Fair Isle - Day 2 in the Puffinn Household

Although we were delayed, we finally made it over to Fair Isle on Monday morning. Myself, Mark Golley, Paul Cook, Dave Foster and Brian Unwin spent two days on mainland Shetland, taking in Western Bonelli's Warbler, Wryneck and numerous Yellow-browed Warblers, before flying over from Tingwall. As the bird observatory was full, we're staying in The Puffinn, a cheap and chearfull self-catering cottage in the south of the island near the lighthouse.

OK, so we've arrived a week later than we had wished, having missed the Brown Flycatcher, Sibe Thrush, P-G Tips and multiple Lanceys that were here last week, but there are a fews birds around to keep us busy, and of course this is Fair Isle, where anything can, and does, happen.

Little Bunting is the rarest bird left around, along with 2 juvenile Peck Sands (above), but there are probably about 10 Yellow-browed Warblers left on the island, as well as Lapland Bunting (above) and lots of common migrants such as Lesser Whitethroat and Whinchat, as shown above.

Anyway, hopefully there will be some easterlies on the cards soon and we can get out and start seeming some good stuff.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Although we were delayed, we finally made it over to Fair Isle on Monday morning. Myself, Mark Golley, Paul Cook, Dave Foster and Brian Unwin spent two days on mainland Shetland, taking in Western Bonelli's Warbler, Wryneck and numerous Yellow-browed Warblers, before flying over from Tingwall. As the bird observatory was full, we're staying in The Puffinn, a cheap and chearfull self-catering cottage in the south of the island near the lighthouse.

OK, so we've arrived a week later than we had wished, having missed the Brown Flycatcher, Sibe Thrush, P-G Tips and multiple Lanceys that were here last week, but there are a fews birds around to keep us busy, and of course this is Fair Isle, where anything can, and does, happen.

Little Bunting is the rarest bird left around, along with 2 juvenile Peck Sands (above), but there are probably about 10 Yellow-browed Warblers left on the island, as well as Lapland Bunting (above) and lots of common migrants such as Lesser Whitethroat and Whinchat, as shown above.

Anyway, hopefully there will be some easterlies on the cards soon and we can get out and start seeming some good stuff.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

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Ringstone edge reservoir

Most of the week was spent at Ringstone edge reservoir, with 66 Goldfinch ringed, 33 Meadow Pipits 10 Greenfinches 2 Dunnocks and a Male Stonechat.

Most of the week was spent at Ringstone edge reservoir, with 66 Goldfinch ringed, 33 Meadow Pipits 10 Greenfinches 2 Dunnocks and a Male Stonechat.

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Pipits keep coming

Another busy week with over a Hundred birds rings in Calderdale,

Meadow Pipits

Blackbirds

Blue Tits

Gt Tits

Wren

Dunnocks

Wheatear

Stonechat

Robin

Goldfinches

Greenfinches

House Sparrow

Twite

Willow Warbler

Chiff Chaff

Andy was out at Kex Gill on Saturday and Colour Ringed 153 more Meadow Pipits

Twite at Deer Hill

Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme

The Numbers of birds coming into feed have dramatically dropped with only 10 seen on Tuesday. On Wednesday 8 seen on wires none coming to seed, a flock of 60 Goldfinch now coming to seed. 8 ringed.

Another busy week with over a Hundred birds rings in Calderdale,

Meadow Pipits

Blackbirds

Blue Tits

Gt Tits

Wren

Dunnocks

Wheatear

Stonechat

Robin

Goldfinches

Greenfinches

House Sparrow

Twite

Willow Warbler

Chiff Chaff

Andy was out at Kex Gill on Saturday and Colour Ringed 153 more Meadow Pipits

Twite at Deer Hill

Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme

The Numbers of birds coming into feed have dramatically dropped with only 10 seen on Tuesday. On Wednesday 8 seen on wires none coming to seed, a flock of 60 Goldfinch now coming to seed. 8 ringed.

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Saturday Sunday

A Nice morning on Saturday after the fog lifted i went down to my mill site and set up. Gt Spotted Woodpecker ringed with Blue Tits , Coal Tits, Gt Tits, Chaffinch and Robin. Then up to one of my reservoir sites, More Meadow Pipits ringed and another Wheatear.

Sunday 14 September up at 6 and off to Kex Gill with Andy. A great morning with just over a hundred more Meadow Pipits colour ringed, and we got a retrap/control with just the BTO metal on, will give more details when we get them.

Another Kingfisher ringed at Leathley by Andy last week

A Nice morning on Saturday after the fog lifted i went down to my mill site and set up. Gt Spotted Woodpecker ringed with Blue Tits , Coal Tits, Gt Tits, Chaffinch and Robin. Then up to one of my reservoir sites, More Meadow Pipits ringed and another Wheatear.

Sunday 14 September up at 6 and off to Kex Gill with Andy. A great morning with just over a hundred more Meadow Pipits colour ringed, and we got a retrap/control with just the BTO metal on, will give more details when we get them.

Another Kingfisher ringed at Leathley by Andy last week

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Thursday/Friday Deer Hill

Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme

Up To Deer Hill to place seed down for Twite on Thursday only saw 10 stayed for an hour to wet and windy to catch. Came back Friday and set up for 730. Goldfinch have now found the feeding site and were feeding around the site only 2 birds in the net area. 40 Goldfinch seen 6 Twite no Twite ringed . Also female Sparrow Hawk sat on woosh net poles for 2 minutes no wonder Twite in short supply

Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme

Up To Deer Hill to place seed down for Twite on Thursday only saw 10 stayed for an hour to wet and windy to catch. Came back Friday and set up for 730. Goldfinch have now found the feeding site and were feeding around the site only 2 birds in the net area. 40 Goldfinch seen 6 Twite no Twite ringed . Also female Sparrow Hawk sat on woosh net poles for 2 minutes no wonder Twite in short supply

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Busy Time for Pipits

Over 200 Meadow Pipits ringed this weekend last year are busiest time was the weekend of the 15 September so if the weather is with us we will have to see if numbers increase.

Other species ringed last week were.

Wheatear, Greenfinch ,Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Twite, Blue Tit, Gt Tit, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Chaffinch and Kingfisher.

Over 200 Meadow Pipits ringed this weekend last year are busiest time was the weekend of the 15 September so if the weather is with us we will have to see if numbers increase.

Other species ringed last week were.

Wheatear, Greenfinch ,Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Twite, Blue Tit, Gt Tit, Coal Tit, Goldcrest, Chaffinch and Kingfisher.

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Getting soaked in North Norfolk - 7 Sep 08

Well, I have to confess, it was the wrong decision. I'd seen the weather on the BBC website, so opted to go and look for migrants in Burnham Overy Dunes and then seawatching off Cley when the wind whipped up at midday.
So, I headed out to north Norfolk at 6.30am and ended up at a rather wet Burnham Overy Staithe (BOS) at 7.30. I headed out to the dunes, in the rain and wind, but after 5 1/2 hours of searching all I had to show for my efforts were 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, about 15 Wheatear and a good soaking. In fact I saw more skuas than anything else. I had a flock of 6 Bonxies fly south (inland!) on my way out to the dunes and then 4 Arctic Skuas (1 adult pale morph + 3 juvs) fly north-west (from inland) as I returned. The morning was saved somewhat by a lovely migrant Honey Buzzard, which had presumably come in off the sea. It put everything up over the saltmarsh, circled over BOS, and then headed off east. I headed off in the same direction, to Cley for some seawatching, but the weather had cleared up considerably by now, so the Cory's Shearwaters, Sabines Gulls, skuas and all that had made the morning so enjoyable for those bright enough to not be looking for migrants were no more.
Oh well, the autumn is still young....

Well, I have to confess, it was the wrong decision. I'd seen the weather on the BBC website, so opted to go and look for migrants in Burnham Overy Dunes and then seawatching off Cley when the wind whipped up at midday.
So, I headed out to north Norfolk at 6.30am and ended up at a rather wet Burnham Overy Staithe (BOS) at 7.30. I headed out to the dunes, in the rain and wind, but after 5 1/2 hours of searching all I had to show for my efforts were 1 Garden Warbler, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, about 15 Wheatear and a good soaking. In fact I saw more skuas than anything else. I had a flock of 6 Bonxies fly south (inland!) on my way out to the dunes and then 4 Arctic Skuas (1 adult pale morph + 3 juvs) fly north-west (from inland) as I returned. The morning was saved somewhat by a lovely migrant Honey Buzzard, which had presumably come in off the sea. It put everything up over the saltmarsh, circled over BOS, and then headed off east. I headed off in the same direction, to Cley for some seawatching, but the weather had cleared up considerably by now, so the Cory's Shearwaters, Sabines Gulls, skuas and all that had made the morning so enjoyable for those bright enough to not be looking for migrants were no more.
Oh well, the autumn is still young....

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