Cold and blustery easterlies once again prevented any ringing and made birding a challenge, except well down over the western sidelands or a few other strategic sheltered spots. There were distinctly fewer migrants than on Friday, especially on the Swift, hirundine and warbler fronts, but still some good birds to be seen, among them: a
Kestrel, 10+
Dunlins (including a flock of six seen by Alan Rowland at North End), a
Ringed Plover, two
Whimbrels (South West Field), a
Snipe (at Widow's Tenement Pond), 5
Swifts, 51
Swallows, 16
House Martins, a female
White Wagtail (sidelands below South West Field), two
flava Wagtails, including a female
Blue-headed (M. f. flava) and a female
Yellow (
M. f. flavissima) in St Helen's/Barton Fields, 2
Whinchats (Tent Field/South West Field wall and Rocket Pole area), a male
Whitethroat (Millcombe), a male
Blackcap (Smelly Gully), 3
Sedge Warblers (Stoneycroft, Tent Field wall and Smelly Gully), a handful of
Willow Warblers and
Chiffchaffs, and a female
Pied Flycatcher (Millcombe)
A look at the weather map showed why there had been so few overnight
arrivals and such little visible migration by day, with rain in the
English Channel effectively blocking most migration from the continent.
MS
Oldenburg did a 'Splash & Dash', taking advantage of a drop in the wind to do a quick turnaround late in the day, for staying passengers only.
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| Yellow Wagtails & Lundy Pony, Barton Field, 5 May © Tim Jones |
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| Male Yellow Wagtail, Barton Field, 5 May © Tim Jones |
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| Female Blue-headed Wagtail, Barton Field, 6 May © Tim Jones |
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