Wainscot and Warblers

As hoped for yesterday Ian and I had a successful ringing session in the reedbed this morning and the catch in my moth trap was reasonable. As we put the nets up we had three oktas cloud cover and the wind was a light southeasterly and yet again it was cold!

During the early part of the morning a number of Alba Wagtails were exiting their roost just to the north of us and we had about 20 go over. As we weren't on site at first light it is likely that there were a good few more than this. Twelve Lapwings took the opportunity to feed on the shorter areas of the grassland before the first members of the public would arrive and flush them.

We actually had a bit of vis this morning with three Sand Martins and a Swallow south. Other bits and pieces that we recorded were single Stock Dove, three Swifts, two Great Crested Grebes, 25 Coots, 2 Little Grebes, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

We ringed 31 birds as follows (recaptures in brackets):

Reed Warbler - 6 (1)
Whitethroat - 8
Reed Bunting - 1
Sedge Warbler - 3 (1)
Great Tit - 2 (2)
Blue Tit - 2 (1)
Blackbird - 1
Willow Warbler - 4
Wren - 2
Blackcap - 2

 Sedge Warbler

Whitethroat

When we were packing up I found this juvenile Smooth Newt underneath

the ringing table.

Back home in the moth trap I had a Magpie (moth!), a Large Yellow Underwing, a Garden Carper, two Buff Ermine, a Dot Moth, three Heart and Darts, a Dark Arches, two Bright-line Brown-eyes, a Riband Wave and a Common Wainscot.

 Buff Ermine

It's a day chained to my desk tomorrow for me, but I'm hopeful for the first autumn ringing session at the Obs Tuesday morning.