Bucktonbirder

Late autumn fayre

2011-10-30T22:46:00.002Z

A few days on the coast at Buckton produced typical late autumn birds with 31 Whooper Swans, a pair of Black Redstarts, 8 Lapland Buntings, a Hooded Crow and a smart male Snow Bunting. Dave and I managed to catch and ring the Snow Bunt by walking it in to a net on the cliff top. The bird was aged as a 1st winter male and of the Icelandic race insulae. The bottom pic is one of the two Olive -backed Pipits at Filey, this individual only having one eye.

Five stripes

2011-10-16T22:33:00.002+01:00

The five different Yellow-browed Warblers we managed to find at Buckton over the past four days with three being ringed. Other migrants included a Short-eared Owl, two Jack Snipe, two Willow Warblers, five Blackcap, a Woodcock and a good influx of thrushes (55 Blackbird ringed).

Bluetail landing

2011-10-16T22:23:00.005+01:00

This first winter female Red-flanked Bluetail at South Landing was the second individual to be caught at Flamborough in the past few days, well done Jim and Ian. The male Sparrowhawk was being processed at the same time and the Woodcock was from Buckton today.

Northern cliffs

2011-09-26T12:09:00.004+01:00

Spent a pleasant hour on the northern cliffs at Flamborough, recovering after the 16 hour drive to Aberdeen and back the day before for the Sandhill Crane. The Buff-breasted Sandpiper was showing well, even if the light was a little dire. Excellent views of a juvenile Hobby hunting insects along the cliff edge on the way back. Great that this part of Flamborough is being covered so well these days, there is now virtually full coverage from Speeton to Barmston, just imagine that ten years ago ! Buckton didnt produce much but a smallish wader with clean white underparts that flew directly over head calling a rippling 'PREET' really needed to have landed, it didnt, I suspected Pec Sand immediatly but was helpless to progress it any further.

Cornwall catch up

2011-09-24T12:18:00.001+01:00

Two rather naff images, the Semi-palmated Sandpiper in flight at Drift Res and one of the Black Kites over Polgigga.

Katia comes up trumps at Pendeen !

2011-09-18T20:03:00.008+01:00

Having already recently day twitched a seawatch at Pendeen (saw 5 Great Shearwaters, 4 Leach's Petrels and a Red-necked Phalarope) then it was a 'no brainer' on September 14th when post Katia, which swept through bringing high seas and force 9 South Westerlies, followed a decreasing but more productive force 6 West/North Westerly. The day before had already produced quality seabirds but could it be bettered. At 10pm I met up with Adrain Kettle and we blasted SW through the night, arriving just after 4am in an abandoned Pendeen lighthouse car park, to say the wind was battering the coast would be an understatement! The drama was about to unfold.

By dawn we were in place, the first on site and eager. The first quality AK bird was a Sabine's Gull, distant but a taste of what was coming ! The day total ended on 20 individual Sabs, comprising 8 juvs and 12 adults and including three juvs together inside the rocks. Many of the adults were in full summer plumage with one showing well enough to enable us to see the 'dipped in paint' yellow bill tip. Although not the rarest birds of the day, to see so many was just brilliant and allowed their unique character to the seen, learnt, tested and taken on board for the future. All the birds were flying very low and parallel to the sea, in almost straight lines and were very tern like in flight action with the action being at the front end of the bird on angled wings bent at the carpal. The distance they were approaching from was also key and enabled AK and I to pick out 11 of the 20 during the day, very satisfying. Kittiwake like - never !

The next refresher was that of Grey Phalarope, with a total of 30 during the day. Many zipped by at moderate range when their gleaming paleness, dumpy shape with angled stripy wings and rather erratic flight made them rather easy. Several were present sat on the sea around the rocks during the day, so the exact total may have been higher. Just after 7am we had our first of four Great Shearwaters, perhaps THE seabird, I am addicted to this species! they can easily be overlooked in the melee of a good seawatch, they don't rocket past in a Sooty Shearwater like way or flash like a Manxie, they meander through low to the water in a purposeful super controlled manner, and strangely often appear to be going away when their long angled arms with darker primaries, almost stripey underwing and white belly give a distinct seawatch jizz - a pedigree seawatch species ! Mid afternoon brought a once in a lifetime Great, inside the rocks and in fact closer to the shore than the rocks. I even managed to get the featured shots !

We had been seeing quite a few Storm Petrels, fast flying, in a way almost like a vehicle going in and out of cones on a road, direct but not quite straight lines. At distance they appear small and with proportionate wings held swiftly bent at the carpal, jet black with paler rumps which can take some seeing. Several closer birds clearly had striking white underwing flashes but without your eye in, it is possible that you could fail to see Stormies despite good numbers going past. We hit jackpot just after 0730hrs when Adrian quietly got on to a larger petrel at the same range as the Stormies, it had an upper carpal wing bar, didn't have the extended wing or hand of a Leach's Petrel. We both got on to it for a few seconds, but then lost it, very frustrating as we both knew it was a Wilson's Petrel. About 20 minutes later I picked it or another identical bird up in the same area of sea but slightly further out. Despite calling it out only a couple of other people managed to get on to it and after a short period of time it was lost. These were both views that at the time just didn't give enough for group celebration but what was about to happen was way beyond our expectations. Shortly after 8am Adrian picked up another or the same Petrel, this time much closer, level with the left hand rock but further to the west and therefore closer to our viewing position. Adrian immediatly called Wilson's Petrel, I picked the bird up quickly and bellowed the words 'Oh my god, Wilson's Petrel close' - in reality it wasn't 'close' but through a 50x HD Swarovski scope it was mega. Other birders got on to it, each giving their own superlative ! For the next 10-12 minutes the bird remained continually on view in the same area of sea and was in no hurry to leave, it repeatedly fed in pattering motion over a patch of floating brown sea weed. When it reached the left hand end of the sea weed patch it changed behaviour totally by racing back to the right hand end of the patch before again sharply breaking, stalling in flight and once more hanging and bouncing over the sea! The few observers who could not get on to the bird simply queued up and looked through my scope - so predictable was it behaviour! The bird had a startlingly straight rear edge to the wing, lacking any hand which combined with a broad arched fore-wing gave a very distinct jizz to the bird. The upper carpal bar was clearly visible and the bird had an obvious broad and clear white rump with a square cut tail tip. It was impossible to see the legs on the bird but from its behaviour and body position they were quite probably dangling. I don't know but I doubt that a Wilson's has ever been seen as well as this an English headland. Jubilation ! especially for Adrian, who being a bad sailor had been waiting for this moment for a long time. About 20 minutes after the Wilson's was last seen, a Leach's Petrel was picked up at almost double range but provided a brilliant straight after comparison, the first thing I said was 'just look at the size of it', the Leach's being noticeably bigger and completely different in structure, having a long arm and long angled back hand. The flight action was also quite different with the Leach's looking as though it was trying hard with angled back wings but was only making slow progress, almost as if attached to an invisible elastic band.

The rest of the seawatch was a joyous anticlimax! We finished at 7.30pm, a total of 13 hours peering at the 'riders of a storm'- hard to beat that !

The totals for the day were

Wilson's Petrel - 3 sightings, Leach's Petrel 4, Storm Petrel 17, Great Shearwater 4, Sooty Shearwater 21, Balearic Shearwater 26, Arctic Skua 34, Great Skua 20, Pomarine Skua 1, Grey Phalarope 30, Sabine's Gull 20.

more pics

2011-09-15T17:14:00.007+01:00

Three more pics showing extent of yellow wash, on to the lower belly and below legs in certain angles. Opinions vary widely !

nearly an Azure Tit

2011-09-15T10:59:00.007+01:00

The garden owner tried for 3 weeks to get interest in this bird, local birders saw it last night, images taken this morning, access being arrange now but tricky location. Clearly a hybrid or [postscript, an escapee Yellow-breasted Tit !]

Finished article

2011-09-05T00:22:00.003+01:00

Trap finished, first bird ringed a Goldfinch.

Nearly there

2011-08-22T22:03:00.008+01:00

Two more days should see it finished and operational !

Side show bob !

2011-08-18T22:21:00.003+01:00

Work continued on the trap over the last two days with a complete side now fitted and more of the roof added. We are now prefabricating all of the mesh sections and this is working really well. The final big push will take place this weekend and we are on course for a September grand opening.

Roof truth !

2011-08-15T18:25:00.003+01:00

Three more days of solid graft and we have half a roof and a ramp up to the catching box! Its still going to plan for the first fall in September ! Birds have mainly been fly overs, Whimbrels, Curlews and a flock of 10 Marsh Harriers going high SE. The truth, the roof is a ***!

Back of the net !

2011-08-10T19:53:00.003+01:00

Today I collected 8 rolls of wire from the Leeds sales office of McArthur Wire. After ringing around quite a few companies I found McArthur to sell exactly what I needed and not only that but they were very supportive of the project and offered the goods at a great price. Even further, the director that I had the pleasure of dealing with is really interested in protecting diversity, a top result! I am almost looking forward to fitting it around the trap, almost...

a week on...

2011-08-09T11:40:00.005+01:00

Work has continued on the trap, the roof supports are now in place and the internal central divide has been created, allowing the trap to be driven in two seperate sections. The major task now is to add the mesh, which is going to take quite a lot of time.

heligoland update

2011-07-31T11:36:00.020+01:00

If clicked, the top image here gives the best feel of the positioning of the trap, migrants arrive from the cliff top into the scrub from the left of the picture and generally move across the cover to the right. The catching box end of the trap is on the right of the image and the 1ooft entrance on the left, in the image below. The trap is situated in the 'cliff top dell' which is an isolated patch of blackthorn, hawthorn and willow scrub 200m inland of the 400ft cliffs!

Work is continuing with the top rail now added and the catching box, based on the 'double box design' of the Spurn warren trap constructed. This box design allows small birds in to the lower compartment whilst larger birds stay in the upper area.

stewardship joy!

2011-07-25T00:39:00.003+01:00

Another productive day at Buckton, after seeing daytime hunting Barn Owls over the past few weeks I knew one of the boxes must have chicks, it turned out to be the one at Buckton Hall. Chris and Barbara were very proud of their first ever youngsters, all four now fitted with rings. Earlier in the day I had spent a few hours with Chris completely reprofiling the scrape, it now has a series of islands, which should be better in the winter months, all we need is some rain and a few waders this autumn please!

Heligoland Day 1

2011-07-23T20:09:00.009+01:00

Today was a historic day, construction began on the Buckton Heligoland trap. Materials have arrived, been shipped to the cliff top and the big uprights have been augered in to the ground! Its great seeing the first action after over a years worth of planning. Everything has been made possible by one very kind gesture, we thank you. Regular updates will follow !

autumn is creeping nearer

2011-07-12T12:05:00.003+01:00

Fifty birds caught at Buckton on Sunday including the first ever Yellow Wagtail for the site and only the second ever Treecreeper. Most numerous being the 18 juvenile Whitethroats with Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Blackcap providing diversity. On the bird front, 3 parties of Crossbills, a Hobby and 800 Swift NW were interesting. Evening listening brought 7 different calling Quails to the SW of the village on Grindale Rd. The first signs of autumn are here!

one down, three to go !

2011-06-25T15:38:00.002+01:00

Its that time of year, four Peregrine chicks about ready to fledge, one took the plunge earlier today and rather predictably ended up on the ground. A quick catch and rescue mission followed and the bird was dually ringed and released. Next please ... !

Red-backed Shrike

2011-06-07T13:47:00.008+01:00

Most of May had been quite disappointing with a strong westerly airflow but a glimpse of a change and a chance began to develop in the last few days of the month, going in to June. Conditions of the evening of June 4th looked like they had to produce a good bird and being NE winds with rain this was THE conditions for Buckton, none of the SE rubbish ! I had the nets up from dawn on the 5th but it was hard work. At about 8am I decided to search the bramble cover on the edge of the gorse patches in the main dell, largely because I repeatedly had Marsh Warbler on my mind (I still do!). As I appeared around a bend in the cover i immediately noticed an assemblage of birds on top of one patch of bramble, lifting the bins I was greeted to a superb male Red-backed Shrike being chaperoned by Linnets and a Reed Bunting ! It then flew on to the top of a nearby patch of gorse when I got the above photographs. It then vanished in to thin air for over 6 hours, to be honest I thought it had gone but Dave arrived mid afternoon and relocated it, again it was very elusive. The last spring male here was as long ago as 1977 when Steve Rooke, then warden at Bempton discovered something like 6 birds between Buckton and Bempton during a classic fall. Later in the morning I also had a fly over Hobby the first of the campaign.

'Spanish plume' delivers a full monty !

2011-05-09T19:01:00.009+01:00

Another great few days at Buckton. Saturday promised much but delivered a Whinchat, Cuckoo and 5 Barnacle Geese, the latter a site tick for me, if they are wild?
Sunday was a corker, it rained over night on a strong warm SE airflow originating all the way from Spain, this continued until mid morning when it cleared slightly and immediately set about a movement of Swallows SE along the cliff top. As the weather improved further, the Swallow front became broader and it was clear that a massive passage of displaced birds was underway. Every few seconds small groups swept passed the observation point at ground level and headed off over the farmland towards Bridlington bay. Around 2042 birds were counted during the day with many being missed due to the afternoon distraction, more on that later! Spurn Bird Observatory recorded over 12,000 Swallows - smashing their previous spring total by thousands ! Whilst scanning for Swallows I picked up four different Hen Harriers on view at the same time, one being an adult male. At this point I was joined by Dave Wardby who was informed of the unfolding drama. After a while we got on to a new long winged and tailed harrier some distance away, we considered Montagu's Harrier but couldn't clinch it from the distance. We blasted along the fields in the car and got much closer - A cracking sub adult male Montagu's no less ! The tail had barred outer tail feathers, giving away its immaturity. The bird was a site tick for both of us and a much wanted one at that. The bird remained in the area for other 3 hours and was enjoyed by other local birders. During this period a total of up to seven different harriers were seen including three different Marsh Harriers.
Later in the afternoon a throw away comment to Dave about a pea field I have been checking for Dotterel saw us both turn and scan the field at some 3/4 mile distance, suddenly in the middle of the scope was a bloody great big Crane, no not a piece of machinery, a grey long necked monster with a feather duster of a rear. Dave was the quickest off the mark, with some understated remark about there being a Crane in the field ! After another rapid drive we had it in the scope at 250m, an adult, wowzers ! Thanks to Brett Richards for the big picture. Other birds during the day included 2 Hooded Crows, a Merlin, a Short-eared Owl and 3 Grey Plovers. Local patch watching at places like Buckton is all about finding birds that would otherwise get missed, some days this is clearly easier than others !

ouzel bamboozle

2011-05-02T21:48:00.007+01:00

A few days at Buckton produced a total of 5 Ring Ouzels, a late Fieldfare, Hooded Crow, Merlin, Short-eared Owl, 5 singing Grasshopper Warblers, the first Sedge Warbler, House Martin and Lesser Whitethroat.

Hoody Crows Lane

2011-04-18T21:35:00.003+01:00

A few years ago I conducted a records search for past records at Buckton, this largely consisted of trawling through past RSPB Bempton reserve annual reports and picking out sightings from staff and volunteers who occasionally ventured down Hoddy Cows Lane. One thing that struck me in particular was the number of Hooded Crow records in late March and early April. In recent years Hooded Crows have become very scarce winter visitors and I wondered if I would ever get one on my Buckton list. This weekend (Sunday 17th April) produced that much wanted bird, distantly on the cliff top fields with Carrion Crows. In the past ten days a number of Hoodies have turned up along the east coast, fuelling speculation of their origins, are they continental ? Locally, the name Hoddy Cows Lane is said to be based on Hoddy Crows, which were formally very common around Buckton village, so nice to get a modern link to the past !

Other birds over the weekend included a good fall of 40 Wheatears in one cliff top field, a flyover Tree Pipit, the first Whitethroats (three ringed) and a interesting colour-ringed Willow Warbler retrapped which apparently was first caught near Carlisle in August 2010.

Lancashire hotspot !

2011-03-31T20:00:00.007+01:00

Just had an email from Mark Breaks in Lancashire who was wondering if by any chance a ringed Common Redpoll (top pic) that arrived in his garden at Newton in Bowland, Clitheroe yesterday might be one of mine. Mark managed to read the ring in the field and a quick check revealed it was the above 1st winter bird caught here on March 12th ! First recovery of a bird ringed here this winter, 250km NW! Thanks Mark for the email and pic !

Already ringed ...

2011-03-31T18:37:00.002+01:00

This first winter Lesser Redpoll (L625259) was caught on March 19th 2011 and was previously ringed elsewhere, awaiting details.

This first winter Common Redpoll (X648551) was caught on March 27th 2011 having been initially ringed only a few days before at the Lodge RSPB reserve.

Iffy Chiffy from Norway

2011-03-21T21:25:00.002Z

Just got the control details back from the above Chiffchaff wearing a Norwegian ring that I caught at Buckton on October 11th 2010. It was ringed 23 days before and had travelled some 1324km in SSW direction from Aglam, Namsos, Nord-Trondeleg - 100 miles N of Trondheim, Norway. Ok, great BUT after spending ages carefully looking at the age of the bird, it appears I got it wrong... I had it as an adult.

Yellowpoll !

2011-03-16T22:20:00.003Z

A little surprised when I caught and ringed this individual (L963101) on March 15th - it had a yellow poll ! I have heard of this before in Linnets, but back to the books for the reason !

Redpoll tally now over 170 birds with 18 Common's.

Another Redpoll Control

2011-03-16T21:54:00.004Z

This bird (V204887) which I retrapped with Ed Green on March 12th was originally ringed as an adult female near Drigg Dunes, Ravenglass, Cumbria on July 23rd 2010. So this is an adult tail, interesting how some of the tail feathers particularly 4 and 5 (2nd and 3rd in from outside) are rather pointed when the others are clearly rounded.

Warthogs and Woodlarks

2011-03-14T21:50:00.005Z

Two A10 Thunderbolts dropped in to Lakenheath at lunchtime today, drowning out the sweet song of a male Woodlark that had been in display flight high over the base. Click to enlarge.

Historic Spurn

2011-03-14T21:26:00.004Z

On Saturday I called in at Spurn (if that is a geographic possibility), anyway I went to have a look at the warren heligoland trap in preparation for ours at Buckton. I hadn't been to Spurn for around 5 years and the thing that struck me the most was the feeling I got of history. The trap was very educational but the ringing room was the highlight, like a working museum of pioneering Yorkshire ornithology. Thanks Paul, Adam and Gary, ideas gleaned.

A GREATer Redpoll retrap !

2011-03-12T21:17:00.004Z

Another 34 new Redpolls ringed this am (4 new Common and 30 Lesser). Highlight was retrapping bird L551773 from March 5th, the possible Greenland Redpoll. Being a little more prepared paid off, incredibly this bird weighed 14.9g (Lesser Redpoll averages around 10.7 and Common 11.5g) and all measurements taken fully support the identification. A pleasure to be able to directly compare and photograph this bird with both Lesser and Common Redpoll. In the hand it was almost twice as long as the Lesser Redpoll and its bulk and dark streaking is obvious in the above images. When I released the bird it called twice, a totally different call to either Lesser or Common Redpoll, a very deep 'grough' call. If accepted then the first record for Cambridgeshire of this true northern wanderer.

Greenland Redpoll ?

2011-03-11T22:10:00.006Z

A few more pics of the large dark Redpoll I caught on March 5th (see posts below).

Research suggests this bird really could be a rostrata Greenland Redpoll, it has many of the id features and is very similar to birds photographed in the USA and Northern Isles. One interesting documented feature is the fact that Greenland Redpolls have dark spurs projecting in to their white wing bars - just like this bird (top pic).

Sock it to him !

2011-03-07T21:10:00.004Z

This is happening on 7 feeders at the same time whilst another group of birds are feeding on the ground below! A quick visit to the feeders and 30 birds go in to the net.

getting closer !

2011-03-07T20:57:00.002Z

Twenty three new Redpolls ringed in an hour this morning including three new Common Redpolls. This bird L704720 was the pick of the bunch, a first year male with a wing of 74mm and supporting the whitest rump of the 110 birds caught so far. Along with its structure, the heavily streaked flanks and under tail coverts ruled out any thought of Arctic Redpoll. Getting closer though!

One previous owner !

2011-03-05T20:06:00.006Z

A bit more Redpoll action today, had the net open at dawn and again mid afternoon resulting in an amazing 38 new birds including a minimum of 6 Common Redpolls and this bird above which is a control from as yet unknown parts - is it yours ? Interestingly I only retrapped 7 birds I had previously ringed, so birds are almost certainly moving through now. The following posts contain pictures of the most interesting individuals from today. I have now caught and ringed a total of 85 individuals.

I have now found out this bird was caught and ringed at Rye Bay, Sussex in November 2010, birds are clearly moving north.

L551773 the monster !

2011-03-05T20:01:00.002Z

This bird was particularly dark, heavily streaked, long winged and massive in the hand. It was a first winter female with a wing of 77.5mm (female Lesser 67-71, fem Common 68-76). It clearly isnt a Lesser Redpoll but what is it ? Well if its a Common Redpoll then it shatters all text book conceptions! even considering that some Common Redpolls can be dark but .... what does Greenland Redpoll look like ?

L551786 The best Common yet

2011-03-05T19:50:00.005Z

This bird is a first winter female Common Redpoll with a wing of 76. To be honest this is the best Common Redpoll to date, very pallid, very pale streaked rump, broad white wing bars and long wing. This was in the net alongside the bird below and as I was extracting them I was just wishing one of them would have a big unstreaked white rump!

L551787 another Common

2011-03-05T19:45:00.002Z

I have this bird down in my ringing book as an adult female Common Redpoll but on reflection looking at the pointed tail tips it could well be a first winter. Its certainly another Common Redpoll though and with a wing of 73mm and lacking any red on breast and rump a female. Many of the adult male Redpolls now have beautiful red underparts. A rather classic individual.

L551798 ad male Common

2011-03-05T19:43:00.000Z

This individual is an ad male Common Redpoll with a wing of 72mm. Broad white wing bars, very pale face and nape, very fine flank streaks and overall pallid wash.

L551772

2011-03-05T19:42:00.001Z

This bird is a first winter male Common Redpoll with a wing of 72mm, at first I though this bird was a most likely a female but close inspection revealed tiny red feather tips in the rump and sides of the throat. So on that basis the wing on this individual is at the lower end of Common (male 70-78mm). Overall its plumage is pale and it is particularly 'broad beamed' at the head and neck.

L551770 1st winter Common

2011-03-05T19:19:00.001Z

A first winter male Common Redpoll with a wing of 75mm. A frosty rump bleeding in to the back and mantle, a pale face and supercillia and long wing length.

Hunting Asio

2011-02-27T23:50:00.002Z

Buntings still much in evidence at Buckton today, 20 Lapland, 125 Corn, 45 Reed and 200 Yellowhammers, The highlight was a hunting Short-eared Owl around the main dell.

Back to front

2011-02-20T19:59:00.002Z

Two different views taken from 41 The Leys in recent days.

Woah, woah, for the wings of a dove !

2011-02-18T18:49:00.009Z

Spent the early morning helping Steve Akers with his very rare garden visitor, the Oriental Turtle Dove in Chpping Norton. The bird showed very well at times and we managed to get about 200 birders in the house in small groups for a couple of hours. Everyone was really well behaved and donated to the Birdlife Malta 'stop the slaughter campaign'. A great bird, raising money for a great cause, thanks to Steve and his family.

The only way is Essex, again.

2011-02-17T20:14:00.000Z

A quick dash to Rainham produced the Slaty-backed Gull, I arrived just in time, watched it for 6 minutes on Wennington Marshes before it took to flight and vanished in the direction of the tip. In this very distant image it is the bird flying left high centre, honest !

Reed Warbler from Norway

2011-02-12T19:39:00.003Z

Just got the recovery details back from the BTO for the 1st winter Reed Warbler that I retrapped at Buckton last September. It was originally ringed at Borrevannet, Horten, Vestfold on August 10th 2010, 870 km in 49 days. Borrevannet is a large lake just inland of Oslofjorden, about 40 miles S/SW of Oslo. This represents about the 6th ever UK Reed Warbler from Norway. Next time a Blyth's Reed please !

Redpoll recovery

2011-02-09T22:49:00.004Z

Caught this 1st winter Redpoll (X429619) on the morning of February 8th and was pleasantly surprised to find it was already ringed but not by me! Enquiries have revealed it was initially ringed by members of the Birklands Ringing Group near Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire on November 13th last year. This site has produced catches of over 150 birds, so others are out there waiting to be caught. Interesting that it has left what is a great Redpoll area to move south to the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire border which is not blessed with a substantial area of forestry, perhaps suggesting nomadic behaviour or dwindling food supplies. The bird is a first winter, probably a female and with a wing of 71mm, so at the top end of the range for a female Lesser Redpoll (67-71mm). The bird obviously has broad white wing bars and a prominent white nape collar and white supercilium. Does it show enough features to be a Common, well its subjective isn't it and its not a classic bird with a big wing and pallid plumage, so probably best left, still great though. Really fired for Redpolls now and cant wait for more birds soon!

Thanks to Andy Lowe for the information on behalf of the Birklands Ringing Group.

The Daddy !

2011-02-07T15:26:00.008Z

There is no doubt about the latest bird to be caught, a classic first winter male Common Redpoll! This bird had a wing of 76mm and was considerably bulkier than an accompanying Lesser Redpoll. Its wings bars and tertails are broadly tipped white and its rump bleads white on to the lower back and flanks. The single undertail covert streak constitutes the only mark visible on the lower underside of the bird. If they were all as easy as this one !

Redpoll studies, 1st winter female Common Redpoll

2011-02-06T22:50:00.010Z

I have been nurturing an ever increasing flock of Redpolls in the garden for the past two weeks after taking out a niger seed direct debit. After a little bit of vegetation management and a well placed 30ft net, birds were soon in the hand. So far 29 have been ringed and have proved as educational as ever. When in the hand, wing length of Redpolls provide a useful aid to identification and seperation of Lesser (cabaret) and Common (flammea) Redpolls.

(Common Redpoll - male 70-78mm, female 68-76) (Lesser Redpoll - male 68-73.5, female 67-71).

As a reference tool, I have taken several photographs of each bird I have caught, focussing on key aspects of their features which assist with identification. With so many Common Redpolls and an increasing number of Arctic Redpolls present in the UK during this recent influx it is also offers an opportunity to potentially catch some interesting individuals. The above bird has so far been the most definitive Common Redpoll caught. Firstly with very sharp pointed tail feathers it is clearly a 1st winter bird (adults have broad and rounded tail feathers), secondly it lacks any trace of red on its throat, breast or rump indicating it is female. Next comes the wing length, at 74mm it is 3mm greater than the range for a female Lesser Redpoll. Ok, so ignoring all that, it has pallid grey upperparts, strong white wingbars, a pale broad supercillia, a pale white streaked rump which bleads white in to the surrounding flanks and lower back - all features indicative of Common Redpoll.

What follows are pictures of other birds I have handled and a bit of discussion regarding their identification. Just remember Redpolls are in a very active evolutionary phase !

Another 1st winter female Common Redpoll

2011-02-06T22:40:00.005Z

This individual is another 1st year female with a smaller wing (69.5mm) than the bird above, falling in both the upper Lesser and lower Common range, so it can not be clinically identified on wing length alone. However, its overall pallid appearance, white mantle braces and prominant white wing bars all suggest it is a Common Redpoll.

Another 1st year female Redpoll

2011-02-06T22:34:00.005Z

This is yet another interesting individual, it is also a 1st year female and has quite a frosty appearance however its wing length (67mm) is at the lowest end of Lesser Redpoll and 1mm off the start of the female Common Redpoll range. At a push, on plumage I think this probably is a Common Redpoll but maybe better left...

Adult male Redpoll spp.

2011-02-06T22:20:00.006Z

This adult male bird has a wing length (74mm) which is only 0.5mm outside the maximum range of Lesser Redpoll but is 4mm within the range of Common Redpoll, therefore possibily suggesting it is a Common Redpoll. However, it is a rather brown backed individual with brown wingbars and a largely brown rump suggesting Lesser Redpoll. Just to add more confusion, some Common Redpolls can be brown, so without a definitive wing length approaching the maximum of Common (say 78mm) then probably best not to speculate. Mmmm.

1st winter female Lesser Redpoll

2011-02-06T21:21:00.005Z

A classic 1st winter female Lesser Redpoll. A very brown individual with brown washed wings bars, heavily streaked flanks and little white on the rump and mantle. The wing of 69mm just overlaps with the lowest end of Common Redpoll but identification as a Lesser is provided on plumage characteristics.

First site Twite !

2011-01-30T23:09:00.002Z

Three weeks ago I put down several sacks of wild bird seeds at Buckton near the cliff top dell, today I went back for the first time since and found the area alive with birds, over 150 Corn Buntings, 200 Yellowhammers, 50 Reed Buntings and this highly confiding Twite, my first ever at Buckton. At times it was within 5ft of my open net and was in song but just failed to go in ! Other birds seen included Short-eared Owl and 4 Lapland Buntings. A good start to the year.

Socks off if you love Redpolls !

2011-01-28T10:26:00.004Z

This 'niger sock' was a gift from Andy Wraithmell in America, its just brilliant at pulling in and holding redpolls. I am amazed this hasnt been marketed over here yet, instead of finches trying to take niger seeds from small pecking holes or clogged up feeding ports they simply have the full run of the bag with seeds sticking out all over the place ! Had a maximum of 15 Redpolls on the sock at one time yesterday, just perfect for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch (click here) this weekend.

24 years ago this week

2011-01-17T20:36:00.005Z

I was a 14 year old Young Ornithologist Club (YOC) enthusiast. On that day, January 13th 1987 there had been about 6 inches of snow in Sheffield and my mum and dad had just left the house to collect my 7 year old brother from school, at around 3pm. They had gone on foot as the roads had come to a standstill. A few minutes later a casual glance out of the patio window changed my life for ever, there sitting in our 10ft rowan tree was a bird akin to winning the lottery to a teenage birder.

My diary reads - "sat watching song thrush from downstairs window, suddenly saw a bright bird landed in the garden tree, first sight saw a large brown buffed bird, size of starling, prominent feature was it crest and yellow tail band. I quickly ran upstairs and got my bins, bird was still in tree, I focused and identified it as a WAXWING ! It flew off then came back two minutes, my parents saw it and then it was not seen again before dark, WOW!"

My first ever WAXWING ! Even now I can still point out THE very branch it was sat on, a short twisted branch facing skywards at 45 degrees. My dad recalls the incident quite well as he was greeted by me, stood outside in bare feet waving like crazy, he thought there was a serious problem and was faced with a son who could hardly speak and just dragged him to the window and thrust binoculars in his face!

Today I took Blyth to see his first Waxwings, despite the pouring rain they were every bit as special, proving birds can be brilliant life long companions, remember that son !

You gotta roll with it !

2011-01-16T21:11:00.007Z

You have only got to mention Arctic Redpoll and my eyes gloss over and my mind blanks, it all stems from winter 1994 when this species was virtually everywhere in South Yorkshire but try as I may I was unable to find one despite trying very hard for 3 months and having some big redpoll flocks on my doorstep. Since then I have purposefully avoided reported Arctic Redpolls like the plague, as it is by far the biggest gap on my British list and I have relegated it to 'one day I will visit Shetland and see a proper one'. Well today I did see one and it was a proper one, even if it was a Coues' Arctic Redpoll and not a Hornemann's (from Scandinavia and not Greenland). It had all the classic features, large unstreaked white rump, clean white flanks, no undertail covert streaks, small 'pinched in' bill, large size with broad shoulders and head and rather elongated body. Whats more the views were great at very close range and often at eye level, the bird was very striking even when alongside the 10+ Common Redpolls in the flock of 38 birds.

So, am I happy ? well... (I laugh) Redpolls do my head in ! I think its because I sense that they are evolving faster than I can type and as a set are simply not the complete deal yet. But for now, I am happy just to roll with it !

Vajazzled in Essex

2011-01-16T19:51:00.001Z

A rubbish day dipping the Slaty-backed Gull at Rainham tip along with 800 others. The only way is Essex!

Fine detail

2011-01-09T22:40:00.002Z

First winter female, features visible include lack of yellow 'right-angled' primary tips (see adult below), only 3 red waxy tips, defuse black throat and bib edges and rather short yellow tail band.

First winter male, extensive yellow tail band, large number of red waxy tips and well demarcated black bib.

Adult male, features visible here include 'right -angle' yellow primary edges, 9 red waxy tips and broad yellow tail band.

How to raise the bar ?

2011-01-06T21:16:00.011Z

This is the only Treecreeper I have ever caught at Buckton in 9 years of ringing, caught in fall conditions on October 20th 2002. It was a particularly white and pale washed out brown individual with a broad white supercillium. Buckton is no place for a Treecreeper and this individual does not fit the pattern of post breeding dispersal which takes place in July-August, so there must be a very high possibility it was of Scandinavian origin but short of a ringing recovery how do you prove that?

Above top, this was a first winter female Northern Bullfinch caught at Buckton on October 22nd 2004, the bird had a wing length of 90-91mm - see middle image, well out of the range of the resident British race (P.p.pileata) of Bullfinch which has a wing max length of 84mm. Note the white wing outer primary edges in P3-5, I found this pattern to be identical to several Bullfinches I handled in Kiruna, Northern Sweden in January 2006 - see the male above. I have never seen this primary pattern in any pileata Bullfinches I have caught.

This Lesser Whitethroat was caught and ringed at Buckton on October 11th 2004. It was very sandy brown backed and had a particularly short wing, a great candidate for a bird of Central Asian origin, but how can that be proved ?

Finally, I have always been interested in odd jizz resemblances that can be attached to certain birds, like Leaches Petrels resembling Mars Bar wrappers blowing in the wind. Well how about 1st winter Barred Warblers looking like Great White Sharks.. I will sign off !

Lieutenant Cook claims the Ashes !

2011-01-05T15:38:00.002Z

Never before have winter nights been so memorable, listening to TMS in the small hours whilst England rampage with bat and ball in the Antipodes. Alastair Cook has been outstanding with a series aggregate of 766 runs. Has English cricket ever been better !

Totals

2011-01-02T18:36:00.007Z

During 2010 a total of 1736 birds were caught at Buckton, this included 1650 'new birds' ringed of 50 species - a record year !

New Birds

Sparrowhawk 1, Kestrel 1, Lapwing 2, Wood Pigeon 1, Barn Owl 3, Wryneck 1, Swallow 21, Tree Pipit 2, Meadow Pipit 110, Wren 20, Dunnock 73, Robin 149, Redstart 16, Whinchat 3, Stonechat 1, Wheatear 2, Ring Ouzel 1, Blackbird 75, Song Thrush 73, Redwing 39, Grasshopper Warbler 3, Sedge Warbler 4, Reed Warbler 1, Lesser Whitethroat 10, Whitethroat 56, Garden Warbler 8, Blackcap 21, Chiffchaff 55, Willow Warbler 52, Goldcrest 93, Spotted Flycatcher 5, Pied Flycatcher 8, Long-tailed Tit 36, Willow Tit 1, Coal Tit 4, Blue Tit 14, Great Tit 14, House Sparrow 3, Tree Sparrow 146, Chaffinch 73, Brambling 59, Greenfinch 15, Goldfinch 113, Siskin 18, Linnet 38, Redpoll 2, Bullfinch 3, Yellowhammer 29, Little Bunting 1, Reed Bunting 170.

Of the commoner species 2010 saw the highest annual totals over the past nine years for Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Robin, Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Long-tailed Tit, Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, Goldfinch, Linnet, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting. This is encouraging, as quite a few of these species are Birds of Conservation Concern.

I hear that lots of other ringing sites had great years, Spurn did brilliantly well, see link http://spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk/sightings/december10.html . At Buckton, birds were ringed on 38 days (about 9% of the year).

A grand total of 5165 new birds of 66 species have now been ringed at Buckton over the past 9 years.

Buckton 2010

2010-12-31T18:46:00.008Z

2010 was by far our best ever year at Buckton, in terms of rarity, scarcity and sheer volume of birds. The early winter saw a prolonged cold spell that delivered the largest flock of Corn Buntings in Yorkshire for many a year, with over 175 together in a mixed passerine flock totalling over a thousand birds including 35 Lapland and Snow Buntings, all attracted to specially managed farmland. The spring was quite slow but produced a stunning singing Wood Warbler on a day of a big Willow Warbler fall and later in May two fly over site ticks on the same morning, a Crane and a Black Tern (the Crane being the first of two records during the year). The summer highlight was undoubtedly breeding Barn Owls for the first ever time, taking advantage of recently provided nestboxes, birds were seen on almost all visits after May and made a welcome addition to the resident bird life. On the same front, Tree Sparrows went from strength to strength with over 140 birds ringed. The autumn was a non stop roller-coaster of birds, which at times delighted. Falls were seemingly weekly in occurrence from late August, with September being just wonderful! August produced Willow Warblers and the second ever Willow Tit. The rarity of the year in early September was the UK's 4th ever Brown Flycatcher, a stellar bird for Buckton and one that may never be bettered, well done Dave! Other goodies followed thick and fast, Barred Warbler, Wryneck, Dotterel, Great Grey Shrike and good numbers of Tree Pipits, Redstarts, Willow Warblers and chats. Then later in the month Robins arrived in scores with 149 ringed. A Little Bunting picked from the net was the rarest bird ringed during the year, late in September (not the best, that went to the Wryneck!). The autumn then turned in favour of invaders with Lapland Buntings reaching a peak of 130 individuals and two fly over Rough-legged Buzzards, other new birds at this time included four records of Richard's Pipit with two together on one date. New birds for the site ringing list included Coal Tit, Tree Pipit, Barn Owl and Wryneck. The nets were open throughout the EYRG 'ringing week' in mid October and resulted in two big days with 309 new birds on one of these. The last fall saw a Siberian Chiffchaff and a probable halimodendri Lesser Whitethroat ringed. Overall the year saw the highest ever number of new birds caught and ringed with 1650 individuals. The year produced four foreign controls, Goldcrest, Reed Warbler and Chiffchaff from Norway and a Robin from Sweden. The undoubted birding highlight was simply connecting with falls, the sheer adrenaline of prediction, travelling effort and then droves of birds arriving like magic on the cliff top fences and scrub, particularly on September 7th. Big thanks to the landowners, the Makins, the Leesons (happy retirement) and welcome to the Houghtons. Next year sees the milestone of ten years of ringing at Buckton and I see a report coming on. Finally thanks for visiting the blog and I hope 2011 brings you success, health and birds.

8000 mile hero !

2010-12-18T20:35:00.010Z

He made it ! Gary Prescott (the bikingbirder) is a real hero, this man has cycled 8000 miles since January 1st, taking in every RSPB and WWT reserve in the UK to raise awareness of climate change and raise funds for conservation on the way. He is tough, very tough but a real gentleman. Imagine having the self motivation to push yourself to these limits, sleeping in a tent, rough weather and lets face it not every reserve is on the beaten track, far from it, he even missed one out so went back. Gary's challenge has been far more than all that, its been a deep routed emotional journey.

Today he arrived at the Lodge, Sandy HQ, the last reserve, to a heroes welcome. He was greeted by a biking posse who escorted him in on the home leg. After the jubilation, he got down to the nitty-gritty, his biking 2010 list. He needs three species to beat the previous 'biking only' list set by Chris Mills, I was determined to help in anyway possible and I racked by brains to help him get Long-eared Owl but it was whilst speaking to Steve Blain we realised he needed Garganey. Bedfordshire has a wintering Gargney (for its third winter) so after fixing a puncture we were off and twenty minutes later it was his 250th species, to say he was happy was an understatement ! He deserves all he gets but maybe not the snow that set in some thirty minutes after he set off to cycle his last 60 miles back to the West Midlands. I doubt even ten foot of snow could stop Gary, he is a real life hero ! We salute you for being.

Follow his blog here http://bikingbirder2010.blogspot.com/

Waxing lyrical !

2010-12-18T16:50:00.000Z

Village tick today, 19 thriller trillers !

Estonian Blackbird - from the archives

2010-12-13T21:57:00.004Z

Found this 1st winter male Blackbird lurking in the bottom of the garden in late January 2005, amazingly it was wearing an Estonian ring (ESTONIAN MATSALV). It spent the winter with us and moved off in March presumably when it headed back east.

Robins rock !

2010-12-13T21:24:00.005Z

Over the years I have caught quite a few 'eastern' looking Robins at Buckton but this one last October is by far the best marked individual with an amazing grey shawl. I have also seen birds as grey as this wintering in reedbed scrub in Bedfordshire, almost in a habitat niche similar to that favoured by Scandinavian breeding Bluethroats. There is far more to Robins than Christmas cards !

This individual frequented our garden for a couple of years, always shocking the brain, particularly when in flight despite seeing it a zillion times !

Mongolian gems

2010-12-08T00:10:00.003Z

Thick-billed Warbler, Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler ad male, Brown Shrike juv, Pine Bunting fem, Daurian Redstart - juv/1st winter male. Ever since reading the amazing accounts by Alan Kitson in British Birds (1978) I have always wanted to visit Mongolia, in 2004 that dream came true.

Mongolian gems 2

2010-12-08T00:02:00.004Z

Asian Lesser Short-toed Lark - juv, Pallas's Reed Bunting ad fem, Dusky Warbler juv/1st winter, Brown Flycatcher ad, Blyth's Pipit juv/1st winter.

Party on !

2010-11-14T14:32:00.003Z

Last night I had another attempt at catching the Broom GP Bearded Tits and just before dusk the flock entered the reedbed containing my net, after a little bit of chivvying with the help of Martin Stevens we had nine of them in the net (three more were calling nearby), very fitting as Martin had found them in the first place. It was too dark to ring them so they were safely roosted overnight and then ringed and retuned to the reedbed first thing this morning. The nine comprised four males and five females and interestingly we did not retrap the male from last weekend. Great to catch this flock and I really hope we get a recovery. The day was rounded off brilliantly with a fly over Lapland Bunting at Fullers Hill, Gamlingay at 1035hrs, the bird was directly overhead and very vocal. I have always thought the big open fields at this site would get a Lap but I had to wait 13 years for it!

Remember

2010-11-13T22:36:00.000Z

A ton of laps

2010-11-12T19:10:00.002Z

Apologies for the really naff images, just trying to illustrate that the Buckton Lapland Bunting flock has now reached 100 individuals. These birds are frequenting an area of weedy rough grassland on the cliff top, 300m east of the trig point. I am going to try to attract them to feed over the next few weeks in an attempt to catch and ring them, any advice anyone?

Broom Reedling !

2010-11-07T19:13:00.005Z

After seven hours I finally managed to catch a Bearded Tit at Broom GP with a little help from Steve Blain. These superb birds were found by Martin Stevens last weekend when at least nine individuals were present. I have learnt a lot about Bearded Tits in the last two days, mainly that they certainly take some catching despite being very confiding. . These birds are part of a large dispersive arrival in the region with birds at several other Bedfordshire locations. I will try to catch further birds over the next few weeks in the hope that one may already be ringed, giving us a clue to their origin. I suspect this male may be the first ever to be ringed in Bedfordshire. One thing for sure, they are very smart and charismatic little birds.

Halloween treat

2010-10-31T23:51:00.008Z

Having spent the last two weeks being gripped by the Buckton Rough-legged Buzzard I was keen to get on patch and to find another, but despite my determination deep down I sensed the moment had gone. Saturday morning started off well with a fly through ringtail Hen Harrier - the first here this year. After a bit of ringing I decided to work the cliff top fields to locate the Lapland Bunting flock as I had heard a few moving around whilst checking the nets. This proved to be a very good move as I managed to find a flock of 70, yes 70 Lap Bunts and whilst watching these my attention was draw to a raptor being mobbed in the distance off to the west near the trig point. Even before lifting the bins I just knew this was going to be a Rough-legged Buzzard! But I was more than shocked when through the bins it proved to be startling pale with black carpal patches and had a huge black belly patch ! Whats more, as soon as I starting thinking just come closer it banked and starting heading my way, a bit of rally driving through the stubble and 30 seconds later I was directly underneath it and staring up at it, in great light and at around only 50ft distance. After several leaps in the air I remembered I had a camera ! The bird then started heading off to the south and inland, I watched it as far as I could with binoculars and it appeared to land just over the Buckton to Filey road. After putting the news out I quickly made my way to the south of Buckton along Grindale Road. After 20 mins of scanning I simply could not relocate the bird, then two middle-aged cyclists came past me and enquired what the eagle like bird was perched in the small bush just back along the road ! A quick u-turn and once more no sign of it, I was really confused then suddenly realised that the brown clod of earth just in front of me was moving, no time for bins, one blast of the camera shutter which thankfully coincided with its take off . The bird then hung around and gave reasonable views for the next 2 hours, roosting nearby. The rest of the weekend was rather uneventful with a total of 67 new birds ringed, bringing the October total to over 800 new birds. Rough-legged Buzzard oh yes !

Rough justice

2010-10-20T21:55:00.004+01:00

These fantastic images of a 1st winter (fem) Rough-legged Buzzard were taken by Nick Dawtry over Buckton village pond on Sunday 17th (1345hrs). With several arriving over the weekend including four birds at Spurn and one which went over Flamborough it was no surprise that one headed over Buckton, just great that it was photographed so well!

A bit of rough justice having spent the week on site but not as bad as what happened to one observer the day before, I called the Flamborough boys over to help locate a large pipit, which turned out to be one of the Richard's that had been present during the week. One observer who had been seawatching managed to damage their car getting to the pipit field, which then put them out of action for the afternoon, just when a Fea's Petrel sailed past the head, oops!

In from the east

2010-10-17T23:42:00.006+01:00

Just spent a productive week at Buckton, ringed an amazing total of 716 new birds and witnessed the third major fall of the autumn with Robins, Chiffchaffs and thrushes predominating. Highlights included finding four Richard's Pipits, these being the 2nd-5th site records and a new patch bird for me with two together on October 14th, a now resident flock of 16 Lapland Buntings and 6 Ring Ouzels.

Ringing wise, Robin (86), Goldcrest (78), Long-tailed Tit (27), Brambling (32), Redwing (36), Song Thrush (52), Chiffchaff (34), Goldfinch (94) and Reed Bunting (91). More interestingly, a possible halimodendri (central Asian) Lesser Whitethroat, an 'eastern' chiffchaff and yet another Scandinavian control, a Chiffchaff with a Norwegian ring. (Richard's Pipit pic Clive McKay)

Utklippan ! (55º57’N 15º42’E)

2010-10-05T20:28:00.006+01:00

Just heard back from Lina Jansson of the Swedish Bird Ringing Centre, the Robin that I caught at Buckton last week had been ringed on the Baltic island of Utklippan in April 2010. Utklippan is a tiny island with a ringing station off the SE Swedish coast in the provence of Blekinge. Recoveries like this are what its all about, a tiny insight in to the life history of an individual bird. Can't wait for the results of the two birds from Norway !

Coal Not Droll !

2010-10-03T20:27:00.007+01:00

With only a single record in the last ten years Coal Tit is a true Buckton rare, then a single bird last week and yesterday (October 2nd) four turned up togther in a net in the main dell. Today an un-ringed bird on the feeders at the caravan. Biometrically, all had wing lengths ruling out 'continental' origins but still puzzling as to where they have come from and why? Others were also seen on a vismig watch at nearby Speeton.

Other birds over the w/e included Merlin, now up to 40 Lapland Buntings on site, a few Redpoll and a retrap Redstart that has put on 1.7 grammes in a few days. Had great views of a 1st winter Rustic Bunting at Flamborough North Landing. September produced 516 new ringed birds including 110 Meadow Pipit, 15 Redstart, 56 Robin, 22 Brambling, 33 Willow Warbler, 19 Chiffchaff and 58 Reed Bunting,

Little beauty !

2010-09-30T21:29:00.002+01:00

With so many wild bird cover strips now at Buckton, buntings and finches have been in adundance this autumn and so it was always a possibility that something a little rarer may turn up, particularly in good arrival conditions.

Having said that, this cracking first year Little Bunting was a nice surprise and a change from Robins !

Foreigners in the fall

2010-09-30T21:15:00.003+01:00

With such a large number of migrants arriving it was pleasant to catch three birds previously ringed overseas, a Robin from Sweden (CK90145 Stockholm ring) and a Reed Warbler and Goldcrest from Norway (EC66302, AC8683 Stavanger rings). Collectively the recapture of these three individuals leaves no doubt as to the origin of the arrivals.

A Great Grey day !

2010-09-30T21:00:00.005+01:00

A dream day ! With settled weather in Scandinavia caused by a large high pressure system the conditions were perfect for an overnight departure of migrants that would get drifted slightly off course in the NE winds and head directly over the North Sea towards the UK East Coast. If conditions here had been equally as fair then most of this avian traffic would have largely gone undetected. However, conditions were unfolding that we only dare dream about, a low pressure with a wet frontal system was moving east and would be sitting off the UK East Coast during the night. Inbound migrants flying in to this would find it tough going and would almost certainly land on the first bit of cover they encountered - a coastal fall of migrants ! Combine this with the peak time of the year for migration and an ornithological sweet shop was about to open !

At Buckton dawn was shrouded in mist rolling in off the sea, with visibility at times less than 40ft . The action was to be played out on the cliff top. It was immediately obvious migrants were all about us, the first net round produced 9 Robins and a flock of Bramblings. This turned out to be the theme for the day with Robins in super abundance, maybe up to 100+ individuals on site and the fence along the cliff top lined with them and parties of up to 30 Bramblings. Other migrants included 25 Redstarts, Spotted Flycatcher, 3 Tree Pipits, 35 Chiffchaff, 15 Willow Warbler, 25 Goldcrest, 10 Ring Ouzels, 50+ Song Thrushes, 30 Redwings, 35 Lapland Buntings, a Coal Tit (2nd ever record) and a super Grey Grey Shrike which I watched fly in off the sea, continue past me, chase an insect in mid flight before dropped towards the wood. I later relocated it at the wood and managed a distant image before it vanished in to thin air, as only shrikes can! Most East Coast sites had a brilliant period and at Buckton I ringed over 240 new birds. Read on ....

Army on the move

2010-09-13T11:41:00.003+01:00

Have caught and ringed over 120 Meadow Pipits on my last two visits to Buckton, including 72 yesterday. The easterly winds have backlogged the start of the usual September surge so a swing to fresh westerlies and the tap has been turned on ! They are just mad for the tape lure and at times it is just like shelling peas ! Their incessant march south and west will hopefully turn up a recovery.

A moment

2010-09-10T14:37:00.009+01:00

We all have moments, some are unusual, some are special, some are unpredictable. But just occasionally a moment can have all three together. Our hearts stopped when we suddenly came face to face with this beautiful creature (juvenile Dotterel), at no more than 5ft distance next to the car on September 9th. It was feeding in a very recently ploughed strip on the edge of a large field. Its the 3rd Buckton record after a flock of 15 in August 2006.

fall ! fall ! fall !

2010-09-10T14:29:00.007+01:00

September 8th will be remembered as a vintage day, a deluge of overnight rain stopping just after dawn dumped a mass of migrants all along the East Coast in light E/NE winds. Arrving at the Buckton cliff top dell was just like Christmas morning! I virtually ran to unfurl the nets as Whinchats were on every post, Tree Pipits 'teezing' overhead, Pied Flycatchers on every dead branch and who knows what in the cover !

Wryneck and Winegums !

2010-09-10T14:19:00.009+01:00

Its taken 8 years to catch one of these, on September 10th 2002 we had three on the site but failed to catch one. Since then no records until today (Sept 8th) when I discovered it in the bottom shelf of the cliff top dell 60ft net amongst a deluge of fallen migrants! Such a fabulous bird, watching Blyth transfixed by its neck twisting will last with us for a long time. Mr Wryneck we salute you ! (we celebrated with a large bag of Maynards !)

Good old days !

2010-09-10T14:14:00.002+01:00

Between September 7th-9th I ringed 155 new birds at Buckton, including 7 Redstarts, 5 Pied Flycatcher, 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Tree Pipit, 3 Whinchat, 7 Garden Warbler, 12 Whitethroat, 40 Meadow Pipit, Wheatear, Stonechat and Wryneck ! The bottom image just about shows a rather skulky Barred Warbler on September 7th.

During the fall I spent most of this time in the company of Flamborough stalwart Mike Pearson see http://pelagicus.blogspot.com/ who was more excited than I have ever seen him for years ! More than once I heard him mutter 'just like the good old days'! Even Blyth was recruited as a junior field operative, as the groppers were at his height !

The future is bright, the future is brown !

2010-09-10T13:22:00.000+01:00

Britains 4th Brown Flycatcher - a brilliant find by Dave Wardby, shame I was obtaining my A permit at Icklesham at the time! Nothing but positive feelings though, glad Dave found it, its really added another quality bird to the Buckton list and most of all it justifies the faith and seemingly mad effort we put in. Who would bet against a Rubythroat next. The future is bright - the future is brown ! (Pic Mike Pearson)

Extra time Hobby

2010-08-30T22:28:00.003+01:00

This juv Hobby was found grounded in North Bedfordshire and after spending a week in rehab at the Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue and then a couple of days at the Raptor Foundation it was back flying and ready to be ringed and released. On Saturday morning it was released in the territory of the pair of Hobbies that I have been monitoring and immediately joined the other three juvs around the nest, lets hope the adults accept it. According to literature (Chapman) prior to migration family parties of Hobbies have been recorded taking on additional juveniles. Fingers crossed, we have given it the best possible chance.

Hoblet !

2010-08-16T21:07:00.000+01:00

The three juvs have fledged, next stop Africa !

early drift

2010-08-16T20:55:00.003+01:00

Had a good ringing session at Buckton late on Saturday evening and early on Sunday. Caught fifty birds including 2 Pied Flycatchers, a Wheatear, 12 Willow Warblers and best of all a Willow Tit (only the 2nd bird here in 10 years).

A quick visit to Flamborough produced a Wryneck, Icterine Warbler and Red backed Shrike all in the same hedge !

Going south

2010-08-11T22:26:00.005+01:00

These two juvenile Marsh Harriers went east together along the cliff top at Buckton on Saturday morning and along with several Sedge and Willow Warblers in the nets and a juvenile Greenshank on the pond the distinct theme was 'migrants going south'.

Hobby ambitions

2010-07-28T21:15:00.007+01:00

This year I finally managed to spend some time monitoring a local pair of Hobbies which I found a couple of years ago. The pair were back on territory in May but despite numerous evenings spent watching the nest tree in recent weeks the adults have been amazingly secretive. Calculating that if the nest was active it would have chicks I made a licensed visit to the tree last week and was greeted by an adult Hobby peering down at me next to several fluffy white chicks.

I returned today and with the help of a climber ringed the three fantastic chicks in the images above. Hobby is my favourite species and a life ambition has just been fulfilled !

Small white heron thing..

2010-07-27T20:46:00.005+01:00

Got a call from Dave, on Sunday afternoon a Little Egret was on Buckton village pond, this being the third record in the last ten years and all occurring in July-August, probably post breeding juvenile dispersal. It was still present when I arrived on Sunday evening and when I left on Monday afternoon. The pond is really low and looks great for a passage wader or two.

Two very different raptors

2010-07-27T19:44:00.004+01:00

Spent Sunday morning at Lakenheath as a tip off suggested the F22 Raptors were going to be flying. Four Raptors based in Alaska arrived at the base a couple of weeks ago and have been taking part in several UK airshows and flying sorties with the F15 Eagles. I wasnt dissapointed with two flying a quick sortie probably to test external fuel tanks before landing and vanishing again. A very distinctive aircraft !

Later in the day in East Yorkshire I had the pleasure of ringing a brood of four Marsh Harriers.

the kids are growing fast !

2010-07-18T22:09:00.002+01:00

Had a great aerial display from the three juv Peregrines this evening, lots of play fighting and talon grappling with each other. At one point a pigeon flew past and one of the juvenile females was after it like lightening but lacked any real skill and was easily out paced.

bassana tagging

2010-07-17T14:48:00.003+01:00

Last week the East Yorkshire Ringing Group www.eyrg.co.uk were involved in a Gannet ringing operation, 14 birds were ringed and fitted with satellite transmitters to track their feeding movements over the next few weeks. A very interesting day and project.

Peregrines 'reunited'

2010-07-04T20:34:00.012+01:00

For the past three years I have been closely monitoring a pair of breeding Peregrine Falcons, this is a huge privilege and has provided quite an insight into the home life of the fastest living object in the sky. Last year I ringed the four chicks the pair produced, three being female and one male. The situation has changed slightly at the nest site this year and it was looking like ringing would not be possible but events over the past week have worked in my favour but its been far from straight forward with daily twists and and turns, rivaling any soap opera .

Monitoring indicated the birds had produced three youngsters, which were all sitting around the nestbox and exercising their wings in preparation for their first flights. Then it all started to go a bit 'off piste'. I took a call from the site security guard who had found one of the juveniles on the ground near a fox run - panic, especially considering I was 180 miles away! Four hours later I was greeted by a very grumpy and some what huge juvenile female Peregrine. The bird was captured, assessed, ringed and then placed on the highest point we could access. I looked up and could see the parents and two other chicks perched high above, looking down in interest or bemusement, not sure which!

The following day, in a quick visit, no sign of any birds, they could not have all flown, why would they have left the site, where were the adults?

Some of my questions were answered the following day when what seemed like a daily ritual happened - I got the call from the security men, 'Peregrine down'. I attended and was eventually very lucky to find and rescue the same juvenile female from a field of tall grass. It was a baking hot day and highly likely that this bird had now not fed for three days, faced with these facts and after quickly speaking with a few contacts including Nick Dixon I made the choice to take the bird to the excellent Raptor Foundation near St Ives, for a short period of care. Fine so far, then two days later whilst at the Oval watching the cricket the call came again, another Peregrine down. Robin Edwards kindly did the honours and the Raptor Foundation had its second in-mate, another female.

The following day the call came once more but thankfully on this occasion it was a juvenile Kestrel, phew!

So yesterday I attended at the Raptor Foundation to collect the two juvenile Peregrines, after only four days in care they looked so much better, they had been fed up and housed in a big outdoor flight enabling them to gain wing strength. I ringed the second female and boxed the birds for their homeward leg.

That afternoon they were taken out of the boxes and released at the site, thankfully both flew, with one going out of sight behind a building and the other landing high in a tree. I decided to leave them alone and let nature step in, we had all done our bit.

Today I returned, spent three hours at the site and went home a happy chap! Firstly, I found the second of the rehab birds (ringed on its left leg) perched just below the nest box and screaming for food, then both parents and lastly the non-rehab juvenile male. But where was the original rehab juvenile female, the one that had flown off a round a building and hadn't been seen since?

I had to wait for almost two hours to find out, the adult female flew off and returned fifteen minutes later with a pigeon kill at which point complete pandemonium broke out ! Firstly the juvenile male, ambushed the adult female in flight as she was coming in with the prey, then followed her to a perch and began screaming until he was fed. All the noise brought in another sibling, which launched itself at both birds causing them all to lose balance and move position. This juvenile was ringed on its right leg and to my delight was the missing other juvenile female ! Just to add to the party, the adult male appeared carrying a second pigeon and was literally bowled out of the sky by the now far too excited juvenile female which easily took the prey off the much smaller adult male. It landed with the prey but appeared quite unsure what to do next. Whilst all of this was going on the second juvenile female calmly remained perched lower down screaming. So all in all quite an eventful week !. A big thanks to all involved but the phone is now turned off !

Northern Marsh Orchid and Kittiwake

2010-06-21T17:35:00.006+01:00

Northern Marsh Orchid, one of two spikes found at Buckton at the weekend - my first site record. An atmospheric Kittiwake, most now have medium sized chicks in the nest.

High seas on the longest day

2010-06-21T17:28:00.001+01:00

trois enfants!

2010-06-21T17:19:00.007+01:00

A view inside the Barn Owl nest box in late May, five chicks with the size difference between the oldest and youngest very much apparent. The box also contained quite a cache of dead rodents.

Three weeks later and three of the five chicks have survived, all have now been fitted with BTO rings, to track their life histories.

Only their mothers could love them!

This is the first confirmed breeding for Barn Owls at Buckton, thanks to landowner Chris and a suitably placed nestbox!