Friday 6th October 2023

Stong westerlies made vismig pretty tricky today. Goldfinch continued to trickle through along with a single siskin and a few meadow pipits. Out to sea 25 brent geese and 49 wigeon passed through, but little else. A few goldcrest were new in, but single figures at best. Chiffchaffs are still the most abundant warbler with only one blackcap encountered all morning.

Green-brindled Crescent is a classic autumnal species.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 4, Dunnock 1, Goldcrest 2, Sparrowhawk 1. 

Thursday 5th October 2023

Migration was slower than yesterday, with a guillemot heading south the highlight. Another 670 goldfinch headed south with smaller numbers of lesser redpoll, siskin, linnet and chaffinch. Chiffchaffs are now by far the most abundant warbler around, hardly surprising at this time of year, but the blackcap numbers aren't as high as we might expect. 

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 1, Chiffchaff 7, Grey Wagtail 1, Pied Wagtail 1, Wren 2.

Wednesday 4th October 2023

Wood Pigeon rear more young in the autumn than throughout the summer here.

Half decent vis mig movements this morning with southbound at least 681 Goldfinch, 210 Mipit, 134 Siskin, 120 Linnet, 49 Swallow, 11 Pied Wag, 11 Redpoll, 5 House Martin, 4 Greenfinch, 3 Chaffinch, 2 Crows, 2 Grey Wag & 2 Reed Bunting. Grounded migrants included 125 Linnet, 100 Goldfinch, 20 Chiffchaff, 8 Blackcap, 3 Wheatear, Garden Warbler, Merlin, Short-eared Owl & Spot Fly. A Grey Plover was on the jetty & 2 Cetti's Warblers are still with us.

Beaded Chestnut is an October flyer that is now on the Red List as "near threatened" due to population declines.

Ringing: 8 Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcap, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Wren, 1 Blackbird, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Dunnock, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Robin.

Tuesday 3rd October 2023

Strong winds and rain overnight didn't seem to stop a significant clear out of migrants. The spotted flycatcher remained in the compound, feeding despite the wind, but a lot of the chiffchaffs and blackcaps had left. Meadow pipit numbers were down and we haven't heard any redpolls moving in a couple of days. Two Cetti's warblers remain on the site, a new site 'record number'. We have done well for this species this year.  A trickle of swallows passed south throughout the morning.

Common Marbled Carpet was almost non-existent on its first emergence, and does not seem to be doing well on its late emergence either.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 1, Blue Tit 1, Dunnock 1, Grey Wagtail 1, Wren 1. 

Monday 2nd October 2023

A thick mist covered the reserve most of the morning. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, chiffchaffs and blackcaps were all over the site, with conservative totals of 30 blackcap and 40 chiffchaff. A spotted flycatcher was new in and spent a lot of time in the compound, feeding and bathing. A reed warbler was equally fresh in and perhaps less expected. 

We also had our fourth site record of the nationally rare, red listed Figure of Eight.

Birds Ringed: Blackcap 11. Blue Tit 2, Chiffchaff 17. Dunnock 1, Goldfinch 4, House Sparrow 1, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Linnet 3, Meadow Pipit 1, Reed Warbler 1, Robin 2, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Woodpigeon 1.

Sunday 1st October 2023

Southbound 128 Mipit, 122 Swallow, 28 Goldfinch, 13 Siskin, 11 Wigeon, 4 Brent, Chaffinch, Oyk & Pintail. On site 16 Chiffchaff, 12 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Woodlark and what is presumably the same Cetti's Warbler that has been noted intermittently. A Coal Tit at the cottage eluded racial identification.

First noted here in 2019 Musotima nitidalis is an adventive species accidentally introduced by horticulturists from the antipodes that has now become annual in occurence.

Ringing: 4 Blackcap, 4 Chiffchaff.

SEPTEMBER RINGING TOTALS 2023

Following the theme of this year, September 2023, was a significant improvement on last year. 461 birds ringed, of 30 species, compared to 401 last year. As we were lacking in the numbers of some commoner species, i.e. not a single starling ringed at all this month, compared to 11 last September it was surprising that the diversity of species remained almost the same. This was helped by the first red-backed shrike ringed here in several years, a wryneck and a nightingale turning up later than last year and higher representation of sedge and reed warbler. 

Meadow pipits at 127 ringed were over twice the number caught last September, the weather has clearly been more favourable to their passage this year. Blackcap and chiffchaff numbers were also up, as were grey wagtail. Robin numbers remained low, as with the other months this year, though the presence of several singing birds makes a change from the springs dearth. Blackbirds also remained low, but hardly different to last year, where only 3 were recorded in September. We did however receive a Belgian ringed adult male and are awaiting feedback on its history, a significant recovery for a species doing so poorly here locally this year. Spotted flycatcher numbers were also identical to this month last year, a paltry one, reflective of the species decline in Britain. 

Species	No. ringed
Meadow Pipit	127
Blackcap	90
Chiffchaff	69
Grey Wagtail	52
Blue Tit	18
Robin	14
Willow warbler	13
Goldfinch	12
Lesser Whitethroat	8
Great Tit	8
Dunnock	8
Woodpigeon	6
Whitethroat	5
Reed Warbler	5
Goldcrest	3
Sedge Warbler	3
Pied Flycatcher	3
Sparrowhawk	3
Wren	2
Lesser Redpoll	2
Garden warbler	1
Nightingale	1
Spotted Flycatcher	1
Wryneck	1
Blackbird	1
Great Spotted Woodpecker	1
Cetti's Warbler	1
Red-backed Shrike	1
House Sparrow	1
Magpie	1
Total	461