5th November

The south-east winds delivered and from dawn Fieldfares and Blackbirds began dropping out of the sky and we had our second significant arrival in about a week. It was a busy day for the ringers with plenty in the nets at Holland gardens while the obs Heligoland traps also chipped in a decent chunk of the 250 birds (189 of them Blackbirds) caught and ringed in all. Final totals for migrants for the day came to 27 Whooper Swans, 29 Woodcocks (5 trapped/ringed), 3 Woodpigeons, 2 Long-eared Owls (including an adult female caught and ringed at Holland), 2 Short-eared Owls, 17 Robins, 2 Black Redstarts (Kirk/Pier), 687 Blackbirds, 1440 Fieldfares, 19 Song Thrushes, 281 Redwings, a Mistle Thrush, 3 Blackcaps, 3 Chiffchaffs, a Siberian Chiffchaff, 18 Goldcrests, 14 Bramblings, 6 Chaffinch, a Lesser Redpoll (trapped/ringed), Mealy Redpoll and 18 Snow Buntings. Not a bad haul for November...

 

Woodcock (photo Mark Warren)