skylark, Stonechat, Wheatear, Whitethroat & Lesser Whitethroat. Apart from the Siskin push only other southbound passerine vis mig was 10 Swallow & another Skylark. Offshore southbound 379 Brent, 113 Wigeon, 11 Black-heads, 11 Shelduck, 3 Common Gull, 2 Common Scoter & 2 Heron. An interesting sighting was a Common Seal struggling with a Thornback Ray in the river behind the observatory. 

Gold Spot has only occurred here on less than ten previous occasions.

Ringing: 3 Grey Wagtail, 2 Blackcap, 1 Siskin.

Tuesday 1st October 2024

Slightly drier today, and the movement continues. Brent geese weren't nearly as abundant as yesterday, with only 95 passing through. Hirundine numbers were up as we might expect in such unsettled conditions, with 281 house martin and 334 swallow moving south, with only a solitary sand martin joining them. 114 teal flew south along with 8 pintail and 41 wigeon. Waders were slightly better represented today, with 4 knot and 8 dunlin heading south, with 4 snipe, the purple sandpiper, a turnstone and a sanderling onsite. Small numbers of warblers were present today, though they were outnumbered by a fresh influx of robins. A young sedge warbler was the 5th latest record we've had here.  Another 3 skylark flew south along with 24 meadow pipits.  

Radford's Flame Shoulder is an immigrant first noted in 2021 that might be attempting to colonise. 

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 3, Blue Tit 3, Dunnock 1, Robin 4, Sedge Warbler 1. 

SEPTEMBER RINGING TOTALS 2024

1st year Icterine Warbler

This month was a lot more exciting than last September, with 2 species ringed that hadn't been seen here in several years, and one control species (red-breasted flycatcher) ringed in Denmark this year, though we have yet to get the exact location. A year to the day that we caught our last, a wryneck was the first notable scarce bird of the month on 2nd, followed 5 days later by an Icterine warbler, and later in the month a barred warbler. The 7th of the month was a notable day, with more spotted flycatchers ringed in one day than we have in the whole year. Tree pipits have had a better year here, with 4 in this month alone.  A wood warbler ringed on the same day as the wryneck was notably late, though not our latest. 

As a whole, numbers wise we were 124 birds down on September 2023, most of which can be explained by the poor meadow pipit numbers moving so far. Just 14 ringed this year compared to 127 at the same time in '23. Woodpigeon numbers are also pathetic, with only 3 juveniles even seen on the reserve, let alone ringed, and 2 in the whole month was unexpected. 

Chiffchaff and willow warbler numbers were better than last years however, and garden warbler seems almost abundant, with 8 ringed this month alone, and more previously. Cetti's continue their inexorable march, with 5 new birds ringed this month, on top of juveniles fledged here ringed earlier in the year. Before last year, there had only been 16 birds ringed here in the observatories lifetime. 

Chiffchaff	81
Blackcap	55
Willow Warbler	28
Robin	24
Grey wagtail	24
Reed warbler	17
Meadow pipit	14
Pied flycatcher	11
Spotted flycatcher	9
Garden warbler	8
Lesser whitethroat	8
Blue tit	6
Song Thrush	6
Great Tit	5
Whitethroat	5
Dunnock	5
Cetti's warbler	5
Sparrowhawk	5
Redstart	4
Sedge warbler	4
Tree pipit	4
Blackbird	3
Wren	2
Goldfinch	2
Woodpigeon	2
Chaffinch	1
Goldcrest	1
Siskin	1
Icterine Warbler	1
Reed Bunting	1
Wryneck	1
Wood warbler	1
Starling	1
Barred warbler	1
Total	346

Monday 30th September 2024

A wet and windy day meant that most observations were made from inside the observatory!

Our first good autumn movement of Brent geese, with 1874 heading south throughout the day. A few wigeon also headed south along with 2 pintail, 15 dunlin and 4 turnstone. 7 meadow pipits trickled south throughout the day as well. On the reserve however, it was much quieter, with a noisy Cetti's warbler being the only warbler species recorded. A single gannet north was a pretty pathetic showing, after the triple figure record a few days ago. 

Clancy's Rustic has colonised over the past 20 years. It has two emergences a year.

 

Sunday 29th September 2024

Calm cool start stimulated a bit of vis mig with southbound 217 Mipit, 114 Swallow, 15 Goldfinch, 5 Chaffinch, 3 Grey Wag, 2 Pied Wag & Little Egret plus offshore 24 Brent, 12 Black-heads, 8 Shelduck, 7 Common Gull, 2 Red-throated Diver & Oyk. On site 6 Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff & the first Goldcrest of the autumn. Purp & Turnstone were on the point early on before a south-easterly gale picked up.

Lunar Underwing is a regular customer at this juncture in the year.

Ringing: 5 Blackcap, 3 Grey Wagtail, 1 Blackbird, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Goldcrest.