October 20th: A Black Swan on Tennyson Sands was a curiosity. Other good
birds were 2 Jack Snipes, a Hen Harrier, 54 Whooper Swans and 2 Crossbills.
Southward movement included 412 Skylarks and 486 Goldfinches.
October 19th: Hen Harrier numbers increased to 2, and a Goosander, 2
Pomarine Skuas and a Yellow-browed Warbler provided variety. 65 Whooper Swans
and 670 Pink-footed Geese flew south.
October 18th: Further southward movement included 2870 Woodpigeons, 930
Goldfinches and 3 Crossbills. Other good birds were a Jay, 23 Whooper Swans and
a Hen Harrier.
October 17th: Wildfowl included 18 Whooper Swans, 176 Pink-footed Geese and
a Pale-bellied Brent Goose. South went 200 Gannets, a Little Auk, 2400
Woodpigeons, 890 Goldfinches and a Lapland Bunting. A Hen Harrier and 29
Crossbills added interest.
October 16th: Interesting birds ringed were a Cetti's Warbler netted at
Aylmer Avenue and 7 Grey Partridges caught in the Heligoland trap. Southward
movers included 425 Skylarks, 585 Goldfinches, 236 Skylarks and a Lapland
Bunting. Other notable birds were 2 Peregrines, 250 Goldcrests, 8 Crossbills
and 2 Yellow-browed Warblers.
October 15th: A bit quieter today. Pink-footed Geese numbered 338, and other
noteable birds were a Hen Harrier, a late Hobby south, 3 Great Skuas south, 160 Goldcrests, a
Garden Warbler trapped, 8 Crossbills and a Yellow-browed Warbler.
October 14th: Numbers of Pink-footed Geese increased to 235, and of Brent
Geese to 250. A Long-eared Owl was new in, and a Hen Harrier, a lateish trapped
Reed Warbler, a Great Grey Shrike, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers, 4 Ring Ouzels, a
Lapland Bunting and 18 Crossbills added variety. Goldcrests increased to 120
and winter thrushes were quite numerous.
October 13th: A lot of good new birds arrived. A Scaup, 4 Velvet Scoter, a
Hen Harrier and 2 Woodcock added a wintery feel. Scarcer birds were represented
by 3 Bean Geese south, a Woodlark, a Firecrest, a Little Owl (uncommon here), a Grey Shrike
Spp (probably a Great Grey Shrike), 2 Yellow-browed Warblers and a Red-breasted
Flycatcher (north of Aylmer Avenue). Movers included 17 Crossbills, 12 Whooper
Swans and 60 Pink-footed Geese, while Brent Geese built up to 214.
October 12th: More winter thrushes appeared, with a Ring Ouzel to add
variety. A Redstart was trapped. 30 Whooper Swans and 11 Pink-footed Geese were
on the move. A Kingfisher and 5 more Crossbills south were of note.
October 11th: A good number and variety of finches were moving, including 37
Crossbills. 4 Whooper Swans went south and Goldcrests numbered 45.
