Yep, same again! Still very few grounded migrants which today consisted of 3 Willow Warblers, a Chiffchaff, a Blackcap, 4 Wheatears, 2 Chaffinches, a Greenfinch and 2 Lesser Redpolls. There was again a trickle of birds offshore including my first 16 Arctic Terns of the year, another 17 Little Gulls, 3 Common Terns, 14 Whimbrel, a Bar-tailed Godwit, a Heron and 3 Common Scoter.
Another day on the same theme although a bit calmer and the breeze becoming an almost straight easterly; there were limited grounded migrants which comprised a Blackcap (the first UK bird to be fitted with a motus tag), a Chiffchaff, a Chaffinch, a Goldcrest, 2 Lesser Redpolls and 5 Wheatears.
There were some nice highlights offshore though with the easterly breeze perhaps drifting birds within visible range which included 4 Common Terns, 2 Sandwich Terns, a smart flock of 14 Little Gulls which appeared to come out of the river to go north, a Great-northern Diver north, a Red-throated Diver, 2+ Curlews heard heading out high up, 4 Whimbrel north, 2 Gadwall south and the first Arctic Skua heading high north – a pale phase adult.
A return to the bad old days of the majority of April – calm and clear starts before the cold, NE breeze picks up and makes everything hard work but it is the time of year that birds will trickle in whatever the conditions; the highlights consisted of a Ring Ouzel out on the reserve on the 21st and a Nightingale giving snatches of glorious song from Icky Ridge on the 22nd.
The spread of other migrants on both days comprised low single figures of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Blackcap.
Very calm again first thing but due to a quirk of the weather, it was fairly clear over the point with thick morning mist enveloping Essex across the river and Felixstowe town just to the north and through the hole poured a good and varied arrival of migrants, producing the busiest morning of the spring so far. The gap didn’t last too long however with the fog realizing its mistake, coming back in and covering the point by 09:00 and lingering all day (when apparently, it was clear not too far inland!).
Migrant totals in the compound through the morning as I was ringing comprised a Cetti’s Warbler (the first I’ve ringed for many, many years), a Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling just outside the fence, 19 Blackcaps, 4 Whitethroats, 5 Robins, the first Reed Warbler of the year, a Sedge Warbler, the first Tree Pipit of the year, a Chaffinch, 8+ Song Thrush, a Redwing, 11 Willow Warblers, 2 Goldcrest, a Stock Dove, a Swallow, a Yellow Wagtail, 5 Lesser Redpolls and a Whimbrel heard calling in the fog.
A walk round the reserve in the afternoon allowed me to catch up with the Nightingale at the Mine Station as well as adding 5 Whitethroats, 3 Song Thrushes (all really grey, classic ‘continental’ birds), 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Wheatears, 3 Robins and the singing Black Redstart to the day.
Super flat calm first thing and with the touch of east in the wind overnight there was thick fog blanketing the point in the morning which persisted through until 09:00 when bright, warm sunshine won through; the change in conditions did the trick though and while there wasn’t huge numbers of migrants there was a distinct increase in grounded birds highlighted by a smart first-winter Siberian Chiffchaff – a classic spring bird which even called several times whilst in the hand, a cool little peeep noise!
Other birds included the singing Black Redstart still, 5 Blackcaps, a Chaffinch, 6 Chiffchaffs, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Goldcrests, a Lesser Redpoll, 6 Robins, 8+ Song Thrush, 2 Wheatears, 4 Yellow Wagtails and at least three Whimbrel heard calling in the fog first thing.
Not my ringing day so I walked down to Trimley Marshes via Loompit; there was nothing too exciting but it was very pleasant in the calm and sunny conditions, birds seen included a single, lost-looking first-winter White-fronted Goose on Loompit with the Greylags, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers displaying in the river, at least 6-7 Whimbrel dotted around along the shore, 12 Black-tailed Godwits, 35 Avocets, the Little Gull still on Loompit, at least 6 Mediterranean Gulls, 8+ House Martins, an increase to 17+ Blackcaps along the route, a Whitethroat, a Yellow Wagtail and a Lesser Redpoll.
Back at Landguard, late afternoon produced 200+ Brent Geese moving north far out at sea in three big flocks, the singing Black Redstart, a Wheatear and at least 4 Mediterranean Gulls offshore.
I won’t bother describing the weather because it hasn’t changed forever; the highlight was offshore where the overdue first 8 Common Terns and single Sandwich Tern of the year flew north offshore.
There was limited other action through the morning as befits the spring so far but birds did include 3 Whimbrel south, the singing Black Redstart on the fort still, single Blackcap and Goldcrest, 2 Wheatears and a Mediterranean Gull.
Same same same, cold first thing but soon developing into a beautiful, sunny, warm day (as long as you kept out of the very chilly N wind reminding you that spring hasn’t really arrived yet); single Firecrest and Blackcaps were caught while 2 Whimbrel flew north were the only new migrants with other birds comprising the singing Black Redstart still, a Chaffinch, 5 Goldfinches, a Sparrowhawk, a Swallow and 3 Wheatears.
A little walk round Loompit in the afternoon produced 2 Yellow Wagtails, 7+ Blackcaps, 25 Sand Martins, 10 Swallows and 3 House Martins with the 2cy Little Gull, female Goldeneye and singing Cetti’s Warblers still present.
Went over to Felixstowe Ferry first thing where it still felt very wintery with the chilly but light northerly breeze and clear skies; there were a few migrants around despite the weather which included my first Whitethroat of the year – a smart male giving little snatches of song, at least 3 Yellow Wagtails in the fields, my overdue first White Wagtail of the year on the golf course, an increase to five singing Sedge Warblers, a Blackcap and a nice group of six spangly summer plumaged Golden Plover.
Other birds comprised the pair of Little Owls at their box again, 2 Avocets, 4 Mediterranean Gulls and 6 Little Egrets.
In the afternoon I had a little walk round Upper Hollesley Common where despite the chilly conditions I had good views of a singing Woodlark and a fine male Dartford Warbler which seemed to be following a pair of Stonechats around.
