Gibraltar Point Bird Observatory Blog: Late April 2015

April 30th. Moderately strong south-westerly wind, gradually decreasing.
Birds around included a Jay.
A wind-restricted morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 2 new birds: a Goldfinch and a Reed Warbler; and a retrap Whitethroat.

April 29th. Quite strong south-westerly wind, bringing bands of rain.
On Tennyson Sands were a Spoonbill and 3 Common Tern.

April 28th. Increasing south-westerly wind.
Around were a Greenshank, a Turtle Dove, 2 Jay, 15 Whimbrel and a Common Buzzard. A Red Kite and 2 Greenshank flew south. On The Wash this evening were 400 Ringed Plover and 3000 Dunlin. Offshore were 25 Little Tern, 3 Common Tern and 2 Sandwich Tern. On Jackson's Marsh was a Common Sandpiper.
A wind-restricted morning ringing session in East Dunes produced just a new Chiffchaff and a retrap Dunnock.

April 27th. Birds around included a Cuckoo.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 3 new birds: a Wren and 2 Whitethroat; and a retrap Wren.

Bluebells, 27 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory

April 26th. Around were 9 Jay and 30 Sandwich Tern. The 2 Spoonbill were still on Tennyson's Sands. Two Cuckoo were calling away at the back of the Freshwater Marsh behind the Mere mid afternoon.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 4 new birds: a Willow Warbler, 2 Linnet and a Dunnock; and 2 retraps: a Chaffinch and a Chiffchaff.
A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue by David Vincent resulted in 12 new birds and 15 retraps. The new birds were 3 Greenfinch, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Linnet, 2 Reed Bunting, a Goldfinch, a Blackcap and a Lesser Whitethroat. The retraps were 6 Goldfinch, 3 Great Tit and singles of Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Chaffinch and Sedge Warbler.
In the afternoon Mick Briggs was at Aylmer Avenue carrying out net ride maintenance, cutting the grass before it gets out of control and pruning back the last year's growth of Sea Buckthorn etc. into the net rides.

Cowslips, 26 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory

April 25th. A White-tailed Eagle flew over Tennyson's Sands at 3.15pm. Despite the bird having been tracked coming around the Norfolk coast through the day and then leaving Holme over the Wash towards Lincolnshire some thirty minutes earlier, few people got to see the bird going over the reserve.
Other birds around, including those trapped, were 29 Jay and a Whimbrel. The 2 Spoonbill remained on Tennyson's Sands. Other birds reported included a Rough-legged Buzzard, 2 Red Kite, 4 Common Buzzard, 3 Marsh Harrier and a Firecrest. 3 House Martin and 2 Swallow fed around Aylmer Avenue, whilst 9 Blackcap and 7 Whitethroat were also singing there early morning.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes, with James Siddle, produced 5 new birds: a Linnet, a Blackcap, a Lesser Whitethroat and 2 Jay; and no retraps.
Meanwhile Mick Briggs was ringing at Aylmer Avenue, resulting in 22 new birds: 6 Goldfinch, 5 Linnet, 2 Greenfinch, 2 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat and singles of Wren, Chiffchaff, Blue Tit, Reed Bunting and Chaffinch. There were also 13 retraps: 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Greenfinch, 2 Dunnock and singles of Wren, Sedge Warbler, Goldfinch and Linnet.

Spoonbills, 25 April 2015.
Photo - Steve Humphreys

White-tailed Eagle, 25 April 2015.
Photo - Steve Humphreys

April 24th. On Tennyson Sands were 2 Spoonbill. Around were 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 26 Whitethroat, 6 Sedge Warbler, a first-winter Mediterranean Gull, 2 Short-eared Owl, 2 Wheatear, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Greenshank, 500 Redshank, 176 Ringed Plover, 500 Dunlin, 380 Oystercatcher and 5 Whimbrel. Offshore were 12 Little Tern, 5 Sandwich Tern and a Common Tern. Flying south were 12 Yellow Wagtail, 100+ Swallow, 3 House Martin and 16 Sand Martin. A Common Sandpiper was on the river at dusk.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes yielded 12 new birds: a Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler (including an acredula type), a Wren, 3 Blackcap, a Linnet and 4 Jay; and no retraps.

Jay, ringed 24 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory

Acredula type Willow Warbler, ringed 24 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory

April 23rd. Birds around, including those trapped, were a male and a female Cuckoo together, a Whimbrel and a Merlin. The Spoonbill was still on Tennyson's Sands.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes provided 7 new birds: a Wren, 2 Chiffchaff, a Robin, a Blackcap, a Cuckoo and a Merlin; and 3 retraps: singles of Wren, Blue Tit and Dunnock.

Cuckoo, ringed 23 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory

Female Merlin, ringed 23 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory

April 22nd. A Richard's Pipit was discovered in the Old Saltmarsh/East Dunes area. The Spoonbill remained on Tennyson's Sands.
A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue produced 39 new birds: 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Brambling, 6 Chaffinch, 8 Linnet, 12 Goldfinch, 3 Sedge Warbler, a Whitethroat, a Blackcap, a Great Tit, 2 Greenfinch and a Song Thrush; and 25 retraps: 6 Great Tit, 4 Dunnock, 2 Wren, 2 Goldfinch, 2 Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest, a Whitethroat, 2 Blue Tit and 5 Chaffinch.

Brambling, ringed 22 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory

April 21st. The Little Bunting was rediscovered on Tennyson's Sands (near Fenella Hope Hide) early morning. Also there were a putative Caspian Gull x Herring Gull hybrid and a Spoonbill.
Around were the Glaucous Gull, 5+ Jay, a Cuckoo, 5 Wheatear, 3 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Whitethroat, 4 Willow Warbler and 15 Swallow. Flying south was a Rough-legged Buzzard, and north a Red Kite.
An obviously unwell adult Gannet, which had been on Jackson's Marsh for two days, was found dead there this morning. Also the first Speckled Woods and Green Hairstreaks were also on the wing today.
A morning ringing session in East Dunes resulted in only 3 new birds: A Willow Warbler, a Meadow Pipit and a Linnet; and no retraps.

Little Bunting, Tennyson's Sands, 21 April 2015.
Photo - Richard Doan

Adult Gannet, found dead on Jackson's Marsh, 21 April 2015.
Photo - George Gregory