A west wind freshened after a calm start. Dry with sunny spells.
John and I set nets at Middleton this morning - the conditions were initially good with little breeze and plenty of cloud. Sunny spells developed and the breeze increased during the morning. The catch was 41 birds including a Sedge Warbler ringed elsewhere:
Wren 1 +1 retrap
Dunnock 1
Robin 2
Cetti's Warbler 1
Grasshopper Warbler 1
Sedge Warbler 7 + 1 from another site
Reed Warbler 5
Lesser Whitethroat 3
Common Whitethroat 2
Blackcap 5
Chiffchaff 3
Willow Warbler 1
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blue Tit 3
Chaffinch 1
Reed Bunting 1
The majority of the birds were juveniles.
Janet had a check mid morning:
Cetti's warbler singing from "no swimming" pond.
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| Plenty of Gatekeeper |
Late yesterday evening I called in passing to check the ponds (MD). There was a duck on the "no swimming" pond that looked like a female Scaup. But its size compared to the Mallards was too small, more like a Tufted Duck. The light wasn't good enough for definitive shots so I returned early this morning and got some better ones.
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| White around the bill, no sign of a tuft and only the nib of the bill black |
It suggested a Lesser Scaup, but during a visit early evening today it provided some wing flaps which showed that it couldn't be a Lesser Scaup.
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| Today's duck showing full white wing bars |
Hummingbird Hawkmoth 1 zipped through Kevin Eaves' garden today, that's the second one through his garden this year.
South shore (MD)
Two visits, one early morning on the ebbing tide and one towards high water in the afternoon.
Little Egret 5
Whimbrel 1 probably 2 seen and heard on both visits (saltmarsh and Red Nab)
Linnet 22 on saltmarsh
Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab
Meadow Pipit 1 on saltmarsh
Wheatear 1 on Red Nab.
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| Wheatear |
There were no small waders along the waterline at high water.
