GEDSER - 5th August

Still breezy just before dawn but the wind soon died away to leave a calm morning; this had a great effect on the numbers in the nets as we managed 51 new birds including a Thrush Nightingale, 4 Marsh Warblers, 5 Icterine Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers, another little influx of 20 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Redstarts and single Pied and Spotted Flycatchers.   The first 5 Tree Pipits of the autumn flew over as did a Grey Plover.

                A little walk along the coast from the point in the afternoon produced a German darvic ringed Cormorant roosting on the tip, 7+ Common Sandpipers, 34 Goosanders and 2 Wheatears.   When I got back to the station there was a big gathering of 150+ House Martins (they probably wanted to carry on south but there were huge, very black clouds just offshore which caused them to delay) and I managed to catch five with a tape playing as well as a few more birds though the evening including Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler and Redstart.

 

German ringed Cormorant

House Martins (and Sand Martin)

Lesser Whitethroat

Whitethroat (and a very annoying blade of grass)

Wheatear

Lesser Whitethroats been eating berries!

Juvenile House Martin