Hot and humid birding

Hello

Ringing at Linford Lakes in unseasonably warm conditions yesterday provided the ringers with seventy-nine birds of twelve species, seventy-one of which were newly-ringed. Blackcaps were the winners in the numbers game with forty birds processed and fourteen Chiffchaffs continues a good autumn for them too. Four Reed Warblers and a Cetti's Warbler also hit the nets but the star birds were a Kingfisher and a juvenile Green Woodpecker. Other wildlife noted included a Great White Egret, a Green Sandpiper and a Raven.

At Harrington Airfield today we were fortunate to encounter twenty-one species of birds in the mist nets totaling one hundred and eighty-seven birds, of which one hundred and four were Blackcaps. Other warblers amounted to a Willow Warbler, a noteworthy sixteen Chiffchaffs, a Reed Warbler, five Lesser Whitethroats and twelve Common Whitethroats. A first year female Common Redstart was only the second to be caught at this site this year. A handful of finches included a rather unseasonal Lesser Redpoll and twelve Meadow Pipits marks the beginning of the migration season for them.

Perhaps the best captures were two first year Sparrowhawks - first a female and a little later a male.

Other birds on-site included a Wheatear on Bunker One, a Barn Owl, fly-overs of plenty more Meadow Pipits and small numbers of Siskin, Yellow and Grey Wagtails. A flock of medium-sized unidentified and silent waders powered over south before dawn.

These ringing session and the others of the last few days plus all the efforts at Stanford Reservoir appear to demonstrate a trend of high numbers of warblers moving through the midlands only to be replaced by new birds the following day. There were absolutely no re-trapped birds of any description at Harrington Airfield today which is unprecedented.

A Pectoral Sandpiper was photographed at Summer Leys LNR late this morning and still present early afternoon but it isn't clear if this bird was seen again late afternoon/evening. The Bittern showed again a couple of times, sometimes affording good views and other birds included Peregrine, Ruff, seven Ringed Plovers, a Dunlin and four Common Sandpipers.

The Hollowell Reservoir Little Stint was still present early this morning with eight Ringed Plovers on the north-east shoreline. A Hobby and a Kingfisher were noted in the Walgrave Bay at Pitsford Reservoir this evening.

Two Whinchats were still at Shrike Hedge in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton this evening and late afternoon saw twelve Spotted Flycatchers, two Common Redstarts, at least two Siskins, two Hobbies and many hirundines and Chiffchaffs viewable from the footpath at the south side of Lamport Hall.

The female Ruddy Shelduck appeared at Stanford Reservoir at dawn and again at dusk and the two wing-tagged Marsh Harriers were still present plus four Siskins, two Common Sandpipers and two Hobbies.

Regards

Neil M

Sunrise Linford Lakes.

Chiffchaff.

First year male
Sparrowhawk.

All images courtesy
of Kenny Cramer.