04/11/2024

A superb male Brambling trapped today

Good numbers of finches were moving over the peninsular this morning, with some dropping into the trapping area and finding the mist nets, along with plenty of Crests and Thrushes.

A male Firecrest

A male Redpoll

 
As I started off on my bike ride I heard a once familiar rattle, a Mistle Thrush was being pursued by a Crow across the field in front of my garden, the first I have recorded from the garden for 4 years. As I headed for Scotney the local Little Owl was sheltering from the East wind, further along the track an adult female Sparrowhawk was flushing 100s each of Lapwings and Golden Plover. The 3 Barnacle Geese were still on the Scotney Sward but very little else.

Little Owl

Adult female Sparrowhawk

Female Brambling

On the reserve a female Brambling was frequenting the feeders at the visitor centre car park. Fro Dennis's A Black-necked Grebe and a Slavonian Grebe still present.

As dusk fell from Hanson hide 18 Cattle Egrets dropped in before going to roost

Yesterday a young Song Thrush came in off the sea at the fishing boats exhausted, immediately diving under a boat to rest and recover, eventually it came out and made its way in land. 

A Northern Wheatear on the reserve yesterday, quite possibly the last I'll see this year.

02/11/2024

The majority of this mornings Brent Geese were high and distant

A very dismal day but at least it remained dry. I was only out for the morning due to domestic engagements this afternoon.

The only other news was of a Water Pipit around the hay fields, 2 Black-necked Grebes, a Slavonian Grebe and a Red-throated Diver on Burrowes Pit all per TW.

07.45-11.00 from the Hide with OL & RW

Brent Goose: 3,798W      11E
Shoveler: 4W
Wigeon: 116W
Pintail: 16W
Teal: 26W
Common Scoter: 189W     2E
Red-breasted Merganser: 1W
Great-crested Grebe: 2 present
Grey Heron: 2W
Curlew: 2W
Sandwich Tern: 3W
Little Gull: 14W
Kittiwake: 14W
Black-headed Gull: present n/c
Mediterranean Gull: 5W     14E          
Common Gull: present n/c
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c 
Arctic Skua: 1W  1E  
Guillemot: 1W  
Auk: 139W    18E
Red-throated Diver: 2W      2 present 
Sooty Shearwater: 1E
Gannet: 201W.   422E
Cormorant: present n/c
Harbour Porpoise: 4

A shockingly poor image of the Sooty Shearwater

01/11/2024

I knew it was going to be a good day today when as I drove down the estate road early this morning Dave Bunney flagged me down pointing to a Yellow-browed Warbler in the top of his conifer tree, unfortunately it quickly flew north into the next garden and then carried on going North. I joined Owen in walk around the Desert, there was obviously more Thrushes around than there been lately, though not large numbers, a few Redpolls and Siskins flew over but again not large numbers. We continued on into the trapping area hearing a few Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs and finches going over and flushing a few Redwing, Song Thrush and Blackbirds but nor really seeing much. Soon a message from Tom he'd caught not 1 but 2 Yellow-browed Warblers in the same net and a Siberian Chiffchaff there as well. We duly watched him ring the birds and took some quick snaps just before they were released. Not long after another message he'd caught another Siberian chiffchaff, filled shortly after by another about a Bullfinch he'd caught a very scarce bird on the peninsular these days and one just about annual. Several Firecrests and Goldcrests were caught along with good numbers of Redpolls.

Early afternoon I made a visit to the reserve where there were 2 1w Caspian Gulls and 3 Yellow-legged Gulls on Burrowes. On Boulderwall fields 13 Cattle Egrets.

Female Bullfinch the rarest bird of the day on the peninsular

Yellow Browed Warblers

Siberian Chiffchaff

A colder looking Siberian Chiffchaff

 

One of a number of Redpolls caught today

Godcrest

At least 3 Firecrests also caught today

Still at 2 Dartford Warblers around

31/10/2024

One of three Black Redstarts around the perimeter wall this morning

I came across 6 Dartford Warblers in a long plod around The Point and TA. First thing this morning at least 6 Brambling flew over The Desert, along with the usual unseen Siskins and Redpolls some Chaffinches and Reed Buntings were noted, 3 Golden Plover touched down briefly behind the observatory. A Short-eared Owl was seen over The Desert per DB.

Brent Geese passing the fishing boats this afternoon

13.45-15.00 from the Boats

Brent Goose: 57W      5E

Common Scoter: 5E

Great-crested Grebe: 3E

Oystercatcher: 4W

Sandwich Tern: 1E

Black-headed Gull: present n/c

Herring Gull: present n/c

Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c

Arctic Skua: 1 present

Razorbill: 32W    8 on sea  

Guillemot: 3W  

Auk: 19W 

Red-throated Diver:4W

Gannet: 27W.   11E

Cormorant: present n/c

A red ringed Great White Egret on Burrowes this afternoon

 

29/10/2024

A drizzly foggy morning on the peninsular ruled out any chance of a sea watch, indeed I did not leave home until after 10.00 when the weather began to improve. A damp walk around The Point found at least 5 Dartford Warblers, 3 Black Redstarts and a couple of Goldcrests. Overhead a few each of Redpoll, Siskin and Chaffinch were heard but not seen and again no Thrushes except a 3 Blackbirds. 

On the reserve the 2 Black-necked Grebes and the Red-throated Diver were still on Burrowes but little else and only a handful of Gulls. At Denge Marsh again few Gulls just 2 Common Snipe on the new islands of any note, with 24 more on the new Christmas Dell islands.

8 Cattle Egrets and 4 Great White Egrets were on Boulderwall Fields.

Darford Warblers

Goldcrest

Black Redstarts

Common Snipe at Denge Marsh

28/10/2024

Intense rainbow over the power station as I arrived this morning at sunrise

A very busy sea watch on my own but no quality.

06.50-08.45 from the Hide &13.00-14.00 from the Fishing Boats
Brent Goose: 10W
Wigeon: 1W
Common Scoter: 4W
Red-breasted Merganser: 1W
Great-crested Grebe: 2E
Dunlin: 1W
Curlew: 1W
Sandwich Tern: 5W
Kittiwake: 26W
Black-headed Gull: c2,000W
Mediterranean Gull: 41W          
Common Gull: 172W
Herring Gull: present n/c
Great Black-backed Gull: present n/c
Lesser Black-backed Gull: present n/c 

Arctic Skua: 1W
Razorbill: 311W    
Guillemot: 20W  
Auk: 48W    21E
Red-throated Diver: 2W
Gannet: 556W.   89E
Cormorant: 434W
Peregrine: 1 in off carrying prey

Swallow: 3 SW out to sea
Starling: 30W
Goldfinch: 18W

Harbour Porpoise: 1
Grey Seal: 1
A brisk walk around The Desert and southern trapping area was as expected very poor avian wise, a few Chiffchaffs heard, and a few each of Redpoll and Siskin overhead was about it.

On the reserve 4+ Great White Egrets and 8 Cattle Egrets around the Boulderwall Fields, from Dennis's the Red-throated diver was quite distant and couple of Caspian Gulls on the ever diminishing islands.

From Hanson very little of interest the usual wildfowl are clinging on to a few stalks of vegetation that were once islands. In the Willow Trail a Migrant Hawker and Great spotted Woodpecker, along with several unseen Water rails and Cetti's Warblers. As far as I know only Tom and myself are left on the peninsular this week, Wednesday and Thursday are looking interesting weather wise.

Great White Egret

One of two 1w Caspian Gulls from Dennis's late morning

27/10/2024

On my arrival at The Point this morning there was no wind, also because the peninsular was shrouded in fog a sea watch was out of the question. Goldfinches and Chaffinches could be heard above the fog, along a few each of Redpoll, Siskin and Brambling, a juvenile Marsh Harrier appeared out of the gloom and sailed out to sea.  In the the gardens Chiffchaffs were calling with the odd Firecrest and Goldcrest as yet unseen, until the shroud lifted revealing sparkling clear skies but in truth few birds. Walking round the area very few thrushes were encountered but at least 8 Dartford Warblers were encountered, also an increasingly scarce Brown Hare, RW nearly stepped on a Short-eared Owl in The Desert.

Firecrest in a private garden

Chiffchaff in the TA

Some of the days Dartford Warblers

Brow Hare in The Desert

A late morning/early afternoon cycle ride to Scotney saw 2 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Green Sandpipers, a Little Owl another Dartford Warbler and 3 Barnacle Geese of note, there were also 100s of Lapwing, Golden Plovers and Wigeon on the back lakes.

Mid afternoon I joined Richard at Dennis's Hide where we found an adult Yellow-legged Gull, 2 1w Caspian Gulls and 3w Caspian Gull.

Another late afternoon cycle down Galloways was very disappointing, once again no Owls of any description and precious little else.

Black-necked grebes

Green Sandpipers

One of the local Little Owls

The first Barnacle Geese I have seen since last winter

26/10/2024

 

A male Hen Harrier flew south across The Desert this morning and was quickly chased out to sea by a Crow.

Also around The Point this morning several each of Goldcrest and Dartford Warbler, a few Siskin and Redpoll over and 2 Brambling but it was generally disappointing on the migrant front.

One of several Goldcrests around The Point this morning

Great spotted Woodpecker in the Willow Trail ARC

This 2w Caspian Gull was one of several Caspian Gulls on Burrowes today 

Adult Yellow-legged Gull on Burrowes

A Cattle Egret on one of the new islands at Denge Marsh

First Dark Chestnut this year

First Featherd Thorn of the year

One of several Palpita vitrealis in and around the trap this morning

A late Dark Arches in the trap this morning