Thursday 15 October 2015

15th October


Another calm and clear start after another quiet night catching only a single Tengmalm’s Owl early morning; it was clear straight away that there were far fewer birds around than the last few days with hardly any calling Goldcrests but I didn’t really mind as the first bird I pulled out of a net was a cracking and very angry Great Grey Shrike – a long long awaited ringing tick!   We managed another 50 new birds through the morning including 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Reed Buntings and 2 Tree Sparrows but the NE wind picked up to a brisk, cold force 4-5 by mid-morning which undoubtedly affected the totals.

                There was limited but good quality passage through the morning as at least 6 Black Woodpeckers (possibly up to 8) came out for a circuit of the point and 6 Rough-legged Buzzards drifted NW up the coast along with 3 Kestrels and 3 Sparrowhawks while a Great-crested Grebe sat on the sea first thing – very scarce here!

                The afternoon was pretty quiet with the obvious exception of a calling PALLAS’S WARBLER which I found at Groda, it wouldn’t show itself, staying hidden high up in the tallest trees and I had to rush back to check the calls which I haven’t heard for a few years but when I returned it called again briefly but shut up before other people arrived!   Other birds included another 2 Great Grey Shrikes, another Rough-legged Buzzard, a Common Buzzard, 3 Treecreepers and 2 Mistle Thrushes along with a general increase in Redwings and Song Thrushes.
 
Bloody thing hurt!
 
 
Worth it though!

Tree Sparrow

Awesome camouflage by these smart, pale, frosty familiaris Treecreepers

One of the other Great Grey Shrikes
 

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