Its only the first week of August but stuff is defo on the move south once again. Only seems a few weeks ago they arrived back here!!
A few net rides re trimmed this week and an earlier 1st ringing session this year to attempt to catch some more Tree Pipits which by the time i usually get round to trying to catch have mostly gone.
Crown Point Site... 5th August `17. 7 - 10am.. with Burnley Bernard.
2 Nets up. 35 birds ringed.
Arrived at 6.30am, got out of the car to hear a half hearted Willow Warb song then the 2nd bird heard within 30 seconds was a Tree Pipit low over and straight South.. They`re moving already. Makes you wonder what date they actually start to depart. Quickly 2 nets set up, 1 for Tree Pipit and 1 for L Redpoll as these had been heard this week whilst trimming net rides. Between 7 and 9am a further 16 Tree Pipits came over, all high up heading south. Most dropped in around net area and 6 were ringed. Also decent number of W Warb moving through the bushes and a few Redpolls, M Pipits, Swallows and Chaffinch heading south overhead. A Hobby flew over heading west.
Birds moving-
T Pipit - min 16 birds all South with a purpose. ( 6 ringed ).
Overcast with glimpses of sun. wind 10 SW picking up and turning to South.
2 nets up. 40 birds ringed.
Nets up targeting Tree Pipit and Redpoll. Again Tree Pipits were coming steady all session and still going as i packed up at 10. A minimum of another 15 birds went South, 9 being caught and ringed. Could have been more but for wind on net. Steady trickle of Redpoll and M Pipits and noticeably more Swallows moving today. Again decent numbers of Willow Warbler moving through the trees and only 1 of yesterdays 14 ringed birds were re-trapped suggesting at least some are migrants just passing through.
Birds moving- (South unless stated).
Tree Pipit - min of 15 birds, most dropping in. ( 9 ringed ).
Light rain for 1st half hr prob killed any movement this morning as even though it brightened up from 6.30 it was very quiet.
Only 5 T Pipit over today but 4 of them caught and ringed. Just a few other birds moving inc a few Swallows, redpoll and 2-3 each of linnet, m pipit, greenfinch and goldfinch.
T Pipit - 5 (4 Ringed)
M Pipit - c10 (1 Ringed)
Redpoll - 10+ (9 Ringed)
R Bunt - 5 (2 Ringed)
Goldfinch - 6 (2 Ringed)
2-3 of Linnet, Greenfinch, Chaffinch (2 Ringed),
Present - W Warb (5 Ringed), Chiffchaff (2 Ringed), Robin 3 (1 Ringed).
Crown Point site. 10th Aug `17. 6 - 9.30am with R Archer.
Sunny, clear and calm (prob too calm)..
3 nets up. 32 birds ringed.
Flat calm and sunny from dawn. Looked good conditions but turned out to be very quiet again. Very few birds moving over except a min of 10 Tree Pipits and a few Swallows and Redpoll. Another 6 T Pipts caught and ringed and a bonus Whitethroat made it worth while getting up early.
Birds moving- (all south)..
Tree Pipit - Again another 10+ birds,usually in 2`s, direct south quite high. Most dropping into net area. (6 ringed).
Redpoll - 10+. 1-2`s. Very few today. (9 ringed).
R Bunt - 3. (2 ringed).
Swallow - 20+.
Chaffinch - 5+. (1 ringed).
Birds present-
WHITETHROAT (1 ringed), Goldcrest 3 (1 ringed), Willow Warb (10 ringed), Coal Tit (1 ringed), Robin 3 (1 ringed), Kestrel 1, L T Tit c6.
Went up purely to target Tree pipit again and compare movement when its calm (yest) and breezy today.
More birds moving early on but it tailed off again by 8am. Min 18 Tree Pipits went over and most dropped in around net area and with another 9 being caught and ringed it took the total so far to 34!! Amazing considering the almost total lack of any sightings from elsewhere in our area. A bonus Spotted Flycatcher was feeding in the pathside trees before moving off. 1st one i`ve seen up there. A few Mipit went south from dawn but soon stopped. Long-eared Owl flushed from trees.
Birds moving-
Tree Pipit - min 18 South. most dropped in. (9 ringed).
Meadow Pipit - 30+. All early.
Reed Bunt - 4 singles. (1 ringed).
Redpoll - 3 singles. Very quiet. (2 ringed).
Heron - 1 north.
Grey Wagtail - 1 south.
Linnet -1 south.
Swallow - 10+.
Present-
SPOTTED FLY 1, Chiffchaff (1 ringed), W Warb 3+ (1 ringed), Bullfinch 2(pair), Kestrel 1, Sparrowhawk 1, L E Owl 1.
A great morning for sunbathing but not much bird migration except for another terrific session for Tree Pipits..and a poss Yellow Wagtail in with them but only got 1 call and a brief view. Arrived early to see 2 T Pipits heading south as soon as i got out of the car again so set up 2 nets quickly and the Pipits kept on arriving , most dropping in but some keeping well away which would probably have been adult birds. Including today`s catch, 44 have been ringed, all of which have been Juveniles. Only other birds seen/heard were 4 House Martins, 2 Common Gulls, 1 Linnet and a few Tits and W Warbs.
Birds moving- (south)
Tree Pipit - 21+... At least another 21 birds passed through south, most dropping in. Lots were not caught as they were sat on branches at side of net, some even sat on top of the net as they could easily see it due to the glaring sun making the nylon netting shine. (7 ringed).
Swallow - 10.
H Martin - 4 together.
Linnet - 1.
Common Gull - 2. 1st seen up there.?
R Bunt - 2. (1 ringed).
Chaffinch - 4+ (2 ringed).
Present-
W Warb 5 (1 ringed)., Dunnock 2 (1ringed), Robin 4 (family party), small mixed Tit flock blogging.
-- Edited by C Bel on Sunday 13th of August 2017 10:53:26 PM
Very quiet again with little migration except another 12 (min) Tree Pipits going south (4 ringed) but virtually nothing else. Quite a few birds moving around with a tit flock in trees.
Bird moving -
Tree Pipit - 12 at least, most dropping down. (4 ringed).
M Pipit - 2 singles!
Redpoll - 10. 2 small parties. (5 ringed).
Chaffinch - 4 singles. (2 ringed).
Present-
W Warb 8+ (3 ringed), Robin 3 (1 ringed), Sparrowhawk 2, poss Hobby,
-- Edited by C Bel on Wednesday 16th of August 2017 11:20:54 AM
A fantastic mornings ringing today in what was presumably perfect conditions for night migrants dropping in and Tree Pipits moving South in the daylight. Not much else moving of the daylight migrants all morning though apart from a trickle of M Pipits and Swallow late morning.
First 1/2 hr was dead then Tree Pipits started to arrive, most dropping down to net area as usual and they didnt stop till i packed up late morning. A minimum of 43 T Pipits went south that i saw, and i must have missed seeing some as busy ringing. Had 9 in 1 net at one point with several others in trees which flushed away. A total of 27 were caught and ringed today which is a terrific catch. This site is fast becoming the best site for catching Tree Pipit in the country. Thats 75 ringed since 5th Aug.!!
Along with the Pipits other decent birds were in the nets with a young male Redstart, a first Spotted Fly ringed in 30+yrs and lots of W Warb and Chiffchaff present.
Birds moving-
Tree Pipit - a min of 43 birds south, biggest party was 7 together.. (27 ringed)..
M Pipit - c70 in 2-5`s. Steady trickle all morning. Will target some of these soon.
Swallow - c20. 1-2`s.
Redpoll - 1 ! (1 ringed).
R Bunting - 2 singles.
Stock Dove - 2 singles.
Kingfisher - 1 low through NE from Clowbridge direction towards the whistling tree thingy! Where was that going??
Birds present-
W Warb c10 seen but (17 ringed), Chiffchaff 4+ (4 ringed), Goldcrest 2 (1 ringed), Spotted Flycatcher 1 (1 ringed), Redstart 1 ( 1 juv male ringed), Kestrel 3, Dunnock 4+ (2 ringed), Jay 2, Nuthatch 1 calling in trees but wouldn`t go in net.
Pics-
Spotted Fly..
Redstart..
Tree Pipit and Chiffchaff.
Ageing of Dunnock.. Adult ginger/red eye. Juv dull brown eye..
I am just not able to get up and I really did want to get up there earlier in the year. Off to Spurn this weekend....! Please could you stop posting ;)
__________________
www.wildrossendale.blogspot.co.uk/ Go On...Go Wild!!
Dense fog to start slowly lifting to o/cast. Wind calm to 5 SE.
4 nets up. 15 birds ringed.
Rubbish today. Thick fog from the off took ages to lift as there was no wind and as such killed any big movement. Once the fog did lift 4 singles of T Pipit did come through and all 4 were caught. Low single figures of M Pipit, Chaffinch and Redpoll only others seen.
Birds moving-
Tree Pipit - 4 singles. (4 ringed).
M Pipit - 5.
Redpoll - 4 together. (2 ringed).
Chaffinch - 4. 2 x 2.. (2 ringed).
Present-
W Warb (6 ringed), Robin 3 (1 ringed), Jay 1, L E Owl 1.
Pic - One of the 79 Tree Pipits caught and ringed so far this autumn...
-- Edited by C Bel on Wednesday 23rd of August 2017 08:08:52 AM
Purple Heron is a cracking bird...reminds me of foreign holidays.
I like to see the odd rarity at Spurn but if I am honest I love seeing common birds on mass migrating. Swallows or Meadow Pipits any day. Trouble is I need somebody like Craig to act as helper for most of the stuff!
Are you guys not arranging a couple of trips there?
__________________
www.wildrossendale.blogspot.co.uk/ Go On...Go Wild!!
Popped up C Point this morning (24thAug), put 3 nets up and after 1/2hr low cloud came in from SW and heavy drizzle came with it. Noticed very little Pipit movement overhead but did have a bonus of 2 Yellow Wagtail South and 3 x 2 Grey Wagtails South in quick succession. First confirmed of either species this autumn. All very high too.
Tried again but very quiet with misty conditions stopled most movement. When it did lift later 3 Tree Pipit came over and dropped into a net. These may be the last ones for this autumn as it's getting a bit late now for them.
Ringing total for today....
3 T Pipit, 1 M Pipit, 1 R Bunting, 2 W Warb, 1 Chiffchaff, 5 Coal Tit, 3 Chaffinch and a Dunnock.
Bit better this morning with more M Pipits , Chaffinch overhead and more birds travelling through the trees, esp Goldcrest.
Birds passing South-
M Pipit - 100+ steady trickle but bigger parties. (5 ringed).
Chaffinch - 40+ in groups to 6. (13 ringed).
R Bunting - 10. Singles. (1 ringed).
Linnet - 5. Singles.
M Thrush - 6 together.
Birds present- Goldcrest.. difficult to tell but obviously big movement of migrants have come in. (13 ringed), L T Tit 10 (6 ringed), 20+ strong Tit flock ( 2 Coal and 1 Great Tit ringed), Chiffchaff 3 inc 2 singing Males!! (1 ringed).
Crown Point Site. 24th Sept `17. 7 - 10.45 am. with Ste Rush counting..
Sunny start to O/cast. Wind 5 -10 SE picking up.
3 nets. 84 birds ringed.
A good morning with more birds passing overhead in better numbers again. Also a decent catch in the nets. Lots of Goldcrests and more unusually for this site and altitude, numerous Chiffchaff.. Good fun today with Ste counting properly.
Ste`s count-
Birds ringed.... 8 Chiffchaff, 9 Goldcrest, 8 R Bunting, 25 M Pipit, 12 Chaffinch, 20 L Redpoll, 2 Greenfinch.
Promising conditions on east coast next few days so no more vis mig at C Point... 3 days with Craggy at Spurn should be a bit better than up here!
Pic - Male Chaffinch (ste).
-- Edited by C Bel on Sunday 24th of September 2017 08:08:22 PM
Crystal clear at dawn becoming slightly o/cast by 10. wind 5 NW to calm.
4 nets up. 46 birds ringed.
Despite a beautiful morning after a poor week weatherwise it was still dissapointing in bird numbers moving South. No thrushes except a local Blackbird and 1 Mistle Thrush to the south seen. 3-4 small groups of Redpoll over and less than 30 M Pipits which looks as though this species have mostly gone through. Small numbers of other Finch sp, and a decent Tit flock blogging with other birds in with them inc a Treecreeper but surprisingly no Chiffchaff. Had 3 rapid calls with the tit flock in the distance which could have been a Y B Warb but nothing turned up in the nets when they had passed and no other calls heard. It will surely happen up there soon!
Birds moving South-
Grey Heron - 1 West.
M Pipit - 30 max in singles. Been a quiet year up here for this species. (1 ringed).
L Redpoll - 20+ in small parties. (15 ringed).
Chaffinch - 15+ in 1-2`s. (5 ringed).
Linnet - 3 singles.
Siskin - 4 Singles.
Goldfinch - 10+ in 1-2`s. (6 ringed).
R Bunting - 5 Singles (4 ringed).
M Thrush - 1.
Birds present- Goldcrest several (12 ringed), Treecreeper 1 (1 ringed), Robin 3 (1 ringed), Blackbird 1 (1 ringed), Jay 4, Kestrel 1, decent Tit flock c25 birds.
O/cast with occ mist. Wind 10 NW turning W and picking up.
3 nets up. 20 birds ringed.
Again another disappointing morning in the nets and overhead considering the conditions and time of year. Set up early to try for pre-dawn Redwings dropping in out of the sky as the daylight appeared. It worked sort of, as 20+ (1st of autumn up here) dropped in within first 45 min but none into any net. In fact, most dropped low but didnt land and carried on west, almost ignoring the lure. Pretty unusual for them not to drop in at first light.. Apart from the redwing early doors it was decidedly quiet. Again very few of the commoner migrants, even quieter than the 6th. Did manage to catch a Redpoll with a ring from elsewhere.
On another topic, we regularly get wagon loads of ****e dumped in the gateway we base as a ringing station varying from household waste, gardening junk, druggy plant pots, old toys, even sex toys, a blow up doll 2 weeks ago, bog roll etc, to which the council must have a weekly collection route up there. They have only just cleared a massive heap of bales and boxes but some thoughtful **** has been up since yesterday with 2 huge mattresses now!! (pictured below). They might come in handy though as its tiring running around when its busy ringing or for a nap under the present slow migration days.??
Birds moving- south unless stated.
Redwing - 20 min. 6, 3, 1, 2 and 8 all from east to west.
M Pipit - c10 in singles.
R Bunt - 1.
Chaffinch - 10 singles.
Goldfinch - 7 together.
Redpoll - only c10 seen but (14 ringed).
Birds Present-
Goldcrest 4-5 seen (6 ringed), Coal Tit 2, L T Tit 8, Chaffinch 4, Robin 4+, Jay 2, Kestrel 1.
