Tuesday 10th April Very little was noted in the logbook for the 10th as the weather was a tad rubbish, with thick fog & mist dominating the day along with a few light downpours.
A single Puffin at Jenny's Cove.
One Snipe, flushed near Halfway Wall.
One female Black Redstart in Barton Field.
Wednesday 11th April Wednesday morning was much the same as Tuesday, with thick fog lingering on the island up until mid-afternoon. As the day brightened there were some good birds to enjoy, including:
Blackcap: 23 in Millcombe Valley.
Chiffchaff: Just four birds.
Willow Warbler: 16.
The beautiful female Great-spotted Woodpecker again in Millcombe.
Ring Ouzel: A very handsome male below Benjamin's Chair.
Pied Flycatcher: Two second calendar-year males in Millcombe Valley – see photo.
And a lovely male Linnet in song outside Paradise Row.
 |
| Male Pied Flycatcher, Millcombe, 11 Apr © Dean Jones |
Thursday 12th April A beautiful sunny day, complete with a strong easterly breeze. Lots of lovely birds to enjoy including:
The female Great spotted Woodpecker was again seen feeding in Millcombe Wood.
Treecreeper: Seen feeding in the trees below Brambles (P Bullock & J Cox).
Cormorant: A single bird was noted in the logbook.
Sand Martin: Three birds quartering over High Street field along with 12 Swallow.
Collared Dove: 2 seen together in Millcombe in the morning and then later in the Village area.
White Wagtail: A lone male feeding in Barton Field in the afternoon.
Blackcap: 66 birds – most of which were recorded in the Millcombe area, including two in song.
Chiffchaff: 15+ scattered throughout the south of the island.
Willow Warbler: 20 birds.
Grasshopper Warbler: The first of the year was reeling away behind the Secret Garden (lower Millcombe) first thing.
Common Redstart: Four stunning males (Millcombe, Benjamin's Chair, Terrace & Barton Field) and a single female (Benjamin's Chair) – see photo below.
Stonechat: A male and female were seen together in South West Field, showing signs of possible breeding.
The handsome male Ring Ouzel below Benjamin's Chair still.
Song Thrush: Two birds outside Government House in the early morning.
Linnet: 33 over South West Field in the early morning.
Bullfinch: A lovely female seen and heard numerous times throughout Millcombe.
Snow Bunting: A very bold and very beautiful female, seen initially by Peter Lambden, spent the morning feeding along the High Street track across from the pig pen (photo below).
 |
| Snow Bunting, High Street, 12 Apr © Dean Jones |
 |
| Male Common Redstart, Terrace, 12 Apr © Dean Jones |
Friday 13th April A muggy day overall, lots of low-lying fog carpeting the island with intermittent spells of lovely sunshine. The lengthy periods of fog grounded quite a few migrants throughout the day which provided us with a super day's birding on the island!
Teal: A single male and two females were on Pondsbury in the early morning.
Oystercatcher: 33 birds around the island's coastline, including 10 roosting at Brazen Ward.
Ringed Plover: A rather handsome male was feeding on a monster worm at the North End in the early morning.
Snipe: Four flushed from the Pondsbury area.
Woodpigeon: 7 from Millcombe and Quarter Wall Copse.
Collared Dove: Two birds again in Millcombe Valley.
Merlin: A single female bird looking for prey along the east coast in the early morning.
Goldcrest: 25 birds scattered over the island.
Skylark: 35, which included at least 29 territories spanning the plateau area.
Sand Martin: A total of 14 were logged throughout the day.
Swallow: 20.
House Martin: 40.
Chiffchaff: 37.
Willow Warbler: 50.
Blackcap: 80.
Whitethroat: The first bird of the year was seen perched on Threequarter Wall next to a Robin around mid-morning.
Grasshopper Warbler: A single bird was heard reeling in Millcombe in the afternoon.
Pied Flycatcher: Two seen on the Castle Parade wall.
Redstart: At least four males and two females (Benjamin's Chair and the Terrace).
Black Redstart: A male and a female at the top of Benjamin's Chair.
Stonechat: Two males (one of which was singing its heart out in St John's Valley) and one female.
Wheatear: 26+ birds – most of which were noted from the south west.
Pied Wagtail: One on the ground and four other 'fly-overs'.
Meadow Pipit: 119 scattered over the island.
Chaffinch: Just three birds.
Linnet: A superb day of passage for this species with a total of 271 birds.
Goldfinch: 30, which included a lovely little flock of 25 at South West Point.
Snow Bunting: Seen along the High Street track again at 18:45 (E Angseesing & S Evans).
Great-spotted Woodpecker: Still in Millcombe (P Bullock & J Cox).
A predated Guillemot egg, complete with albumen (freshish), was found beneath one of the lighthouse track stones near the North End.
 |
| Male Northern Wheatear, South West Point 13 Apr © Dean Jones |
No comments:
Post a Comment