The forecast rain held off until mid morning, and didn't really get heavy until we were done. In the meantime Dave and I spent an enjoyable time trying to assess how much overhead passage was going on.
Throughout the morning Redwings, Redpolls and our first Fieldfares of the autumn were flying over in droves. It was difficult to work out how many there were because some flocks heading east for example, would later return. Or maybe they were different birds. A conservative estimate was 150 Redwings, 200 Fieldfares and 200 Redpolls. If the latter figure seems a lot, bear in mind that the ringers caught 104 yesterday with no re-traps.
Also present were two juvenile Red Kites which seemed completely unconcerned by our presence, often approaching quite closely as they circled in search of food. One of them had a white feather among its primaries.
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| A few of the Fieldfares paused in Stapenhill Wood |
Other birds seen included two Stonechats, two Snipe, and 23 Teal.
Yesterday the ringers caught, in addition to all the Redpolls, a juvenile male Yellowhammer. A species which is no longer resident here.
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| Yellowhammer - Leigh Kelly |
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