Spring just keeps on giving

A beautiful, calm, sunny, hot summer's day produced a typical 11 new birds in the nets through the morning but there was some real quality in the meagre total with the highlight definitely a cracking River Warbler caught at dawn - only the 5th to be ringed here at the station.   The rest of the birds included the first Nuthatch to be caught this year, a Marsh Warbler, a Garden Warbler, a Willow Warbler  and a Robin.

River Warbler

Nuthatch

 

The day's other highlight came at around 07:45 when a 1st summer Pallid Harrier flew east along the coast, pausing occasionally to circle and gain height giving good views from the station and to Louis et al out on the tip.   Other birds recorded from the point included an Osprey south, 4 Marsh Harriers, a Peregrine, a Golden Oriole mooching around and a selection of returning wildfowl with the most noteworthy being 700 Common Scoter.

 

The afternoon was quieter with an increase in Swifts noted over the station - probably birds already thinking of heading south again and some good breeding bird activity for the Atlas project that is running for the next three years with Lesser Whitethroats, Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Chaffinches and Yellowhammers all seen feeding chicks/fledglings.