Slow start to September

It has been a fairly slow start to September, although there has been some evidence of an increase in visible migration. 

3rd: A look at the sea was pretty dire apart from single Arctic and Great Skuas heading north, plus three Manx Shearwaters, 60 Fulmars (41 N, 19 S), nine Common Scoter and two Puffins, whilst a trickle of Meadow Pipits heading south totalled 18. 

A walk around some of the fields and hedgerows produced nine Whinchats in the cover crop and the Northern Wheatear pictured below, but other than that it was predictably quiet.

Northern Wheatear

4th: This morning there was a steady southerly movement that involved 103 Meadow Pipits, Grey Wagtail, flava Wagtail, 143 Swallows, 5 House Martins and 8 Sand Martins, 41 Linnets, 9 Tree Sparrows and a Common Buzzard. 

In the ringing site a couple of Chiffchaffs were trapped and ringed, with other warblers including 2 Willow Warblers, Whitethroat and Blackcap. New to the ringing list were two Meadow Pipits, which were tape lured into one of the nets. The first time that this species has been seriously targeted here, and certainly not the last. A check of the cover crop revealed that six Whinchats were still in residence, whilst a nice surprise came in the form of a Spotted Flycatcher in one of the hedgerows.

Chiffchaff