Sat 22 Sept

Immature male Chiffchaff 22-09-07, PCP

This week has seen a little more movement of birds, e.g. Jay (fri), L.Grebes (DK), Mipit (daily), up to 4 Smarties (some days), Swallow (sat). Cormorants have jumped up to 14.

Ringing on Sat ended with 32 birds after 4 hours, including 6 Chiffs, 1 Willow, 5 Blackcaps & 4 Reeds. Other birds included Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Blackbird, Bullfinch (2) and an adult (in heavy moult) Goldfinch.

Female Willow Warbler 22-09-07, PCP

One of the Blackcaps, a female, was very grey/washed out colour - see pic below.

Female Blackcap 22-09-07, PCP

w/e Sunday 9th Sept

Several brief sessions meant that I clocked up 83 birds of 17 species this week. That's very similar to the totals for "the Obs" nets at Gibraltar Point last week! Highlights were 3 new Robins, 7 Blackbirds, 2 more Snog Thrushes, 8 Reed Warblers, a Garden, 11 Blackcaps, 8 Chiffs (inc 2 r/t), some TITS (thought they were all dead), and 2 new/young Bullfinches.
Sight records included 4 Gadwall, a Shoveler, a Teal, a female Sparr, 1 Greylag, 12 Barnacles over, 2 Common Terns up until Sunday (at least), the odd Swallow most days, a Green Sand (Sat), Willies early in the week and plenty of Chiffs throughout. Still a good number of young Reed Warblers toing and froing, as were the Kingfishers but a good deal noisier.

Sat 25th August

Another CES today, the last of the 12 main visits.
A reasonable week for the park (we don't have the luxury of a large reedbed and low willow scrub like Willington & Mark Thomas) with 40 birds caught. The tally was - Wren 3, Dunnock 3, Robin 3, Blackbird 2, Reed Warbler 5, Lesser Whitethroat 4, Common Whitethroat 1, Garden Warbler 4, Blackcap 5, Chiff 3, Willow 3, Long-tailed Tit 1, Blue Tit 3.
The adult sylvia warblers all had good amounts of fat on them, ready for their migration. The youngsters were starting to lay down some fat but very little so far - and there were some still in full juvenile plumage (i.e. not started PJ moult) and no fat.

Elsewhere, the grebes are still doing fine, with one, the largest, being ignored for long periods. Another brood of Moorhens in the crescent (no numbers) and broods of 2 and 5 on 'lilypads'. Green Sand calling overhead, most days this week, 10 Swallows on Thurs., many Reed Warblers along the main path feeding in the willows opposite, the Greenshanks were still around mid-week, a lot of Willow Ws going through (and noisy, some even singing), and a party of 33-35 Goldfinch south as well as 2 family partys feeding in the rough.

PS. Next day (2 hours pm while scrub bashing) - Blackcap 2, Garden Warbler 2, Goldfinch 1 juv, Greenfinch 4. Also 6 "chinky" Swallows over 4pm & c.30 House Martins a few minutes later