Wednesday 6 November 2019

Quantity not quality

Nothing scarce or rare could be eked out during the early morning coverage

Grounded
Goldcrest - 1
Blackcap - one ringed Middleton
Blackbird - 140-150
Song Thrush - 16
Redwing - see vis
Mistle Thrush - one flew inland at dawn
Woodcock - 2
Stonechat - female recycling centre road

Vis
Redwing - 140-150, mainly NE
Brambling - 1
Chaffinch - 44
Woodpigeon - 130
Meadow Pipit - 1
Bullfinch - 3
Greenfinch - 7
Long-tailed Tit - 14 south (some via mist net - unringed)
Redpoll - 1

Ex-roost
Starling - 4500

Great White Egret - 1 again heading east over Middleton Nature Reserve. 15:50. More to the north than last two days, it flew over the Tim Butler pond. Best viewed from field just north of top car park, where both north and south reserve boundaries are visible.

October ringing totals - a good effort time-wise but no huge catches (eg no sizeable Goldcrest falls):  Greenfinch (90), Goldcrest (60), Goldfinch (41), Chiffchaff (39), Chaffinch (38), Long-tailed Tit (30), Wren (26), Redwing (25), Reed Bunting (23), Blue Tit (21).  Unusual: Yellow-browed Warbler (3), Treecreeper (2), Cetti's Warbler (3) and Garden Warbler (2).   Just 11 Blackcap were ringed but this is still amazingly the species with the highest ringing total of the year with no previous year evidence that Goldfinch and Greenfinch will overtake it. The current ringing sites are not good for catching numbers of continental Blackbird, hence missing from the list