Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory Blog: Mid July 2013

July 20th: Cloudy, with occasional drizzle. Offshore were 7 Arctic Skuas and 300 Sandwich Terns. Flying south were 6 Curlews and a Greenshank. On Tennyson Sands were 20 Black-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank, a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper, on Jackson's Marsh 2 Snipes, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Greenshanks, 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Ruff and a Whimbrel, and on the River Steeping a Common Sandpiper. Around was a Crossbill and a Peregrine.
A morning ringing session on Storm Ridge resulted in 10 new birds: a Chiffchaff, a Dunnock, 7 Whitethroats and a Swallow, and also a retrap Dunnock.

July 19th: South went 8 Whimbrels and a Swift, and offshore were 170 Sandwich Terns and 4 Arctic Skuas. In the Plantation were 4 Crossbills. On Jackson's Marsh were 30 Little Egrets, a Common Sandpiper, a Green Sandpiper, a Greenshank and a Ruff, and on Tennyson Sands 21 Black-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank and 2 second-summer Mediterranean Gulls.
A brief morning ringing session on Storm Ridge provided a Wren and 2 Whitethroats as new birds.
The recent hot, sunny weather has caused some of the water bodies to start drying up.

Roadside Pond, 19th July 2013.
Photo - George Gregory

July 18th: Tennyson Sands held an adult Little Gull, 15 Black-tailed Godwits and 5 Greenshanks, and Jackson's Marsh 7 Black-tailed Godwits, a Green Sandpiper, a Ruff and a Little Ringed Plover.
A morning ringing session was done at Aylmer Avenue until the mist lifted and it became too hot. New birds were a Chiffchaff, 3 Great Tits, 4 Goldfinches, 3 Whitethroats, 3 Chaffinches, 2 Dunnocks, a Blue Tit, 8 Greenfinches and 2 Crossbills. The retraps were 3 Great Tits, a Chaffinch, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Blue Tit.

Juvenile Crossbill No. 1, ringed 18th July 2013.
Photo - George Gregory

Juvenile Crossbill No. 2, ringed 18th July 2013.
Photo - George Gregory

July 17th: On Jackson's Marsh were 2 Green Sandpipers, 4 Greenshanks and 6 Black-tailed Godwits, and on Tennyson Sands an adult Mediterranean Gull, 3 Greenshanks and 5 Black-tailed Godwits. Around were 35 Swallows, including many juveniles, and a Grey Heron.
A brief morning ringing session on Storm Ridge provided new juveniles each of Wren and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Noisy juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, ringed 17th June 2013.
Photo - George Gregory

July 16th: Tennyson Sands held 11 Black-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank, a Ruff and a adult Mediterranean Gull, and Jackson's Marsh 9 Black-tailed Godwits and a Greenshank.
The 8th session of CES was done this morning and was moderately successful, with 26 birds processed. The news were 2 Wrens, a Robin, 13 Whitethroats, a Dunnock and a Swallow, and the retraps 2 Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap, a Willow Warbler, a Blue Tit, a Chaffinch, a Wren and a Blackbird.
The feeding station nets were more productive, birds caught being a Robin, 12 Chaffinches, a Goldfinch, 2 Whitethroats, 6 Great Tits, 2 Dunnocks, 11 Greenfinches, a Coal Tit and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Sam Wilson's photograph of the pullus Tawny Owl ringed earlier this year is below.

Pullus Tawny Owl.
Photo - Sam Wilson

July 15th: On Jackson's Marsh were 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Greenshanks, a Whimbrel, a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper, and on Tennyson Sands a second-summer Mediterranean Gull, 3 Sandwich Terns and a Black-tailed Godwit. South went 16 Sand Martins. About were 2 Peregrines, including a juvenile bird, and the 2 Scaups were still present on the Wash.

Second-summer Mediterranean Gull, July 15th.
Photo - Nigel Lound

July 14th: Around was a Marsh Harrier. Flying south were 15 Curlews, 8 Common Terns, 7 Whimbrel and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, and north an Arctic Skua and 4 Gannets. On Tennyson Sands were 2 Sandwich Terns, 23 Black-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank, a Ruff and 10 Dunlins, and on Jackson's Marsh 11 Black-tailed Godwits, a Wood Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, a Greenshank and a Dunlin. On the water bodies were 44 Little Egrets. Offshore were the 2 Scaup, 300 Common Scoters and 5 Sandwich Terns.
A Six-spotted Burnet moth was noted in the East Dunes.
A morning ringing session on Storm Ridge produced 6 new birds: 2 Meadow Pipits, a Linnet, a Dunnock and 2 Great Tits, and another Great Tit was retrapped.

Juvenile Cuckoo on 14th July 2013
Photo - Kevin Wilson

July 13th: On Jackson's Marsh were 21 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Greenshanks and a Knot, and on Tennyson Sands a colour-ringed adult Mediterranean Gull, 3 Greenshanks, a Dunlin and a Black-tailed Godwit. On these water bodies were 18 Little Egrets. Around were a Common Buzzard and 2 Corn Buntings. At Aylmer Avenue were 9 Crossbills, and over Sykes Farm 6 more. Offshore were 3 Eiders and 2 Sandwich Terns.

July 12th: Tennyson Sands held 2 colour-ringed adult Mediterranean Gulls, 4 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Greenshanks, a Common Sandpiper and a Ruff, and Jackson's Marsh 16 Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Greenshanks, a Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper, a Knot and a Common Sandpiper. At Aylmer Avenue was a juvenile Crossbill, and at Sykes Farm 11 more Crossbills.
A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue was moderately successful. The 19 new birds were a Wren, a Chaffinch, 4 Whitethroats, a Sedge Warbler, 2 Great Tits, a Goldfinch, 2 Dunnocks and 7 Greenfinches, and the retraps 2 Dunnocks and the French-ringed Sedge Warbler that has summered, and presumably bred, here.

July 11th: On Jackson's Marsh were 17 Black-tailed Godwits, a Common Sandpiper, a Little Ringed Plover, a Green Sandpiper, 2 Greenshanks and a Knot, and on Tennyson Sands a third-summer Yellow-legged Gull, a colour-ringed adult Mediterranean Gull and a Greenshank. There were 2 Grey Wagtails: one west and one at Roadside Pond. South went 12 Curlews, and in off the sea came a Grey Heron.
Ragwort-pulling at Aylmer Avenue is continuing.