The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Donna Nook (Stonebridge to Pyes Hall)
14 Redstart
2 Spotted Flycatcher
1 Wheatear
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Garden Warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Common Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
1 Goldcrest
12 Song Thrush
1 Brambling
6 Siskin
3 Greenshank
1 Common Sandpiper
5 Common Snipe

Sea View
1 Yellow-browed Warbler
3 Chiffchaff
1 Blackcap
1 Garden Warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Spotted Flycatcher
1 Grey Wagtail
5 Siskin
1 Whimbrel
1 Marsh Harrier

Sea Lane, Saltfleet
1 Yellow-browed Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
1 Goldcrest
1 Pied Flycatcher
1 Siskin

Horseshoe Point
1 Redstart
1 Green Sandpiper

Regards

Chris Atkin (with Ian Shepherd & Tony Housman)

Now That's a good days birding Chris.

_________________
Regards.
Del.

To err is human. To really louse things up takes a computer

Really? Given the ongoing conditions I fear that the general lack of migrants is very worrying and presumably a reflection of the huge declines in so many trans Saharan migrants. Try looking back to similar weather patterns 10 years ago and check the numbers of eg Redstart a and Pied Flys: it's just odd birds now but every individual gets publicised nationally: how many are being and will be taken out as they struggle in past the impenetrable barrier of offshore wind farms as well !

Probably should have qualified my comments with 'for the 21st century' Graham.
However as modern UK coastal birding days go it was pretty good and I'll bet enjoyable none the less!
I also reminisce about witnessing falls of migrants in Norfolk 25/30 years ago but there's no point really, as its unlikely & unfortunately never going to happen again in our lifetime.
Good Birding.

_________________
Regards.
Del.

To err is human. To really louse things up takes a computer

Indeed, the lack of common migrants was all too apparent yesterday. Though the Yellow-browed Warblers were the star birds and 14 Redstarts along one stretch seemed a respectable haul these days, we did comment on the lack of phylloscs, only 2 Goldcrests and where are the Wheatears? (one noted).
In years gone by NE winds with constant drizzle and mist were ideal conditions to drop good numbers of migrants in. Maybe the weather conditions on the continent just weren't favourable for departing migrants, or as Graham fears, it's an example of a general decline in populations.
Looking at the Spurn website for yesterday and looking beyond their daily scarcities of Wrynecks, Barred Warblers, Red-breasted Flycatchers etc I note only 13 Redstarts recorded, an obvious lack of common warblers with counts of Blackcaps, Garden Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs only just creeping into double figures for each of those species and only 9 Goldcrests recorded.

Here's hoping there are still some still decent falls to come this autumn - but I'm not holding my breath.

Regards

Chris

This morning Donna Nook was covered in thick fog between 08:00 until just before 10:00. Plenty of birds about initially but discerning what they were in the gloom was a problem. Misting optics and specs didn't help either
There were at least 3 spotted flycatchers at Pyes
8 whinchat at Pyes
At least 5 redstart at Pyes
Also at Pyes I had osprey fly over. A garden warbler, lesser whitethroat 4 wheatear, about a dozen willow warners, 6 chiffchaff, a stonechat, my first goldcrest of the autumn and 2 tree pipits
Back towards Stonebridge I noted a pied flycatcher, another tree pipit, 4 siskin and a couple more redstart
A spotted redshank and a greenshank were by the pumping station
Back at my car and just about to leave someone told that a Red-breasted Flycatcher had been found back down the track at Pyes Hall. My feet hurt too much to traipse back down the track to see that. The mist was on way back in too

The low numbers of common warblers, despite a fair smattering of scarce species, make the past couple of week's counts on the coast particularly odd. Yet not far away things have been very different - see http://btoringing.blogspot.co.uk/ for 19th September. I know passerine numbers have generally declined, but obviously local conditions - such as breeding conditions earlier in the year or departure location weather for migrants (as well as arrival weather) - affect what we actually see. I am pretty sure I've never recorded 1198 Blackcaps in three weeks!

Thanks, Andrew. These are all ringing records from inland Central/SW England and truly unprecedented from my 30+ years ringing experience. At Stanford and Salisbury Plain tape lures are used to attract the birds with spectacular results. Conversely, I adopted a similar ploy at my prime inland site near Market Rasen last weekend which produced two Blackcaps!
A lot of the Sylvia warblers ringed on the east coast in autumn are drift migrants but the Stanford and Salisbury birds don't fall into that category. I can't think of a reason why so many are congregating at inland sites - can anyone else.?