Friday, 24 April 2015

It's been a while

This blog has been neglected for a a few months, but with the slow winter period out of the way and spring migrants now arriving back, I hope there will plenty of reasons to post here. A busy work schedule has also meant extended periods away from the patch and with these continuing, I hope that I am around when the rarer species appear. 

Earlier in April a Firecrest was a nice find in the ringing site and although the photo perhaps doesn't suggest so, it did show nicely.

Firecrest
With clear skies dominating over the past few days, conditions have not been conducive to grounding migrants. A Wheatear yesterday was my first on the patch and a Willow Warbler this morning likewise, but there has been very little in the way of grounded migrants this week and very little visible migration. A Golden Plover flew north and a 2cy Glaucous Gull flew south this morning, with the latter presumably the bird seen at Filey recently.

It has been pleasing to undertake a couple of ringing sessions, with a few recently returned migrants hitting the nets. The ringing site currently has single territories of Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat. A Reed Bunting territory is the first to be recorded within the the ringing site since I started visits here (although they have bred nearby).

Chiffchaff


Whitethroat

Plenty of Skylarks are singing and the usual scattering of Meadow Pipits are breeding along the cliffs.

Meadow Pipit




 

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