Tuesday 29th
It rained through the night, heavily at times, this stopped migrant movement. By dawn the rain stopped but it appeared the only birds around were those which had not left last night. Thirty-nine were ringed, 21 were Blackcaps, 15 Chiffchaffs, two Robins and a Blackbird. The latter was probably local as it was an adult completing its moult.
Monday 28th
Some cloud and light rain shower overnight did not deter the migrants and with just a couple of double nets used 99 birds were ringed. Sixty-five were Blackcaps and 30 Chiffchaffs. There were also singles of Blue Tit, Firecrest, Great Tit and Willow Warbler.
The continued turn over of tits shows no sign of abating. As yesterday showed a few more show up in the afternoon.
Sunday 27th
Dawn started calm and cool but sunny intervals soon warmed it up and the southerly breeze helped this. As it was our annual Migration Day we were able to assemble a large team to make the most of the conditions. Two-hundred-and-forty-eight birds were ringed. Two species reached triple figures with 122 Blackcaps and 110 Chiffchaffs. The other birds were eight Blue Tits, three Robins, two each of Firecrest and Lesser Whitethroat plus a Goldfinch. There were two birds with BTO rings from elsewhere as well.
An attempt to catch Meadow Pipits came to a quick finish when the cows entered the field. Despite the numbers of common warblers moving it looks as if we have missed out on the hirundines again as none were forthcoming.
Saturday 26th
Very little change. Seventy birds were ringed, 55 were Blackcaps but there were only eight Chiffchaffs. The rest were singles of Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Firecrest, Goldcrest, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Robin and Song Thrush.
Remember it is the Kent Migration day tomorrow. There will be walks, talks and demonstrations which are free.
One of our team- Grace- has just completed a 5km open water swim as a fund raising activity for the Observatory. Very well done.
Friday 25th
A shift of the wind to north-east did little to change the species caught apart from reducing the number a bit. Sixty-six birds were ringed of which 46 were Blackcaps, 12 Chiffchaffs, two Blue Tits and singles of Firecrest, Great Tit, Robin, Song Thrush and Woodpigeon.
Thursday 24th
A cooler start to the morning but any breeze fell away and it soon warmed up. With more unsettled weather to the west the bushes were a bit quieter but we still ringed 87 birds. Fifty eight were Blackcaps and 25 Chiffchaffs. Single Willow Warbler and Garden Warbler are reaching the end of their season. The other new birds were a Blue Tit and a Chaffinch.
Wednesday 23rd
A calm start meant the small team assembled today was kept busy. There were 130 new birds plus 21 subsequent encounters, two of these were from elsewhere in the UK. Blackcap just outnumbered Chiffchaff 62 to 57. Further signs of the tit movement which has been noted were three new Blue and three new Great Tits. There were two new Willow Warblers and singles of Goldcrest, Reed Warbler and Robin. Ten of the retraps were Long-tailed Tits which ranged from a bird ringed two years ago to several from this year.
Monday 21st
A calm clear night saw the temperature fall but provided good conditions for migration. One-hundred-and-fifty-six birds were ringed. One-hundred-and-seven of these were Blackcaps, as usual the majority were birds of the year but four adults were not usual. There were also 37 Chiffchaffs, six Blue Tits and singles of Chaffinch, Firecrest, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Lesser Whitethroat and Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Sunday 20th
The wind persisted long into the night before falling away and there were some showers before dawn. This seemed to deter large movements and 59 birds were ringed. A Firecrest and a Meadow Pipit were the bonuses and Blackcap was most numerous with 32 followed by 21 Chiffchaffs. The other new birds were a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Robin. Unlike the Blackcaps, which have very few retraps, Chiffchaffs seem to be remaining in the area and there were nine retraps.
Saturday 19th
Much too windy for the nets but a drive of the Heligoland confirmed that there are lots of Blackcaps around. The first Grey Wagtail since 2022 was caught in the Observatory Crow Trap.
Some updates on movements. We have the details of all three birds we controlled on the 14th. They all demonstrate how many British warblers head for SE England on their south-bound migration. One was a Blackcap which had been ringed on September 20th 2025 just NW of us at St Nicholas-at-Wade. It appears to be following a similar route out as last year. The second was a Chiffchaff ringed this year at Kingston, Isle Of Wight on September 6th. We are actually 202km ENE. The third was a Chiffchaff ringed on July 7th this year at Old Weston, Cambridgeshire. This is 174 km NW of here.
Finally confirmation of the neck-collared White-fronted Goose which showed up on RSPB Worth Marshes for a nearly a month from January 7th. It had been ringed on Friesland, Netherlands on January 28th 2025.
Friday 18th
Conditions are changing quickly but today the weather was settled and the birds were on the move. 115 were ringed. As is usually the case Blackcap led the way, with 67 but Chiffchaffs are getting going and 41 were ringed. The other new birds were two Blue Tits, three Chaffinches, a Reed Warbler and a Whitethroat.
A final check of the House Sparrow nest boxes showed all the last broods had fledged. Meanwhile at the House Martin nests there is still one brood being fed.
Wednesday 16th
The fresher weather which had been forecast arrived with a stronger breeze. Forty-eight birds were ringed involving just four species. Blackcap numbered 37, Chiffchaff nine plus Blue Tit and Willow Warbler one each. It appeared that the vast majority of the hirundines had moved on.
A visit with a portable trap to Rest Harrow Dunes yielded four Meadow Pipits and hinted at what might be possible if the Oasis trap was repaired.
Tuesday 15th
A warm and muggy night led to a warm start. There were thousands of Swallows around last night but they usually leave very quickly. This time we did manage to catch 14. The birds remained in the area for a while but by 10 they had gone and we did not catch any more. The rest of the catch was varied and 59 birds were ringed. Blackcap appears to have passed its peak and there were just 20. Chiffchaffs are just trundling along and there were 15. There were also two Sedge Warblers and three Willow Warblers. The best birds were a Cetti's Warbler and a Firecrest.
Monday 14th
After an unsettled start to the night the morning dawned overcast and humid. We were able to get a small team out this morning and so nets were limited. A catch of 47 new and ten subsequent encounters was a reasonable return. Three of the latter had rings from elsewhere in the UK (two Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap). The new birds were a nice mix of 22 Blackcaps, 12 Chiffchaffs, two each of Chaffinch, Dunnock and Long-tailed Tit, plus singles of Firecrest, Blue Tit, Garden Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Robin, Willow Warbler and Great Spotted Woodpecker.
The majority of Blackcaps continue to show high fat scores with weights up to 23 grams.
Sunday 13th
Early rain followed by drizzle meant the nets could not be used, however, some walks of the heligoland trap showed there are lots of Blackcaps around and 26 have been ringed.
Friday 11th
Very early showers meant there were plenty of warblers around but restricted the catching opportunities. Fifty-four birds were ringed. Thirty-eight of these were Blackcaps, nine were Chiffchaffs and four were Willow Warblers. There were also singles of Reed Warbler, Garden Warbler and Whitethroat. Although the latter made a good start to autumn passage they have been few and far between in the last week or so, an earlier finish than we would expect.
Thursday 10th
At present when the weather is good, as it was this morning, we have to judge carefully how many nets are used in relation to how many ringers are available. One hundred and five birds were ringed but there were not any controls. Blackcap remained number one with 87 and Chiffchaff made it into double figures with 10. The highlights were the first Firecrest of the autumn plus singles of Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat. The latter two have been scarce this autumn with less than half the usual number.
Wednesday 9th
After yesterdays much needed wash-out, today dawned dry but more breezy than hoped for. Most nets were still operable until mid-morning. The birds were not impressed by the unsettled conditions and there was not a big movement. Thirty-nine birds were ringed. As expected Blackcap was most numerous, with 26, but Willow Warbler maintained it's late show with another five, followed by four Chiffchaffs, three Robins (once again there sounded to be more around) and a Sedge Warbler. The fat scores of the Blackcaps continue to be mostly in the 3's and 4's which is more than usual.
Monday 7th
Ignoring any forecasts of it getting fresher it was a warm, humid, day. There was not a big arrival this morning and a small team rang 43 birds. A Cetti's Warbler was the best of the bunch. Blackcaps remained most numerous with 23 new ones. Chiffchaff reached eight and Willow Warbler four. There were three Reed Warblers, two Great Tits and singles of Blue Tit, and Sedge Warbler.
Unusually one or two Willow Warblers appear to be hanging around and there were three more retraps.
Still no Tree Pipits or hirundines.
Sunday 6th
The forecast was correct and it was a pleasant, early autumn, calm start. The warblers were heading south in numbers. One-hundred-and-fifty-seven birds of 12 species were ringed. Blackcap was by far the most numerous and 122 were ringed. The supporting cast was ten Chiffchaffs, six Reed Warblers, five Willow Warblers, two each of Lesser Whitethroat and Great Tit, plus single Blackbird, Blue Tit, Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat.
Saturday 5th
The wind dropped and the air cleared, it almost felt like early autumn. Forty-eight birds were ringed, 36 of these were Blackcaps. Willow Warbler continued to outnumber Chiffchaff but just three to one. There were also two each of Robin and Reed Warbler plus singles of Lesser Whitethroat, Blue Tit, Sedge Warbler and Garden Warbler. the latter has been scarce this autumn.
Hirundines continue to hang around but show no interest in being ringed.
The Blackcap we controlled the other day had been ringed in Wiltshire, 249km to the west on August 16th.
Thursday 3rd
The wind was forecast to pick up and it did throughout the morning. This resulted in just three nets being sheltered. Twenty six birds were ringed, all of them migrant warblers. They were 15 Blackcaps, six Willow Warblers. three Chiffchaffs and two Reed Warblers.
It would appear these were mostly new in as they were low in fat scores.
Wednesday 2nd
After a brief burst in the evening the wind reduced to a gentle south-west and the warblers piled through this morning. The ringing team of a senior ringer and two trainees ringed 145 birds before the approach of some light rain saw the nets quickly down in the late morning.
Blackcap is moving early this year and 99 were ringed. Conversely Willow Warblers are moving late and 21 were ringed. The rest of the birds were typical for early autumn. There were 11 new Long-tailed Tits plus two each of Great Tit, Blue Tit and Goldcrest all part of a large mixed flock moving around. Small groups of tits seem to be on the move generally. The other new birds were three Chiffchaffs, two Chaffinches and singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Reed Warbler and Whitethroat.
The Whitethroat we controlled yesterday had been ringed just 15km up the road at St Nicholas at Wade on August 23rd.
Tuesday 1st
The wind dropped and it was a good mornings ringing. Eighty-two birds were ringed. Sixty-seven of these were Blackcaps and the impressive thing about them was that the majority had high fat scores of four or more. This group have clearly found good food. The other birds were three each of Willow Warbler and Blue Tit, two each of Chiffchaff, Dunnock and Reed Warbler plus singles of Robin, Sedge warbler and Whitethroat.
Two subsequent encounters of birds ringed elsewhere in the UK were the first this autumn.