Friday, 28th September 2012

A quick early morning ringing session turned into something special when a check of the lone net produced three birds; a Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest and an unusual Acro. Alarm bells started ringing as soon as it was extracted from the net as its cold tones, small blunt wings and rounded tail were observed. A quick check of the fourth primary started the pulse racing! After everything was measured in triplicate its identification was clinched as a 1st winter Blyth's Reed Warbler. 

Biometrics of the bird were as follows:

Right wing - 62 mm, P2 - tip = 4 mm, S1 - tip = 11.5 mm, P2 = P6/P7 and obvious long emargination to P4, with slight on P5
Left wing - 62 mm, P2 - tip = 4 mm, S1 - tip = 12 mm and P2 = P6/7 and obvious long emargination to P4, with slight on P5

Some of the salient plumage features observed included colder olive tones to plumage compared to warmer tones of Reed Warbler (over 100 birds handled at the obs this autumn), uniform tertials lacking the dark centres seen on Reed, pale fringes to primaries and secondaries and obvious rounded tail.

The bird was exhausted and the priority was the bird's welfare and just getting enough details to confirm the identification. Based on the sensitive nature of the site and lack of access, a decision was taken to release the bird quickly back into the dense plantation (willow, birch & scots pine) where it was trapped.

Other sightings from today as follows:

Offshore

20 Common Scoters, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Red-throated Divers west, 1 Great Skua west, 2 Little Gulls west and 3 Sandwich Terns west.

Visible Migration

9 Swallows south, 3 Skylarks south, 2 Grey Wagtails south, 2 Alba Wagtails south and 17 Meadow Pipits south.

Grounded Migrants

Three Wheatears, 5 Chiffchaffs, 1 Blackcap, 15 Goldcrests and 1 Blyth's Reed Warbler.

Others

2 Little Egrets, 750 Knot, 58 Sanderling and 3 Med. Gulls.

Ringing

1 Robin, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Chiffchaff and a Blyth's Reed Warbler.