Saturday 4th May 2024

Almost the polar opposite to yesterdays weather, the warm and sunny morning was quite conducive for watching migrants it seems. The first garden warbler of the year was recorded, at least 10 willow warblers were onsite, with a singing chiffchaff and the first singing blackcap for a few days and still more lesser whitethroats trickling through. Wheatear numbers were up again, to 8 birds at least, and we had a redpoll species fly south and a greenfinch treat us with a bit of song early morning. It's quite sobering that at a site that used to ring 2000 greenfinch a year, it's now a pleasant surprise to have a single bird singing.

V-Pug has two generations per year with the first being much smaller than the later emergence.

Birds Ringed: Blackbird 2, Blackcap 2, Chiffchaff 1, Garden Warbler 1, Lesser Whitethroat 2, Robin 1, Willow Warbler 7, Wren 1. 

Friday 3rd April 2024

Dull, windy and wet morning, hardly anything in the way of passing migrants. All the regular local species accounted for, with yesterdays jackdaw still hanging around as well. 1 wheatear on site, and 35 swallow south is the highest number we've had so far this year.

Iron Prominent lives on Birch and Alder so it's odd that they visit us here, as we have none of either. 

RINGING RECOVERIES

Willow Warbler ringed on autumn passage Old Weston, Cambridgeshire 24th August 2023 retraped 127 km away on spring passage at LBO 21st April 2024.

Blackcap ringed on autumn passage at Litlington, East Sussex on 14th September 2023 retraped 151 km away on spring passage at LBO 1st May 2024. 

Thursday 3rd May 2024

 

Handful of new Lesser 'throats in this morning. The first 2 Common Sands & 2 Little Terns of the year noted. Other migrants few & far between included single Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Jackdaw, Mipit, Yellow Wag plus the lingering Tree Pipit. 11 Sanderling & 3 Turnstone on the beach in addition to the Ringed Plovers.

We failed to get a Yellow-barred Brindle last year so its good to get one today.

Ringing: 3 Lesser Whitethroat.

Wednesday 1st May 2024

 

First Slow Worm of the year.

Much more spring like although not many migrants on offer with 9 Swallow, 4 Wheatear, 2 Stock Dove, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Redpoll, Sedge Warbler, continental Song Thrush, Tree Pipit, Whimbrel & Willow Warbler. The Lesser 'throats & Whitethroats on site are quite likely settling down to breed.

Phtheochroa rugosana feeds on White Bryony and can be common here.

Ringing: 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Great Tit, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Tree Pipit, 1 Willow Warbler.

April Ringing Totals 2024

241 birds of 25 species in April is up from last years total, though only by 40 birds. Willow warbler numbers are 3 times higher than April 2023, blackcaps are up by 20 birds and chiffchaffs down by 10. Just the usual yearly change in abundance really, though the fact that we had our two earliest willow warblers by a week and a day respectively is probably a sign of the warming times. A female siskin was the first ringed here in almost a year and a half, and the best we did during the current invasion, though we had steady amounts passing over during the month. 

Species	No. ringed
Willow warbler	72
Blackcap	59
Chiffchaff	33
Wheatear	14
Linnet	14
Goldfinch	7
Lesser Whitethroat	7
Blackbird	7
Whitethroat	5
Robin	4
Wren	4
Sedge Warbler	2
Grey Wagtail	2
Blue Tit	1
Great Tit	1
Siskin	1
Woodpigeon	1
Reed Warbler	1
Chaffinch	1
Coal Tit	1
Sparrowhawk	1
Redstart	1
Long-tailed Tit	1
Firecrest	1
Cetti's Warbler	1
Total	241

Tuesday 30th April 2024

A day full of promise . . . that didn't materialise. Despite promising onshore winds, the migrant passerines had obviously cleared out during the clear skies overnight. Wheatear numbers were down to 5, only one willow warbler was warbling late afternoon and the singing blackcaps had moved off. No sign of yesterdays whinchat. On the positive, a fledgling robin was only the second we've seen, and the first to be obviously independent. At least one blackcap was passing through and a reed warbler give a brief warble at the north end of the reserve. 

A milder night has at least prompted a handful of moth species to put in their first appearance of the year, including the Brimstone moth.

Birds Ringed: Blackbird 1, Blackcap 1, Robin 2.