Sunday September 1

Sunny with a very light westerly breeze. I was up early because I thought the ringers would be there again. Ironically, when I arrived I couldn't see their cars so spent an hour searching the hedgerows around Netherstead for migrants, seeing two Blackcaps, two Whitethroats, two Lesser Whitethroats and several Chiffchaffs before I discovered they actually were here (but further up the track than the usual place).

It transpired they had caught about 70 birds, but they all sounded like common ones so I took Tony (the leader of the group) to a place which I thought might prove more productive in a future visit.

He went back to the nets while I continued along the hedge bordering the former pool, and promptly bumped into a large flock of finches feeding on grain bordering a recently created stubble field. There were about 100 Goldfinches, ten Greenfinches, two Yellowhammers, a dozen Reed Buntings and a few Linnets. But then I did a double-take as a bunting perched up next to a Greenfinch. Surely it was a Corn Bunting. It disappeared into the crop while I pondered whether I could believe my eyes.

After ten minutes of no further signs I decided to edge forward. This had the desired effect as it flew out and I was able to confirm that the outer-tail feathers were brown. It landed on the top of the standing crops further up the field and I got a couple of record shots.

Corn Bunting

Corn Bunting (blurred but zoomed in)

I think this is the fifth record for the site (I've seen four), and the second for this time of the year.

Shortly afterwards I located a single Whinchat in the hedge. Other species worth a comment were a single Grey Wagtail heard at Netherstead, and the first Meadow Pipit of the autumn heard calling high over the chat field.

Whinchat

I moved on to the flash field, but only counted 28 Lapwings, four Snipe, a Green Sandpiper, 34 Teal, a Wigeon, 65 Mallard, 195 Greylag Geese, and a Kingfisher.

On the return journey I had a brief view of a juvenile Peregrine.

A pretty good visit.

PS Tony K has kindly sent me the final ringing figures: A total of 103 birds ringed, only nine of which were re-traps.
49 Blue Tits
13 Great Tits
4 Long-tailed Tits
1 Reed Warbler
1 Whitethroat
14 Blackcaps
4 Chiffchaffs
4 Wrens
1 Blackbird
4 Robins
2 Dunnocks
4 Goldfinches

The modus operandi used is to bait the traps with adjacent seed holders, while the habitat is basically hedgerow and copse. So it is not surprising that they catch a lot of Blue Tits. On the other hand it shows up how much I must underestimate the number of birds I see. I have never counted as many as 49 Blue Tits during a morning at Morton Bagot, and the ringers are just trapping in one small place.

The other impressive one is the Blackcap count. I have noticed similar disparities between Blackcaps seen and Blackcaps trapped at other sites. Clearly these skulking migrants are much commoner than casual observation might suggest.

Its all very interesting.