Morston - 16th September 2024

 A first session at the new Morston site. This area is very much wind affected on the majority of days so it will take a bit of working out to develop the ringing opportunities to make the most of sessions there.

We achieved a modest 18 birds of 8 species but some very nice migrants and less often captured resident species too.

Juvenile Stonechat

Juvenile Lesser Whitethroat

Adult female Stonechat

Total: 18

Dunnock - 2
Goldfinch - 1
Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Meadow Pipit - 5
Reed Bunting - 2
Stonechat - 2
Whitethroat - 2
Wren - 2

Deepdale Farm - 14th September 2024

After a sustained spell of windy weather, the forecast told of a drop in the windy conditions, but this turned out to be false. The nets were wind affected and the chilly breeze gave a distinctly autumnal feel. No surprise then that we only had one summer migrant bird, a Chiffchaff, in the meagre catch of 12 birds. We might have been a bit happier had the Barn Owl that we saw in the net had stayed until we reached it, but this was not the case, and unsurprising given that we were using a 16*16 mesh for passerines.

Juvenile female Goldcrest

Skeins of Pinkfeet overhead and Marsh Harrier in flight brought another dimension to the morning as did three Migrant Hawkers sunning themselves in the hedge opposite, and a Chinese Water Deer that emerged from the field just a couple of feet from CL, startling us as much as it startled itself.

Migrant Hawkers amongst the rosehips

Total: 12

Blackbird - 0 (1)
Blue Tit - 2
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldcrest - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 3 (2)
Wren - 2

Sculthorpe Moor - 4th September 2024

 

Forty one birds this morning of ten species. The summer migrants continue to reduce in the main with just one Blackcap and no Acrocephalous warblers at all. We are still getting some Chiffchaffs through and three Willow Warbler was the most in one morning all year.

Adult Willow Warbler

We caught two finches, both young males, but the Chaffinch had completed much more of its post juvenile moult than the Bullfinch.

3M Chaffinch

3M Bullfinch

Wrens seem to be bouncing back after their bad winter of 22/23 and Willow Warbler, although present and heard in a few different locations, are not responsive to audio lure.

Total: 32 (9)

Bullfinch - 1
Blackbird - 0 (1)
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 1 (1)
Chaffinch - 1
Chiffchaff - 10 (2)
Great Tit - 5 (3)
Robin - 2
Willow Warbler - 3
Wren - 8 (2) 

Deepdale Farm - 2nd September 2024

 After a weekend that's been windy, especially on the coast, we were tempted to get a short session in at Deepdale, our site closest to the sea, after a fall of migrants all along the coast on the previous evening. CL had been out birding and seen Redstart, Wheatear, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat so despite the wind being set to get up before long got 4 nets up on Hilly piece, and waited.

The first three birds out were a Willow Warbler and two Lesser Whitethroats, quality species and no doubt there due to the conditions that had caused the 'fall' on the 1st. As expected the wind got up very quickly and the nets were wind affected by 8:30am. We were packed up by 10am with only 8 birds but glad to have given it a try, despite the lack of any Redstarts or flycatchers.

One of two juvenile Lesser Whitethroats

An interesting fact about the Lesser Whitethroat is that it does not use the East Atlantic Flyway migration route, that extends from the Arctic Circle via Western Europe to Southern Africa, used by most UK summer passerines. The Lesser Whitethroat instead flies to Italy and then heads east to its East African wintering grounds, where it stays in a habitat very similar to that used by other UK migrants south of the Sahara.

Juvenile Willow Warbler

Total: 8

Chiffchaff - 1
Dunnock - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Robin - 1
Willow Warbler - 1