More Warblers

Another 0530 start saw Will and me at Rawcliffe Moss squeezing a ringing session into the promised window of weather. But at 0900 we took the nets down when a heavy rain shower came in from the North West and the wind picked up to put paid to our successful few hours.

We caught 35 birds of 8 species only, most of the birds either Sylvia or Acrocephalus warblers.

New birds: 1 Blackcap, 3 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Blue Tit, 1 Dunnock, 1 Willow Warbler and a surprising 21 Whitethroat, twenty of which were juvenile birds of the year.

Recaptures: 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Dunnock, 1 Willow Warbler.

Blackcap
Whitethroat
Willow Warbler
Blue Tit
Goldfinch

So the apparently successful year for Whitethroats and Goldfinch continues, and even though we caught only one Goldfinch this morning, there were plenty zipping around. But we discussed the spring and summer birds we haven’t been catching, seeing or hearing and which we normally expect in or near the plantation and woods out on the moss. While Goldfinches go from strength to strength Linnet numbers are not comparable with its close relative and it is now unusual to see large flocks of Linnets but not of Goldfinch.

On our last two visits in July the Willow Warbler numbers dried up a little, but August will tell if this is a momentary blip. Wrens are conspicuous by their absence; we haven’t caught one for months. Dunnock numbers are also down with probably one pair only in the plantation. On the farm as a whole Grey Partridge seem non-existent, and all three latter species are almost certainly missing as a result of the severe winter. Sometimes it’s not so much what birds are seen but the species absent that gives insight into the overall picture.

Other birds seen this morning were 2 Buzzard, 2 Kestrel and a single Sparrowhawk. 130 early morning Swallows may have exited a roost but the 10 Swift and 3 Sand Martins we saw later in the morning all headed determinedly south.