Sunday 29th
A clear night ensured migrants are keeping going and not stopping here. The four new birds were all passing through- singles of Siskin, Redwing, Chiffchaff and Chaffinch.
Saturday 28th
Some interesting bits from Thursday. First was the finding of a Robin's nest, with four eggs, along Sandown Road.
The other bits involve information on colour ring sightings. The first relates to the Pochard which was sighted last March on Restharrow Scrape. It had been marked, as an adult, at Neuville-aux-Bois, France on 11th May 2022. Looking at the BTO data on this species there are actually a few hundred movements recorded across a wide spread of Europe. This should not come as a big surprise due to the amount of wildfowl which are shot. It is good to get one which does not involve death.
There are also two Mediterranean Gulls we have details for. Both were also seen on Restharrow Scrape and had been ringed in the Langstone Harbour area of Hampshire. One had been ringed as a chick on 25th June 2024 and seen here on 24th March 2026. The other had been ringed on 25th June 25th. Since then it has travelled widely visiting the Lune Estuary, Carmarthenshire, Dublin, France, and Portugal.
Friday 27th
Although it was breezier than expected it was possible to do some ringing. There were ten new birds - four Chaffinches, two Chiffchaffs and singles of Dunnock, Goldfinch, Robin and Wren. Probably all reflect birds returning to their breeding grounds.
Monday 23rd
The breeze went completely and this allowed fog to form. There were a few new birds with eight ringed. These were four Chiffchaffs, two Redwings, a Goldfinch and a Siskin. All this shows the continued changeover as Spring heads this way.
Sunday 22nd
The forecast did not pick up on the fact that the morning would start with complete cloud cover, plus there was a fresher easterly. The cloud was good news as we could see a birds moving such as Fieldfares. Six new birds might not sound much but these were a Fieldfare, a Chaffinch, a Goldcrest, a Great Tit, a House Sparrow and a major surprise, a Marsh Tit.
I am not sure if any Marsh Tits have been recorded on the Estate this millennium. There are not any on the ringing database which have been ringed on the Estate. As a small team of dedicated helpers are still digitising our records it maybe there is a record lurking from the early 1980's.
Saturday 21st
Another clear start and once again not much needed to stop when it hit the coast. A new Redwing and a Goldcrest were best of the bunch.
Friday 20th
It was clear again overnight leading to a cool start helped by a slight easterly breeze. The bushes remained quiet and there were three new birds - singles of Chaffinch, Robin and Song Thrush. A mixture of local retraps added 13 birds to the total.
The Blackcap controlled at the start of the month had been ringed last October in North Holland.
Wednesday 18th
A clear night did not lead to a frosty start as there was a southerly breeze. The conditions meant birds did not stop by and, apart from a few finches moving, it was quiet. The one new bird was a Redwing. A retrap Dunnock had been ringed as an adult in autumn 2020 and was at least seven years old.
Sunday 15th
A clear and frosty start soon melted away as a warm sun and then a stiff breeze showed up. This allowed for a short session with four new birds - one each of Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest and Chaffinch.
Saturday 14th
Whilst catches have been low recently there has been variety. House Sparrow led the way with seven new birds (good to have them as they are such a cause for concern in England), followed by four each of Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Chiffchaff. A new Greenfinch and a new Starling were of note as we catch so few these days. A new Fieldfare dazzled as ever as its spring finery appeared.
Three recent movements have been notified to us. None of them are unexpected but I will mention;
The colour ring of a Mediterranean Gull was read on Restharrow Scrape on February 26th we have already heard back that it was ringed as a 3CY bird at Oost-Vlanderen, Belgium on May 20th 2024.
A cabaret Redpoll ringed by us on November 13th 2025 was caught subsequently at Barton Mills, Suffolk on March 6th this year.
And finally, a typical wandering tit movement of a Long-tailed Tit, done just down the road at Kingsdown on December 13th 2025, was caught here on March 6th.