15th April 2009

If the expected warblers failed to materialise yesterday, then they certainly did today and a lot else too, though not at first light but after the drizzle started again following overnight rain. A steady fall of 45 Willow Warblers trickled in right up to mid-day, while 27 White Wagtails (bottom right), some of which were down on the island, arrived during the morning in the damp easterly conditions.

At about 08.15hrs a splendid male Whinchat (above) was found sitting on the old obs fence, it was yet another migrant arriving way ahead of its time, and it spent most of the morning frustrating the ringers by sitting on the fence with a Wheatear looking at the mist net or perched on top of a potter trap and not being interested in the meal worms (below).

With the Whinchat came 6 Wheatears and plenty of other migrants including 150 Meadow Pipits, 2 Tree Pipits, 1 Yellow Wagtail, still a lot of finches (23 Goldfinch, 20 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Siskin, 1 Greenfinch, and best of all a Brambling which unfortunately did not come to ground). A single House Sparrow however did manage to stay for a short period. Not a massive passage of hirundines but 20 Swallows, 12 Sand Martins and a single House Martin added further interest to the day. A good passage of 200 Gannets were noted off the north end.

At 10.30hrs 2 Ring Ouzels flew passed the obs window into the corner of the garden, then over the fence and off to Middle Eye. It was disappointing that they could not be subsequently re-located despite a thorough search of both islands, but nevertheless such is the nature and excitement of the spring passage.

Ringed today:-

21 Willow Warblers

1 Chiffchaff

1 Lesser Redpoll

(DB,CJ,CJW,et al) photos CJ