Desert Warbler

Now, that's got your attention. Yesterday morning when Ian and I were ringing at the Nature Park we caught this '3J' Whitethroat below. It was obviously a leucistic bird, but if it had been late October it would have made us give it a bit of a grilling!

 Above and below: a Whitethroat in Desert warblers clothing!

We just put three nets up in area of willow scrub and processed 21 new birds (recaptures in brackets):

Sedge Warbler - 3
Whitethroat - 10
Dunnock - 3
Blackcap - 2
Reed Warbler - 1 (3)
Reed Bunting - 1
Willow Warbler - 1
Great Tit - 1

Blackcap

Sedge Warbler

All the new birds except for one of the Blackcaps, the Willow and Reed Warbler were juveniles and this is what you would expect at this time of the year. To get a true picture of how successful a breeding season it has been we will have to wait for a few weeks yet and see what the ratio of adults to juveniles caught is.

On the birding front it was quiet. At first light Starlings were exiting their reedbed roost and we had a Siskin head south. My first autumnal finch movement.

This evening Ian and I were at Rossall clearing the net rides in preparation for the autumn season. So all we need now is some decent weather and we'll be out. Bring it on!