Quality Not Quantity

A blog title like that could be an excuse for not seeing many birds, and I suppose it is, although this morning was a 'quality' morning from a ringing perspective.

At first light as I arrived at the Obs I had clear skies, although it was a little misty, and it was calm. I made a 'schoolboy error' this morning and forgot two out of three of my MP3 players! On a morning when I didn't think there would be may grounded migrants around my MP3 players would be crucial for ringing a few birds.

I only ringed four birds, as follows, but they were all quality species (recaptures in brackets):

Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Grasshopper Warbler - 1
Willow Warbler - 1
Wren - (1)

 

Lesser Whitethroat

Willow Warbler

The Lesser Whitethroats were new in and after I released one bird it started singing from an adjacent hedge. There were a few grounded migrants this morning and of course they were all new in and these were two Whitethroats, a Chiffchaff, a Willow Warbler and three Grasshopper Warblers (including the ringed bird).

 Grasshopper Warbler

Vis was really poor with just eleven Linnets, a Curlew, two Swallows, two Goldfinches, three Meadow Pipits and a Siskin north.

 Goldfinch

After I packed up my nets I had a look in the cemetery on my way home and there was a smattering of grounded migrants here too in the form of a Whitethroat, two Willow Warblers, two Wheatears and a male Blackcap.

 Wheatear

I ran my moth trap at home last night and in it this morning were three Early Greys, three Hebrew Characters, a male Dotted Border and an Angle Shades.

The weather is changing later today and as I write the skies have darkened and you can feel the moisture in the air. This change in weather might stir things up a bit and I'll need to decide where to look first in the morning.