We ringed 972 birds of 28 species in October. This is 431 less than October 2023 but we ringed 477 Lesser Redpoll in October 2023 and just 51 this October.
Saturday 30th
A mild, overcast, with a bit of a breeze, day. Greenfinch was one of the staples of winter ringing here at one time but the bird we caught today was the first since 2022. The other new birds were two Wrens, three Chaffinches, six Lesser Redpolls, and singles of Robin, Fieldfare, and Goldcrest. There was also a Lesser Redpoll which had been ringed elsewhere in the UK.
A fascinating update on the Song Thrush detected by our Motus aerials after its journey here from Denmark. It moved on along the coast and was detected at Dungeness.
Friday 29th
Although it was very frosty overnight a milder breeze set in and the frost was melting away by the morning. Activity was low and 13 birds were ringed, mostly typical of late autumn, but was the Blackcap arriving here to winter? The other birds were two Robins, five Blackbirds and singles of Fieldfare, Chiffchaff, Blue Tit, House Sparrow and Goldfinch.
Tuesday 26th
Finally a calmish morning which was mild and sunny. Seventy birds were caught of which 42 were new. Blackbird was most numerous with 11 mostly large, dark, birds of northern European origin. Some were low on fat suggesting recent arrival. Ten Goldfinches on the other hand had been enjoying the weeds not yet cut in the asparagus fields and had good weights. New Chiffchaffs continue to appear, this time there were four. Also indicative of new arrival were three unringed Robins. Definitely not new arrivals were eight retrap Great Tits.
Two new and three retrap House Sparrows plus some calling around the Observatory suggested that there at least some left after their disappearance in the summer.
Friday 21st
Another windy morning and so the chance was taken to continue work on the heligoland bushes.
Another interesting story shown by ringing involves a Blackbird we metal and colour ringed on January 14th this year. We have not seen it since but it was caught at Landguard Bird Observatory on November 16th. The obvious interpretation would be that it wintered somewhere in the south-east, or continued into more southern Europe, before returning to northern Europe to breed and was on its way back south for this winter
Thursday 20th
After yesterdays heavy rain and wind it remained windy but frosty and so no ringing.
The Motus system continues to add interesting information. A Song Thrush heading this way from Denmark is not unexpected but details of the timing and route add much more detail.
This bird was ringed and tagged in southern Denmark on September 17th and remained in that area until October 9th. It then cut across Germany, being detected at several sites before moving to the coast of Holland on October 15th where it remained until at least the 17th. The next detection was on the Belgium coast on November 2nd. It crossed the channel the same day and was detected by our aerials on the 2nd.
Sunday 17th
No mist this morning and it was quieter birdwise as well. Twenty-two birds were ringed with Goldfinches making up the majority with ten, followed by eight Blackbirds, two Blackbirds, a Chiffchaff and a Goldcrest.
This could be the last suitable day for a few but there is plenty of news in about movements to cover.
Saturday 16th
A truly autumnal morning with mist and frost, which was cleared away by some sun. This did not last long and it became cloudy. A small team managed 41 new birds. More thrushes had arrived and 12 Blackbirds, six Fieldfares, and three Redwings were ringed. There were 14 Goldfinches and three Lesser Redpolls. Another Great Spotted Woodpecker continued their good run. Despite the frost there was another Blackcap and a Chiffchaff. A Firecrest from a couple of weeks ago was amongst the retraps.
Friday 15th
Another good day, both weather and birdwise. Fifty-seven birds of ten species were ringed. There were more thrushes around led by 13 Blackbirds, mostly of the darker and larger continental variety, five Redwings and two Song Thrushes. Goldfinches continue to drift over from the adjacent asparagus fields and 18 were ringed. There were also eight Lesser Redpolls, four each of Chaffinch and Chiffchaff, and singles of Robin, Blackcap and House Sparrow.
Wednesday 13th
The weather swung around with a couple of showers and some drizzle between sunny intervals. It was a good late autumn session with 72 birds ringed. The highlight was a second tristis Chiffchaff. This years birds have been remarkably distinctive. There was a good supporting cast headed by 29 Lesser Redpolls, 15 Goldfinches, four Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap. There was also another Cetti's Warbler, again its large biometrics suggested male and these are young males wandering around looking for new territories.
During the summer House Sparrows all but disappeared from around the Observatory and we miss their constant chirping. A male was caught in the Whitehouse.
Monday 11th
It was a novelty to see the sun rise as the greyness of the last week or so had moved on. A smaller team still caught 29 new birds. There were plenty of thrushes around first thing and this delivered three Fieldfares into the heligoland. Goldfinch was most numerous with eight followed by four Blackcaps and four Fieldfares. One of the Blackcaps was a female with a wing of 79mm, four or five above the average, was she arriving from further east to winter here?
Sunday 10th
There was a hint of sun before it turned grey later. It was a typical autumn session with nice variety but not big numbers. Fifty-seven birds were ringed. Lesser Redpoll was most frequent with 17 followed by 11 Redwings and an equally impressive eight Chiffchaffs. The others were Blackbird (4), Fieldfare (1), Song Thrush (6), Blackcap (2), Goldcrest (3), Chaffinch (4), and Goldfinch (1).
The tristis Chiffchaff was retrapped.
Friday 8th
Still overcast but with a hint of an easterly, which dropped away, making it feel a bit cooler. Forty four birds were ringed with the highlight being a tristis Chiffchaff. Twelve Redwings were just a small part of the hundred or so which were around first thing, Goldcrests were also very vocal first thing but only 12 were ringed. We are getting to the stage where we wonder if a new Blackcap is heading south or arriving from the East to winter here. A Jay was a colourful addition.
Wednesday 6th
The overcast conditions continue but at least the lack of breeze means the nets do not fill with autumnal leaves.
Fifty birds were ringed. There was an arrival of Blackbirds with 13 ringed, mostly dark-billed and chunky suggesting northern European origin. There was another Cetti's Warbler, a wing of 64mm indicating it was a male. The other birds were Robin (1), Fieldfare (1), Redwing (3),Chiffchaff (3), Goldcrest (3), Goldfinch (11) and Lesser Redpoll (14).
Tuesday 5th
Overcast and murky again and at first quiet morning was enlivened when 11 Lesser Redpolls and 23 Goldfinches arrived. Firecrest continued their strong run with another example. The four Chiffchaffs were clearly benefitting from the weather and had high levels of fat stored, one weighing over ten grams. A Magpie was a surprise in one of the nets as they easily roll out usually.
Monday 4th
The overcast conditions were lifted briefly mid-morning to release a brief burst of sun but otherwise no change. A total of 66 birds was helped by 39 Lesser Redpolls plus a control. Seven Chiffchaffs were the next best followed by six Goldcrests, three each of Blackbird and Redwing, two Robins, two Song Thrushes and singles of Blackcap, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Chaffinch.
The 'bird of the day' was nearly a Starling, they are that scarce these days, but it was even more unusual in that it took one look at us and extracted itself from the top of the net.
Sunday 3rd
Good netting conditions continued but there was a relatively slow arrival of birds. Twenty-six were ringed today. By far the best was a Woodcock, the first since 2009. We often only see them in the coldest conditions. There was an upsurge in finches with seven Goldfinches, and two Chaffinches but Lesser Redpoll have not kept up their promise of a week ago and only one was ringed.
Saturday 2nd
The overcast, calmish, conditions continue which is great for mist-netting. Todays ringing was delayed until after 7 as forecast drizzle turned into rain. There were plenty of thrushes around once the rain stopped but they lifted off straight away. Nineteen birds were ringed. These were three Song Thrushes, five Chiffchaffs, four Goldcrests two Firecrests, two Long-tailed Tits and three Chaffinches.
A breeze mid-morning prevented us from catching any of the Swallows which were still around.
Friday 1st
Fairly calm but not a touch of the forecast fog. It did feel slightly cooler. A catch of just 20 new birds was disappointing. There were five Redwing, four each of Chiffchaff and Goldcrest, three Blackbirds and two each of Robin and Lesser Redpoll.