RXwildlife Sightings

Further bird news from early morning.

The highlights of a visible migration count were 3 crossbill west, 4 brambling east, 2 reed bunting west and a male hen harrier west.

The best of the grounded migrants were 2 ring ouzel, 2 firecrest, a sedge warbler, 13 stonechat, a yellow wagtail, a redstart, 5 tree pipit, 2 tree sparrow and a cetti’s warbler at Ecclesbourne Reservoir was a first for the site. Numbers were made up by 200 chiffchaff with similar numbers of goldfinch, and over 50 each of goldcrest and blackcap.

It’s important to note that these totals are from along all our migration count transects within Firehills, Warren Glen and Ecclesbourne Glen.

When visiting the site to look for migrants it is best to avoid the areas heavily used by dog walkers and stick to the less disturbed hotspots for migrants such as Warren Wood, Brakey Bank, the Ecclesbourne Meadow area between Fairlight Glen & Ecclesbourne Glen and Ecclesbourne Glen itself.

North’s Seat is also another excellent area for grounded migrants and being the highest ground at the site is particularly good for overhead migration, and High Wickham on the north side of East Hill is another good piece of scrub and woodland for grounded migrants.

It seems that the autumn days now only need a burst of sun to really warm up.  But I wonder if an occasional frost exerts the same effect as the old fashioned long ones.  After all, the day length diminishes in these temperate parts and the birds and trees seem to be responding to this.
At Ecclesbourne I was enchanted by two Ravens which came to circle slowly close - and a minute later a bird of prey coming in low over the cliffs turned out to be a ring-tailed Hen harrier which sped off eastwards, scaring up Goldfinches (below) from the weedy pasture.  A juxtaposition of early and later autumn as the birds I had seen at North’s seat earlier included a Redstart and overhead a Hobby hawking for red admirals and Migrant hawker dragonflies in the hot and hazy air. There, among the Admiral and peacock butterflies a bright yellow male brimstone on the wing.

Highlights today at Castle Water, 3 Green Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine and two Ring Ouzel were in nearby scrub at the veiwpoint.

For the first time the BTO will be combining the results of breeding season and winter fieldwork into one national Atlas. Winter fieldwork will start in the winter of 2007/2008 and last for four winters. Breeding season fieldwork will take place in the summers of 2008 to 2011. Click here for more Sussex detail.

A Pectoral Sandpiper was the highlight amongst, 10 Little Stint, 9 Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, 5 Knot, 55 Dunlin, 256 Golden Plover, 8 Grey Plover, 133 Curlew and 12 Snipe which were all present on Flat Beach Flood this morning. Also there, 144 Wigeon, 6 Brent Goose, 2 Pintail, 22 Teal,10 Gadwall, Kingfisher and 8 Sandwich Tern.