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.