I usually start ringing and doing a "watch" from Sept until early November, weather permitting... Ringing and the best movements of migrants usually occurs from dawn till dinnertime on suitable weather mornings. Light west to southerly winds with sunny to overcast skies seem to produce the best conditions for the birds to move.
Limy Lane is the small lane at the Burnley end of Clowbridge Res where lots of people park to walk around the res. Nets are set in the trees/bushes to the left from the gate at the end. Feel free to pop up and have a look.
Sat 31st August 2013. 6.15 - 10.30am. with R Archer.
Sunny and clear, then occ clouds. NW wind increasing 5 - 15+ and gusty.
1st ringing session of the autumn was pretty productive and there was a decent amount of birds moving through. M Pipit and Greenfinch were the most numerous but there was obviously other migrants around. Tree Pipits were going south and responded to a lure with a minimun of 8 but probably 10+ moving through. A Reed Warbler also found its way into the net and was a very unexpected find up there!! Spotted Fly feeding fledged young also a bonus.
Tree Pipit - 8 but prob 10+ S. (3 ringed.)
Reed Warbler - 1 found in a net was a great record for here. ( 1 ringed.)
M Pipit - 40+. Steady early season trickle S. ( 4 ringed.)
Greenfinch - 30 - 40. Birds moving around all morning but hard to tell if migrating. ( 11 ringed.)
Chaffinch - 30+. Steady trickle especially early morning. ( 9 ringed.)
Also Present:- Blackcap ( 1 ringed.), R Bunt 3+ ( 1 ringed.), W Warb 2+ ( 1 ringed.), Chiffchaff 1, Raven 2 N, Swallow 10+, ( others ringed- Robin 1, G Tit 1, B Tit 1.).
Pics are Reed Warb and Tree Pipit..
-- Edited by C Bel on Saturday 31st of August 2013 12:13:54 PM
-- Edited by C Bel on Saturday 31st of August 2013 12:14:38 PM
Thanks for the pics and indo it's fascinating to us "laymen". Just shows what passes through. Do you use a lure for various species in a single go or just target individual species?
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www.wildrossendale.blogspot.co.uk/ Go On...Go Wild!!
Yes i try to target specific species that i know are moving through. Tree Pipit was targeted today as they are usually earlier than M Pipits migrating through here.
Its very surprising what you "dont" see without a lure for these species.
I remember some one putting down Reed Warbler accidentally instead of Reed Bunting, now our dream has come true. Maybe this same person should accidentally misname some other birds so we can get some great rarities.
I love Tree Pipits. I saw my first at Shedden Clough in June. They have a lovely song, one sadly missed from Rossendale now. I hope we don't lose anything else as a breeding species!
Sun and scattered cloud after misty start. Wind W 10.
Looked promising conditions but quite quiet really. A few M Pipits passing through and a min of 3 Tree Pipits again but most ignored the lure or didn`t go in the nets. A few Greenfinch blogging. A calling Grey Plover flew low to the North mid morning, poss been on Res?? Lots of Hirundines were circling at very high altitude with 6+ Sand Martin and several H Martins too. 3 Buzzard also soaring high near Res inc food begging juv moved South?
Present:- recaptured a Blackbird ringed here on 1st Oct 2011 as a juv male, 1 Kestrel, 1 Dunnock, 20 Goldfinch blogging, 1 Grey Wag N.
Sunny with little cloud, cool and a 10-15 SE to SW breeze.
A reasonable morning today with mainly M Pipits and Greenfinch moving through. Pipits starting to move South now in better numbers, 5-6`s coming steadily most of the morning tailing off after 10am. Greenfinch in 2-3`s and Chaffinch in 1-2`s now also building in numbers. 1 Tree Pipit 1st thing then no others even with tape lure on. Skylark starting to move now. 60 birds ringed.
Tree Pipit 1 South at 6.30am.
M Pipit - 300+ S in groups of 5-6 till 10.30am. ( 28 ringed ).
Chaffinch 30+ S. 1-2`s all morning. (12 ringed ).
Greenfinch - 30-40 S and blogging in small groups. ( 11 ringed ).
R Bunting - 5-6 S singles. (3 ringed).
Goldfinch - 3 S.
Starling 20+ S in 2 small groups.
Swallow - 15+ singles S.
Skylark - 8+, in 2 small groups S.
Present - L E Owl 1, Chiffchaff 1 (1 ringed), W Warbler 2 (2 ringed), Robin 4+ (2 ringed), G Tit (1 ringed ), Sparrowhawk 1 (large Fem) South, Kestrel 1, Grey Wag 2.
A late start today due to foggy conditions but that lifted gradually and the birds started to move.
A very good morning for catching the birds in relation to numbers coming overhead. Plenty of M Pipits in decent parties (5-15`s) as soon as the fog lifted and were still coming in lesser numbers we packing up at noon. Decent numbers of Greenfinch and Chaffinch aswell. Noticeable Swallow movement S today also.
85 birds ringed.
I have noticed a complete absence of L Redpoll so far this autumn with NONE seen or heard so far. 30+ ringed by 15th Sept`12, with lots more seen.
M Pipit 300+ S in nice sized parties all morning. ( 48 ringed.)
Greenfinch - min of 100+ S. ( 19 ringed. )
Chaffinch - 60+ S mostly 2-3`s but some bigger groups. ( 6 ringed. )
Reed Bunting - 20+ S in singles with Pipits. ( 2 ringed. )
Swallow - 50+ S. 1 - 2`s.
Robin - Noticable increase in numbers today. ( 3 ringed. )
Birds present - Goldfinch 25 blogging, Raven 2 S, G Tit (1 ringed), B Tit (2 ringed), Wren (1 ringed), Dunnock (3 ringed), L E Owl 1.
Cloudy to clear sunshine late morning. Wind 5 - 10 N.
The northerly breeze seemed to kill most movement except for a fairly decent M Pipit movement early morning. Very few Greenfinch or Chaffinch today despite nice conditions.
Highlights today were a male Ring Ouzel South, a female Merlin North then West and 2 Tree Pipit South. 45 birds ringed..
R Ouzel - 1 male South.
Tree Pipit - 2 S, singles at 7 and 9am.
M Pipit - 400+ S, decent groups to 15 especially early on. ( 35 ringed inc 4 Icelandic birds ).
Greefinch - 10+, singles. ( 7 ringed ).
Chaffinch - 10, singles. ( 1 ringed ).
R Bunting - 5+ S, singles.
Swallow - 20+ S.
Present - Merlin female, Goldfinch 60+ feeding on thistles, G Tit 5 ( 2 ringed ), B Tit 10, Coal Tit 3+, Kestrel, Grey Wag 2.
Craig.
-- Edited by C Bel on Saturday 14th of September 2013 07:54:34 PM
Friday 20th Sept 2013.. 9 - 11.30am with R Archer.
Misty with light drizzle turned to heavy drizzle and rain before drying up at 11am. Wind NW 10 gusting 15. Completely different to forecast!!
The weather turning worse killed what would have been a good morning in clearer conditions. M Pipits were still trickling through in decent numbers, a Tree Pipit went South but very little else moved. A male Peregrine came North, landed on a pylon then went West was a first of the Autumn. A probable Grasshopper Warbler was in the net but got out! Very few Finches again. Still not a single L Redpoll seen.. 35 birds ringed. Hopefully better tomorrow morning..
Tree Pipit - 1 South.
M Pipit - 200+ S. 5-10 parties. ( 20 ringed ).
Greenfinch - 20+ flock dropped in c11am, a few singles S. ( 9 ringed ).
Present - Male Peregrine, Grey Wag 2 S, Pied Wag 1 S, Chiffchaff ( 1 ringed ), Robin 5 ( 2 ringed + re trap from last Sept, ), Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Great Tit ( 1 of each ringed ), Raven 3 S, Kestrel 1, Goosander 6 redheads S to res.
Another dreary, murky morning with regular low mist no doubt affected numbers again. Only birds moving today were M Pipits, in lesser numbers than yesterday, and a few Swallows, Greenfinch and Chaffinch. Another good view of a fem Merlin hunting the Pipits brought down with the lure leaving to the South at 8.30am. 5 redhead Goosander North mid morning. Another single Tree Pipit South. A few more birds caught today with the lighter wind, 50 ringed.
Tree Pipit - 1 S.
M Pipit - 150+ in small groups all morning. ( 26 ringed inc 2 Icelandic birds ).
Greenfinch 15+ blogging. ( 9 ringed ).
Chaffinch - 20+ S in singles/ 2-3`s. ( 8 ringed ).
Swallow - 10+ S in 1-2`s.
Grey Wag - 3 singles S.
Pied Wag - 8 together S.
Present - Fem Merlin, Blackcap (1 juv male ringed), Raven 3, Robin 5 (2 ringed ), R Bunt 3 (1 ringed), 2 B Tit, 1 Coal Tit ringed.
Another poor morning for numbers but a decent catch rate. Steady trickle of M Pipits in small groups. No noticeable Greenfinch movement but they kept ending up in a net! Another Blackcap caught and a few Chaffinch moving but very little of anything else seen. 1st Goldcrest of the Autumn seen. Packed up early. 61 birds ringed.
M Pipit - 200+ South. ( 25 ringed ).
Greenfinch - Only about 20 seen moving but 25 caught and ringed.
Chaffinch - 10+ S. ( 1 ringed).
Goldfinch - 50+ flock on thistles. ( 1 ringed).
Present - Blackcap 1 ( juv Male ringed ), Raven 1, Kestrel 2, Robin 3, ( others ringed - G Tit 4, B Tit 3, Dunnock 1).
Craig.
One of the 2 Blackcaps caught over the weekend.
-- Edited by C Bel on Monday 23rd of September 2013 01:11:02 PM
A late start on another horrible, murky morning with just a trickle of M Pipit, Greenfinch, Reed Buntings and Skylarks. A late Whitethroat was heard calling in bushes on Limy Lane and soon after it was in a net, another 1st for this site. Obviously an arrival of night migrants as 2 Chiffchaff, 6 Robins and 3 Song Thrush ( all unringed) were seen, along with the Whitethroat. A ringed Reed Bunting from elsewhere was caught today and that will be interesting to see where it was ringed.
M Pipit - 150+ S. Steady trickle in 5-10`s. ( 25 ringed ).
Greenfinch - 20+ S. 1-2`s S. ( 12 ringed ).
Reed Bunt - 10 S. Singles with Pipits. ( 3 ringed ).
Skylark - 10+ S. 2-3`S.
Blackbird - 3 S. Singles. ( 1 ringed ).
Others Birds South - P Wag 3, Grey Wag 2, Raven 4, Buzzard 1,
Others ringed - Goldfinch 2, WHITETHROAT 1.
Craig.
Pics - Reed Bunting, Whitethroat and a Meadow Pipit showing its extremely long hind claws...
Hi Steve, Very interesting. I was up and out early"ish" but it was blowing a hooley up Clowbridge (limy lane) so decided to give a new site i have noticed over Crown Point a go. Needed to get a new net ride sorted before i could start though. Slightly better shelter at the new site than the usual site on Limy Lane as it is very difficult netting in an Easterly there because the nets are exposed to the wind.
Crown Point site. 8 - 10.30am.
Overcast and slightly misty early to clear bright sunshine. Wind strong 15-20 E turning SE.
Only noticable movement in the strong wind were Swallows, M Pipits and a decent number of Reed Bunts with the Pipits. A few Siskin, Goldfinch and Skylark too. Also had the 1st L Redpolls moving today with a single flock of 4! Decent catch in wind with 1 net.. 32 birds ringed..
Swallow - 50+ S in 2-3`S mainly late morning.
M Pipit - 200+ S in 5 - 10`S. ( 17 ringed ).
Reed Bunt - 20+ S in 1 - 2`s. ( 11 ringed ).
L Redpoll - 4 S. ( 3 ringed ).
Siskin - 3-4 small parties heard but not seen.
Goldfinch - 15+ S, 2-3 small parties.
Skylark - 7 S. ( 4,3)
Others ringed - Goldcrest 1 ringed (1st of autumn).
Another terrible morning weather wise after a wet and windy weekend. Impossible to net due to windy conditions..
Popped up to see if the huge Thrush movement of the last 3 days, at migration watch points nearby, was still ongoing up here and in between the frequent heavy showers regular flocks of mixed Redwing / Fieldfares were heading NE!! into the 20+mph NE wind..
300+ in biggish groups in just over an hour was very good and surprisingly 3/4 of the birds were Fieldfares.
Cant remember such large numbers of Fieldfares being here (N England) so early in October before. Usually 2-3 weeks later than Redwing arrival dates.
Other birds:- Merlin 1 Fem S, Swallow 1 S, M Pipit 6 singles all N!, Blackbird 6 Males Limy Lane bushes.
Packed watch in due to heavy rain.
-- Edited by C Bel on Monday 14th of October 2013 12:33:19 PM
Only had an hour. On arrival had a Brambling going South and a very large flock of Siskin, 100+, heading the same way. Several groups of Thrushes flew NE again whilst i was there.
Brambling - 3 singles S. ( 1 ringed ).
Siskin - 100+ in a single flock S.
Redwing - 100+ NE. Several small mixed flocks. ( 7 ringed ).
Heavy showers till 9 then brightened up slowly. Wind complete swing around to W 15+.
1st dry morning and shelter from the wind for the nets for ages and it was very poor for most things, especially Thrush movement. Only a few Redwing over, again to N/NE. A good few M Pipits still going South and more than recent Chaffinch was surprising. 16 birds ringed.
Steve, Brambling Males crown, nape and cheek feathers are buff tipped with black underneath. This buff wears off ( feathers wear away) to reveal just black later in year. This bird was a funny one having much more visible black on other side of the head.
Thanks for the kind words. Glad people are enjoying reading it. Might have been a bit more interesting if i could get out, the weather this month has been terrible for watching/netting.
Thurs 24th Oct 2013. 9 - 13.30.
Clear, cold and sunny. Wind 5 - 10 W-SW.
The first dry morning for ages resulted in a decent session for most species except Thrushes again. Only 2 big flocks of Fieldfare over and not many more Redwing either. Noticable Starling movement today, straight westward flight path, most of other birds South. M Pipits still trickling through all morning along with regular Greenfinch, Chaffinch and late morning a few Brambling dropped in. 50+ Pinkfeet also flew noisily, quite low to NE mid morning. 75 birds ringed..
Pink feet - 50+ flock NE.
Redwing - 150+ S. In with Fieldfares and regular 1-2`s. ( 16 ringed ).
Fieldfare - 100 in 2 flocks S.
Blackbird - 5+ in area. ( 1 ringed ).
Brambling - 18+ S. Flock of 12 and a scattering of singles. ( 2 ringed ).
Chaffinch - 30+ S. Singles. ( 3 ringed ).
Greenfinch - 70+ S. Regular small groups moving. ( 34 ringed ).
Siskin - 10 S. 2 groups 3, 7.
Linnet - 20+ min S. 1st decent passage in 3 years of watching. Small groups, 3-4`s.
Bullfinch - 3 singles S. 1st of autumn seen. ( 1 ringed ).
Reed Bunt - 15+ S. 2-3`s at regular intervals. ( 5 ringed ).
Raven - 6 singles S.
L T Tit - 1st group of autumn seen (c10), ( 6 ringed ).
Others ringed:- Goldcrest 1, Goldfinch 1, Dunnock 1, Robin 1, G Tit 1, Coal Tit 1, B Tit 1.
Hi Bryan, Keep the photography secret a secret now you know.. Thrushes seemed to stop when wind got strong??? Will be watching BBC on tuesday .
Sat 26th Oct 2013. 7.30 - 12 noon.
Misty and drizzle to start then overcast. Wind 10 rising to 25 SW late mornng.
Lots of Fieldfare and Redwing flying around whilst rushing putting the nets up at first light, but they had all disapeared by the time i had finished! 5 - 6 smallish flocks of mainly Fieldfare dropped in up to mid morning then numbers seemed to pick up from then onwards before the wind got up strong and the birds stopped. A flock of Pinkfeet flew NE again mid morning, a minimum of 139 (from photo count). A lot less finch movement today with only occasional groups over. 44 birds ringed..
Fieldfare - 400+ all South in parties to 50. Mostly late morning as wind was picking up.
Redwing - 100+ mainly early on and a scattering in with the Fieldfares. ( 12 ringed ).
Brambling - 3 min S. ( 1 ringed ).
Chaffinch - 10 S. Very few today.
Goldfinch - 35+ S. 30 flock and some singles. ( 1 ringed ).
Greenfinch - 20 S in 1-2`s. ( 9 ringed ).
M Pipit - 30+ S. Still trickling through but not responding to lure now. Adults???
G S Woodpecker - 1 S.
Starling - 100+ small flocks all West in direct flight will be continental migrants.
R Bunting - 15+ S in singles. ( 7 ringed ).
L Redpoll - 5 S in singles. ( 1 ringed ).
Others ringed:- Goldcrest 2, B Tit 4, G Tit 6, Robin 1.
Craig, Your photography is phenominal, I can't ever remember seeing photos which show such clarity! You must try and make a album up of them all one day. Got to be let into the secret, just what sort of equipment are you using?
I will give you a ring in a day or two when all them Fieldfare start rushing through. In fact if they are going to jump the storms it should be this weekend, coming through before it, if not maybe mid to late next week....
By the way Craig are you out Tuesday morning?, because if possible I'd love to know whats moving around your area in readiness for my 11am slot.....
Foggy start lifted to overcast then thick fog again at 9.30.. Wind 5 - 10 SW picking up later.
Lots of Thrushes moving around after 1st light but soon tailed off to just the odd small group of Redwing after 8am. 3 single Brambling South in 1st hr then not alot else moving Finch wise. A late Swallow S and 6 Crossbills West were decent records. 80+ Mallard on res (Archie). 25 birds ringed.
Swallow - 1 South.
Crossbill - 6 together West.
Redwing - 200+ S. Several decent flocks early on the odd ones and two`s. ( 8 ringed ).
Fieldfare - 300+ S. A few large flocks early on then very few. ( 1 ringed ).
Crossbills will be coming here from northern Europe now, sometimes in very large numbers, but we also have "local" breeders in some of the larger conifer plantations. ie.. Entwistle, Delph and Stocks res. Sometimes they are difficult to see even when there is a big flock but they are usually quite noisy.
Overcast but clear sky to the East. Cloud increasing. Wind 10 SW really picking up after 9.30am to SE 20+ and gusty. Heavy rain late morning.
A poor morning for migrants today with very little passing over. Quite surprising considering weather was decent early on. Only 3-4 flocks of Thrushes and nearly no Finches except 30 Goldfinch flitting around, 4 Brambling and 20 Chaffinch. W Pigeon moving South were the only thing to watch. 34 mainly resident birds ringed.
Fieldfare/Redwing - 200+ mainly Fieldfare (10 Redwing distant) South after 1st light then nothing. No Redwing dropped into lure..
Brambling - 4 together S.
Greenfinch - 3 S. ( 1 ringed ). Very quiet.
Goldfinch - 30 Blogging. ( 11 ringed ).
L Redpoll - 1 S. ( 1 ringed ).
M Pipit - 10 singles S.
Wood Pigeon - 200+ S in groups to 20.
Other birds:- Bullfinch pair ( 2 ringed ), L T Tit 15+ ( 11 ringed ), R Bunting ( 3 ringed ), Wren ( 2 ringed ), Coal Tit ( 1 ringed ), B Tit 10+ ( 2 ringed ), G Tit 5+,
Heavy rain showers early to clear blue skies. Wind 15+ SW and picking up.
DIRE!! Absolutely nothing moving despite nice conditions. Not a single Thrush seen even though multiple sites in Holland recorded tens of 1,000`s of Fieldfare and Chaffinch on their coast on Tuesday. Obviously not coming our way!! Most of the autumn migration now looks to be over..
Birds ringed:- Goldfinch 1, Greenfinch 1.
Craig.
-- Edited by C Bel on Thursday 7th of November 2013 03:09:52 PM
-- Edited by C Bel on Thursday 7th of November 2013 06:57:48 PM
I have ringed abroad but not for a few years now. Spent a bit of time in southern Portugal, Algarve and SW coast, years ago and hopefully might do some in southern France very soon!!
Thrushes seemed to stop when wind got strong??? Will be watching BBC on tuesday 
.
