Bird observations: Monday 2nd November 2015

From Steven Stansfield, warden, Bardsey Bird & Field Observatory

Portland

Passage here continued much as in recent days with goldcrests dominating including another 100 through at the bill (this year’s nos are the highest since the late 80s and represent a real return to form after many yrs in the doldrums). Thrushes still under-represented for the time of year (heavy passage heard overnight but few dropping in by day). Late migrants still passing including plenty of swallows and 5 wheatears today. Warblers still the feature rarity with 3 more on the island today.

Hilbre

Winter migration continued through the island today with small numbers of blackbirds, song thrushes and redwings, finches included siskin, greenfinch and chaffinch. A single reed bunting stopped off whilst starlings and skylarks continued to move over head. A single blackcap, 5 goldcrests and 11 long-tailed tits, uncommon on Hilbre, were recorded, three blackbirds and three goldcrests were ringed. The pale-bellied brent goose flock continues to build up although hard to count in the fog today.

Landguard

Damp wet fog that doesn't look like it's clearing. 1 loitering wheatear. Single woodcock, snipe, fieldfare. Abandon ship!

North Ronaldsay

"Smaller numbers of migrants around today and after last weeks 'fall' of several thousand thrushes about 300 remain. The most notable observations were lingering rarities with the northern harrier, 2 great grey shrikes and the smew while new arrivals/birds on the move included 18 whooper swans, a black-throated diver (locally rare), 2 glaucous gulls and 3 black redstarts, meanwhile 3 wheatears which were particularly late heading south"

Spurn

Wildfowl moving south, predominantly over the sea included 3 whooper swan, 163 pink-footed geese (continuing after dark with a further 7 flocks heard heading south prior to 9pm), 2 velvet scoter, 10 wigeon and 25 teal whilst 3 snipe came in-off. Over land 3 sparrowhawk, 37 lapwing, 452 skylark, 4 swallow, 113 meadow pipits, 13 rock pipit, 1 grey wagtail, 71 goldfinch, 486 siskin, 40 tree sparrow, 22 lesser redpoll, 4 twite, 14 reed bunting were the most notable counts of southbound migrants. Grounded migrants included the juvenile American golden plover, 5 bearded tits (of which 4 later flew south) and 2 ring ouzel.

Holme

Sunday’s highlights for us were a Swedish ringed blackcap, a ring ouzel which has been on site for 4 days now, a steady flow of starlings (over 500 for the day), a couple of groups of 50 odd woodpigeon in off the sea, and small movements of thrushes (25 blackbirds tops, a few parties of redwings too high up to see), and finches (redpolls, siskins and greenfinches again small numbers) and reed buntings. two whooper swans flew over the obs west at about 4.15pm.

Skokholm

Highlights were a Siberian chiffchaff, three black redstart and five long-tailed tit (ninth Skokholm record in over 80 years). totals were three Manx shearwater, four common scoter, nine Mediterranean gull, nine water rail, a short-eared owl, three snipe, 89 skylark, a grey wagtail, 91 robin, six stonechat, 21 blackbird, a fieldfare, 26 song thrush, 42 redwing, four blackcap, three other chiffchaff, 16 goldcrest, 306 starling, 90 chaffinch, three brambling, two siskin and a redpoll.

Flamborough

Whooper swan 4 south, pink-footed goose 330 south, woodcock 3, jack snipe 1, short-eared owls 3, firecrest 1, siskin 40. the switch to south-south-westerlies prompted the movement of swans and geese. other migrants a legacy of recent easterlies whilst there have been we above average numbers of siskins since mid- summer, although a recent pulse again over the last few days.

Filey

An unseasonably warm and sunny day at Filey had plenty going on, with the stand-out highlights being a woodlark coasting south, a hen harrier hunting the clifftop grasslands and a tundra bean goose in off the sea at dusk. Multiple flocks of pink-footed geese heading south totalled over 800, with a scary-looking leucistic bird within one of them...whooper swans, goosanders and red-breasted mergansers were also moving, while the short-eared owl influx continued, with three birds present today. Multiple red admirals and small tortoiseshells were recorded, with some arriving in off the sea.

Sandwich

A recent shift to warm southerly winds plus thick fog today has put a hold on migration after one of our best autumns for many a year. The red-flanked bluetail (only our 2nd record since the first in 1956) first found 20th october remains and may over-winter. Small numbers of robin, goldcrest (with the occasional firecrest), chiffchaff, brambling, siskin plus winter thrushes (redwing, fieldfare, song thrush and blackbird) are feeding on our reserves with over 430 teal on the scrape. Unseasonal high temperature on Saturday tempted out a common darter, red admirals and our latest ever brimstone butterfly.

Gibraltar Point

The reserve was fogbound through the morning, but when it cleared, a moderate southerly migration of finches was underway including several brambling, but good numbers of siskin; three flocks totalled 75 birds. also moving south were six whooper swans and 350 pink-footed geese. A count of 53 robins along 500 metres of dune frontage indicated the arrival of new birds and single great grey shrike and snow bunting were also new arrivals. a late swallow flew south. Two black redstarts and two stonechats remained around the visitor centre. the high tide wader roost included totals of oystercatcher 2050, grey plover 620, knot 25,000, sanderling 470 and dunlin 2600. bird of prey interest was provided by a short –eared owl and a male hen harrier.

Bardsey

Over the weekend mainly Saturday there were huge movements of finches were the main movers of the day on Saturday with a whopping 10,000+ heading south over the island today. Flocks of over 300 birds streamed over the gardens, across the fields, and over the mountainside. The bulk of which were chaffinches with a minimum of 9349 recorded, the highest island count since the 1970's! Passing through with the melee of chaffinches were 94 bramblings, 14 greenfinches, 259 siskins, 54 linnets, 27 lesser redpolls, six reed buntings, and three crossbills whilst the tally of 439 goldfinches constitutes a new island record! Late in the evening a ‘north-western’ redpoll was discovered at Cristin, potentially only the fourth record for Wales with all the excitement flying over it could've been easy to miss three Siberian chiffchaffs found at Ty Nesaf, Cristin, and Ty Capel! It's not often you relegate an influx of short-eared owls below chaffinch but it's been one of those days. A grand total of 19 arrived overnight with most flushed out the bracken on the mountainside. Finally, totals of four common scoters, two water rails, 12 Mediterranean gulls, 725 black-headed gulls, 23 skylarks, 33 blackbirds, one fieldfare, four song thrush, 33 redwings, three blackcaps, three chiffchaffs, ten goldcrests, two firecrests, six coal tits, seven rooks, and 1515 starlings were also logged. a Richards pipit, common crossbill, 21 long-tailed tits and 175 jackdaws were all seen on Sunday.

Fair Isle

Not many new arrivals on Sunday, but still plenty of birds about, particularly thrushes. following on from a large arrival at the end of October that included peak counts of 2169 fieldfares, 966 blackbirds (including a couple of Norwegian-ringed birds), 38 short-eared owls (a fair isle record), 100 robins and 55 woodcocks, with a couple of great grey shrikes as well.

Dungeness

A day spoilt in the main by thick fog. A short clear spell in mid-morning revealed a few goldcrests, five firecrests, five blackcaps, six black redstarts and a wheatear on the ground and a grey wagtail, two rock pipits and a few goldfinches, siskins and redpolls passing overhead. The dusky warbler was still present though remains pretty elusive. There was little movement offshore although a juvenile pomarine skua and a little gull were seen in the afternoon and a new first-winter Caspian gull came into the offerings at the fishing boats.