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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