Sunday 29th
The last couple of days have been so foggy that the nets would have been too wet. It seemed at first today might head the same way, particularly as there was no breeze, but the fog held off. Thirty-six birds were caught. At first 30 of these being retraps might seem a bit frustrating but a main aim of the national Winter Project is to look at survival rates of wintering birds and so every retrap helps. The new birds were a Wren, two House Sparrows and singles of Blue Tit, Great Tit and Chaffinch. The retraps were eight Great Tits, six Blue Tits, three each of House Sparrow and Chaffinch, two each of Robin, Redwing and Long-tailed Tit plus single Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dunnock, Blackbird and Song Thrush. One of the House Sparrows had been ringed three and a half years ago as an adult and so was a good age for our sparrows.
Friday 20th
Two people were able to get in and get some nets up. They caught 12 birds, nine of which were new. Seven (Lesser) Redpoll were the bulk with a Redwing and a Song Thrush as stocking fillers.
Tuesday 17th
The weather was interesting but not like what was forecast apart from the lack of wind. We arrived to a frost forming but this went as a band of cloud came over, raising the temperature to over 7°C. This was followed by unexpected drizzle and a few spots of rain. Once this cleared there was some pleasant sun briefly before the murk returned. The lack of wind meant we could go ahead with the BTO Winter Project ringing. There were 18 new birds and 15 retraps. The new birds were headed by six Chaffinches, three House Sparrows and three (Lesser) Redpolls. Wren, Blackbird, Redwing, Chiffchaff, Blue Tit and Bullfinch all occurred as singles. The Chiffchaff continued the steady trickle of new examples of this species. The Bullfinch was a smart male and was a bit of a surprise as none had been noted for a few weeks.
Saturday 14th
We expected it to be cool but the early showers were a surprise. It remained overcast and damp throughout the morning. The session was saved by 17 (Lesser) Redpolls which appeared in the Oasis. The only other new birds were a Redwing and a Goldfinch.
The Redpoll flock was accompanied by a bird we had ringed at the start of the month.
Friday 13th
Thick cloud and a bit more breeze than forecast did not make for an optimistic start. At least the breeze did drop away. Twelve birds were ringed - three Redwings, two Chiffchaffs and singles of Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch and (Lesser) Redpoll. One of the male Cetti's Warblers reappeared in the Heligoland trap.
Wednesday 4th
A break in the windy/wet conditions allowed us to do our next BTO Winter Project visit. It was a good morning with 27 birds ringed and 34 retrapped. The latter was helped by 11 of the local Long-tailed Tits and six Great Tits. The new birds were ten Lesser Redpolls, three each of Redwing, Chiffchaff, House Sparrow and Chaffinch, two each of Blackbird and Blackcap, plus a Goldcrest.
The continued appearance of House Sparrows is a relief but we have not found where they are present on the Estate. The overall mildness of the weather links to the trickle of new Chiffchaffs appearing.
Tuesday 3rd
A big thank you to Professor Martin Collinson and his team at Aberdeen University. They have confirmed that the DNA from the Lesser Whitethroat ringed in October was from the race hallimodendri. A second for Kent.
Sunday 1st
It started breezy and increased. Despite this a brief attempt was made which yielded just seven new birds. These were three Blackbirds and singles of Redwing, Chiffchaff, House Sparrow and Chaffinch.