With its combination of light drizzle and gentle North-easterlies today had the feel of a really good spring day (if only this combination had come in a months time!). New in for the Spring we saw our first
Tree Pipit of the year, not quite the earliest but an excellent record.
Meadow Pipits were perhaps the most common migrant of the day with over 250 passing overhead throughout the morning.
Chiffchaffs again made up the bulk of the ringing numbers with over 100 recorded across the area and 41 trapped. Competing for most numerous bird were the
Wheatears with 64 spread around the coast (although this is likely to be an underestimate as birds were constantly moving through). Following on the chats theme,
Black Redstarts were at their highest tally for the Spring with seven birds around the coast and in the top fields, including a splendid male. Other migrants included: yesterdays lingering
Moorhen, a
Golden Plover, 12
Redwings (following a high nocturnal count), seven
Song Thrushes, 12
Blackcaps, three
Willow Warblers, a
Brambling, eight
Siskins and three
Redpoll.
The sea was slightly quieter with 48
Common Scoter, two
Red-
throated Divers, three
Mediterranean Gulls and a
Sandwich Tern.
Elsewhere on the island there was a
Ring Ouzel at Blacknor, and the Suckthumb/avalanche area saw 31
Chiffchaffs, 12
Blackcaps, two
Redwings, 10
Goldcrests and a
Firecrest,
A little flurry of crests late in the afternoon boosted the ringing totals nicely and provided some excellent views of our smallest birds © Martin Cade (Goldcrest), ©Pete Saunders (Firecrest)
A very Chatty day with the highest counts of Wheatears and Black Redstarts so far this year ©Roger Hewitt:
