Category: Sighting

Ringing in the morning of 9/9 in the study area started very quietly. There was little movement even though the weather was perfect. As the morning went on a number of Blackcaps passed through. They were all juveniles – some with full juvenile plumages and others in different phases of their juvenile moult. Overall a quiet 4 hours of ringing with Chiffchaff and Blackcap being the predominant species.

West End at 3.30pm:-  Little Egret, Green and Common Sandpipers, 70 Great Crested Grebes. One of the Black-headed Gulls perched on the rafts had a tall white ring on its right leg – maybe someone can read the code.

WeBS
All Reservoir:- 106 Great Crested Grebe, 24 Cormorant, 15 Grey Heron, 84 Greylag, 6 Mandarin, 74 Mallard + 1 Feral hybrid, 8 Moorhen, 2 Lapwing, 3 Common Sandpiper, 3 Kingfisher, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Dam End:- 1 Little Egret, 1 Mute Swan, 21 Canada Geese, 1Juv Little Ringed Plover, 115 Black-headed Gull, 5 Herring Gull, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Sand Martin, 4 Swallow, 75 House Martin, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail, 1f Blackcap, 6 Chiffchaff, 1 Jay, 3 Starling.
West End:- 3 Teal, 1 Coot, 1 Snipe, 2 Green Sandpiper, also 2 Terrapins.
Whillet’s:- 4 Buzzards, 1 juv Stonechat, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Raven, 2 Bullfinch, 1 Kestrel, also 2 Grass Snakes, 1 Emerald Damselfly, 1 Southern Hawker, 2 Migrant Hawker, 2+ Common Darter.      Butterflies:- 5 Small Copper, 2 Green Veined White, 1 Comma.

West End:- 1 Little Grebe, 4 Teal, 2 Mandarin, 1 Coot, 3 Snipe, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Lapwing, 1 Jay.

8 Black-headed Gull, Canada Goose, 2 Common Sandpiper, 4 Cormorant, 19 Great Crested Grebe, Green Sandpiper, 29 Greylag Goose, 2 Jackdaw, 7 Lapwing, 7+ Mallard, 2 Snipe, 6 Teal, Buzzard, 2 Chiffchaff, Coot, Garganey, Great White Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 40+ House Martin, Kingfisher, Magpie, Moorhen, 2 Swallow, Woodpigeon & 2 Fallow Deer.

West End:- Kingfisher, Green and Common Sandpiper, 7 Lapwing, 20 Black-headed Gulls, Great White Egret.

West End:- 1 Garganey, 6 Teal, 2 Snipe, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Great White Egret, 1 Coot, 8 Lapwing, 2 Chiffchaff, 40 House Martins, 2 Swallows.

West End:- 8 Teal, 2 Coot, 3 Moorhen, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Green Sandpiper, 9 Lapwings, 38 Mallard, 1 Great White Egret, 3 Buzzards, 1 Sand Martin, 40 House Martin, 12 Swallows.
Whillets:- 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Chiffchaff.

On the 3rd:- a male Marsh Harrier flew south, also Greenshank, two Green Sandpiper and Kingfisher.
On the 4th:- Great Egret still plus Garden and Reed Warbler, two Marsh Tits, a brief Black Tern and an Osprey. All the above from West End.

With a weather front moving down the country, I completed a ringing session in the study area on 3/9.  However it proved to be quiet. Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff being the main birds in varying juvenile moult.
A nice Emerald Damselfly was observed returning to the same bramble area throughout the afternoon.