A scattering of night migrants, including 33 Willow Warblers, and 3 juv. Yellow-legged Gulls were feeding briefly in the fields at Birling. With the cloud cover at times, a passage of Swifts took place with 400 moving South over the cliffs and out to sea. Butterfly numbers were similar to yesterday with our first Clouded Yellow of the year and also 3 Painted Ladies. Migrant Hawkers numbers had increased to an impressive 35 at Belle Tout wood.
Birds ringed are shown in brackets:
Little Egret 1
Common Buzzard 1
Red-legged Partridge 3
Yellow-legged Gull 3 juvs at Birling
Tawny Owl 2 Hollow
Swift 1,400 ( 400 S mid-morning over the cliffs and out to sea, with 1,000 around Hodcombe mid-day).
Great-spotted Woodpecker 2
Sand Martin 1
Swallow 20
Common Redstart 1
Nightingale 1 croaking
Song Thrush 1
Sedge Warbler 3 (2)
Reed Warbler 5 (3)
Lesser Whitethroat 1 (1)
Common Whitethroat 30 (3)
Garden Warbler 8 (6)
Blackcap 3+ (3)
Chiffchaff 3 (1)
Willow Warbler 33 (6)
Tree Creeper 1 juv trapped. Our first for the year.
Yellowhammer 1 male B/T area
Corn Bunting 6
Clouded Yellow 1
Painted Lady 3
Brown Hawker 1
Southern Hawker 1
Migrant Hawker 35
Party of Swifts moving - 400 went south this morning.
Some of today's Swifts
A small fall of 33 Willow Warblers recorded today.
A worn Common Buzzard soaring over the area.
Three Red-legged Partridges at Birling.
Under-wing of a fresh Painted Lady.
Southern Hawker at Belle Tout wood.
