Tuesday 20 April 2021

Overcast and northerly was the weather in the morning and it seemed to make ringing quite productive. As we have grown accustomed to this week, Willow Warblers were singing in the garden first things as well as Lesser Redpolls and Siskins. This means waking up early at this time of year is quite a pleasant experience, (and often non-optional as invariably, a Wren will blare its song through the bedroom window!).

The nets were opened in the Withies and Cristin and over 100 new birds were caught between the sites, mainly Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Lesser Redpolls, with a nice Sedge Warbler thrown in for good measure. 

A Sedge Warbler caught at Cristin this morning

Whimbrel numbers continue to increase, the bulk of the counts coming from the South End which always seems to be the place to find the bigger numbers of this species, 29 were recorded today, the highest day count so far.

Some other welcome migrants also included a Sandwich Tern at the North End, a Grasshopper Warbler on the mountain, and a Kestrel and Skylark on the South End.

Sunset at Cristin

Birds today: one Sparrowhawk, one Buzzard, one Kestrel, one Merlin, one Peregrine, three Ringed Plovers, two Redshanks, six Turnstones, one Sandwich Tern, one Skylark, one Sand Martin, ten Swallows, eight White Wagtails, three Dunnocks, two Robins, one Grasshopper Warbler, one Sedge Warbler, 19 Blackcaps, 21 Chiffchaffs, 80 Willow Warblers, two Goldcrests, 10 Siskins, 14 Goldcrests, 21 Lesser Redpolls.

Ringing Totals: Willow Warbler 54 (4), Chiffchaff 9, Lesser Redpoll 18 (3), Goldfinch 10, Blackcap 14 (2), Blackbird (4), Sedge Warbler 1, Wren (3).


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