Monday, 4th April 2016

It was one of those days when the overnight weather forecast was difficult to predict, it was either going to drop some migrants in or not. Walking upto the point at dawn answered the question with Chiffchaffs and Wheatears arriving, and a vocal Greenshank flying into the bay was accompanied by an Avocet; still a scarce bird here! A pair of Ring Ouzels was next to arrive, one bird quickly departed to the east, the other bird hung around for a while.

 Ring Ouzel

The weather cleared in the afternoon and this produced the first Osprey of the year flying north. A few hours looking through the throngs of Gulls in the late afternoon produced a pristine adult Iceland Gull and 2CY Glaucous & Yellow-legged Gulls. 

 Iceland Gull

Offshore

2 Shelducks east, 19 Common Scoters west, 4 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Red-throated Divers east, 18 Gannets west, 4 Sandwich Terns east and 1 Auk sp. west.

Visible Migration

1 Buzzard north-east, 1 Osprey north, 1 Avocet east, 1 Greenshank east, 5 Sand Martins north-east, 4 Swallows north-east, 7 Alba Wagtails north, 94 Meadow Pipits north, 65 Goldfinch east, 20 Siskins east, 4 Linnets east and 1 Redpoll east.

 Buzzard

 Osprey

Grounded Migrants 

5 Goldcrests, 25 Chiffchaffs, 6 Willow Warblers, 1 Blackcap, 2 Ring Ouzels, 2 Fieldfares, 1 Song Thrush, 2 Robins, 47 Wheatears and 2 White Wagtails.

 Wheatear

 Ring Ouzel

Others

1 Little Egret, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 29 Ringed Plovers, 38 Golden Plovers, 500 Knot, 46 Sanderlings, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 40 Dunlins, 146 Black-tailed Godwits, 150 Turnstones, 1 2CY Yellow-legged Gull, 1 adult Iceland Gull, 1 2CY Glaucous Gull and 1 Cetti's Warbler.

 Glaucous Gull

Ringing 

2 Goldcrests, 3 Chiffchaffs (plus a control), 1 Willow Warbler and 1 Blackcap.

 Blackcap