Ringing Control: Blackbird, ringed Vlieland Derde Kroonspolder Vinkenbaan, Vlieland, Netherlands 20 October 2022, controlled GPBO 7 November 2022.
April 30th. Overcast first thing, becoming brighter with decreasing southerly winds.
A Ring Ouzel was an early morning arrival, dropping into the West Dunes before moving east, followed by a Firecrest in the East Dunes and an arrival of 6 Wheatear and a Black Redstart also in the East Dunes, with a Common Redstart nearby. A further 10 Wheatear were spread along the beach and North Saltings. Also on the North Saltings was a Wood Sandpiper before heading off north whilst other waders of interest were 2 Greenshank, 20 Whimbrel and a late Jack Snipe. Morning vis mig continued as yesterday with Finches, Hirundines and Yellow Wagtail (including a Blue-headed/Channel type) with the highlights being Turtle Dove and Hobby heading south. Other birds around included 100 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 5 Little Terns, a Short-eared Owl, 4 Grasshopper Warbler, 6 Lesser Whitethroat, 15 Sedge Warbler and good numbers of Whitethroat.
A wind-restricted morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 3 new birds: a Willow Warbler, a Firecrest and a Whitethroat; and 2 retraps: a Lesser Whitethroat and a Whitethroat.
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| Firecrest, ringed 30 April 2023. Photo - George Gregory |
April 29th. Overcast and damp to start with but turning out fine and sunny with increasing south-easterly wind.
Groups of Goldfinch (total 168) and Linnet (total 97) were heading low south down the East Dunes frontage between 0700 and 1000hrs with smaller numbers of Siskin, Chaffinch, Yellow Wagtail, Whimbrel, Carrion Crow, Swallow and Sand Martin. An Osprey appeared over Tennyson's Sands mid-day before heading inland during a good day for raptors, with Peregrine and Merlin on the beach/flats and 4 Marsh Harrier. The sea was fairly quiet during the morning watch but as the easterly breeze increased, a passage of Arctic Tern was noted in the evening; 193 went north with flocks of 57, 46, 38 and 34, with a further 24 'Commic' Tern. Sandwich Terns were offshore all day - up to 50, with 8 Little Tern heading north and 5 on the Haven. Groups of small waders were noted moving into the Wash; Dunlin, Sanderling and Ringed Plover it a single Curlew Sandpiper. Other birds around included 3 Cuckoo, a Spoonbill, a Spotted Redshank and a Short-eared Owl.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with Mike Polling, produced 3 new birds: a Willow Warbler and 2 Blackcap; and a retrap Dunnock.
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April 28th. After the overnight rain, foggy conditions prevailed but it was still and a good number of birds were in song. Spring migration has definitely been slow this month, doubtless influenced by the series of cold northerly winds since mid month. Most of the Warblers have been late in arriving and there have been concerns about their numbers. However, the last couple of days have shown encouraging numbers of Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat, with three expected Grasshopper Warbler territories now hosting reeling birds. Visibility precluded any sea-watching or vis-mig this morning, so it was a good opportunity to carry out a stock-take of common birds in the dunes. A mix of summer and winter migrants today included the first Swift of the year (4), a Tree Pipit, 2 Redwing, a Fieldfare and a Brambling. Waders of note included 2 Common Sandpiper, a Spotted Redshank, a Greenshank and 16 Whimbrel. Visibility at sea improved in the evening when 8 Arctic Tern, 60 Sandwich Tern, 4 Little Tern, 4 Mediterranean Gull, Razorbill, Fulmar and Gannet were recorded.
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Ringing Control: Willow Warbler, ringed GPBO 4 August 2018, controlled Portland Bill, Dorset 21 April 2023.
April 27th. South-easterly wind and a bit milder.
Two Reed Warbler and a Long-eared Owl were new arrivals. Also around were 101 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Spoonbill, 2 Mediterranean Gull, a Greenshank, 2 Cuckoo, 9 Willow Warbler, 15 Blackcap, 12 Sedge Warbler, 14 Whitethroat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Wheatear and a Corn Bunting. Going south were 40 Swallow, 6 Sand Martin, 8 Yellow Wagtail, a Tree Pipit and a light passage of Finches. Offshore, single Great Northern Diver, Red-throated Diver and 22 Sandwich Tern headed south.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in 6 new birds: 3 Willow Warbler, a Wheatear, a Blackcap and a Blackbird.
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| Wheatear, ringed 27 April 2023. Photo - George Gregory  Photo - Kev Wilson .JPG) Mediterranean Gulls, 27th April 2023. Photo- Nige Lound .jpg) Pied Shield Bug, 27th April 2023. Photo - Sam Wilson  Tawny Mining Bee, 27th April 2023. Photo - Beth McGuire |
April 26th. Wind shifting to the south-west but still cold.
Birds around included the first Common Sandpiper of the year, 60 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Spoonbill, 4 Mediterranean Gull, a Green Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Redshank, 4 Whimbrel, a Ring Ouzel and 4 Grasshopper Warbler along with a further increase in other Warblers whilst Finches were still moving south in small groups and offshore the highlights were a Manx Shearwater, 3 Fulmar and 2 Red-breasted Merganser.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 5 new birds: a Chiffchaff, 2 Linnet, a Blackcap and a Blackbird; and 3 retraps: a Blackbird, a Wren and a Blue Tit.
April 25th. A cold morning with frost and thin ice-coating on some surfaces. Continued cold northerly wind.
A much quieter day then yesterday but a Garden Warbler was new in, a Redstart was at the north end of the East Dunes, a Woodlark was in the West Dunes and still a good number of Swallow and House Martin were feeding over Jackson's Marsh. Also around were 105 Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Whimbrel, 2 Spoonbill, a Marsh Harrier, a Grasshopper Warbler, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Wheatear and a Short-eared Owl.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with Kevin Armstrong, produced 9 new birds: a Goldcrest, a Linnet, 5 Reed Bunting, a Blackcap and a Chaffinch; and 5 retraps: 3 Dunnock, a Wren and a Blue Tit.
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April 24th. Increasing northerly wind, with some very light drizzle in morning and rain showers in the afternoon.
Another day of excellent variety with a few new migrants arriving; a male Ring Ouzel arrived over Mill Hill before moving to the Freshwater Marsh, a male Redstart was around Mill Hill early morning, the first two Lesser Whitethroat of the year were recorded and there was a decent spread of Hirundines (45 Swallow, 20 House Martin and 5 Sand Martin) feeding over the lagoons. Despite then north wind, there was a good migration: predominantly Goldfinch, Linnet and Carrion Crow, but with Chaffinch, Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Siskin, other Corvids, Common Gull, 5 Marsh Harrier, a Buzzard, 2 Sparrowhawk, a couple of Brambling and a Woodlark. Other birds around included 130 Dark-bellied Brent Geese and a Hen Harrier.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with Bethany McGuire, yielded 6 new birds: a Willow Warbler, a Wren, a Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Reed Bunting; and 2 retraps: a Wren and a Dunnock.
April 23rd. A cool south-westerly wind again with some early morning rain before brighter conditions.
Goldfinch and Linnet dominated the southerly passage again this morning, but with more Chaffinch and a flock of 21 Brambling, otherwise similar volume and variety as yesterday. Mediterranean Gull could be heard regularly with at least 2 mobile pairs around and another 4 heading north. Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, Whimbrel and Spoonbill were again around the lagoons. A Cuckoo was around the west side, a Merlin was over the beach and a modest increase in warblers included 3 Whitethroat, 12 Sedge Warbler, 6 Willow Warbler and 2 Grasshopper Warbler.
April 22nd. A return to south-westerly winds, dry conditions and becoming progressively sunnier.
A day of excellent variety, although some migrants still in low numbers. The day commenced with 2 vocal Cuckoo, another impressive wader roost, a Firecrest remaining at Mill Hill with a Ring Ouzel just to the north and a passage of Goldfinch and Linnet with a few Yellow Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Hirundines, Corvids, Whimbrel, Siskin and 2 Brambling with a further 5 Brambling grounded. A Green Sandpiper was on the Old Saltmarsh, a Greenshank on Fenland Lagoon and 30 Black-tailed Godwit on Jackson's Marsh with 81 Shoveler (an excellent count for late April). The Black Redstart remained around the Visitor Centre and a Woodlark flew south mid morning.
Ringing Control: Greenfinch, ringed GPBO 16 December 2021, controlled Kilnsea, East Yorkshire 21 April 2023.
April 21st. The early morning weather can only be described as vile: a near gale force north-easterly, with rain at 45 degrees.
Wader counts on the morning tide and sea-watching were not possible. Somehow, 3 Firecrest were detected, calling from deep scrub, including 2 at Mill Hill. As the rain ceased and the wind eased later, a few warblers started to sing including 6 Sedge Warbler and a Grasshopper Warbler, The Black Restart re-appeared at the Visitor Centre. The evening tide produced good numbers of Knot (15000), Grey Plover (2750), Dunlin (4190) and Sanderling (1100), but few Bar-tailed Godwit or Oystercatcher, both of which have been in lower then expected numbers since the autumn.
