Back to Clouds hill for another autumn

It’s been quite a busy day and it’s not even 4 o’clock yet! This morning I have my first proper session at Clouds Hill where the ringing gods (whoever they are) eased me in gently. 32 birds caught, most of which were migrants though several Dunnocks made it onto the list which is probably a sign of things to come.  A Lesser Whitethroat was first out of the net.

Followed by several Whitethroats along with Blackcaps and Willow Warblers.

I then had to pop into work for a couple of hours but on returning home took a call about this amazing thing on Portland!

I’ve been wanting to see one of these for ages so glad it stuck around long enough for me to get there.

Lastly, I took the opportunity to get a few more picture of last nights weird Wagtail prior to release this morning. Interesting looking thing.

Almost certainly a Blue-headed Wagtail but my mind started exploring other more exotic wagtails, especially when compared with this other probably Blue-headed Wagtail also caught last night.

These birds are a bit of a mystery to me!

The future is Bright... the future is Yellow (not orange!)

I can’t put this off any longer, I’m going to have to post. So much has happened in the last week and nearly every evening has been taken up by ringing (not that I’m complaining!). This last week has seen a sudden increase in Yellow Wagtails at Abbotsbury and thankfully its coincided with good weather. This has allowed to get out that last four nights which has yielded well over 400 Wagtails caught and ringed! Fingers crossed the good weather continues and we keep catching! The catch has contained a few interesting birds, a few which appear to have blue coming through on the head. These birds are presumably ‘flava’? However I wouldn’t know where to start with this bird from this evening!

I can’t post this evening without mentioning a mega rarity which is currently (probably as I type) over at Lodmoor. It started life as a Long billed Dowitcher which didn’t get me scurrying across but a few days later a transformed into a Short billed Dowitcher which is a damn sight rarer! In fact only the second for Britain! Quite possibly the bird of the decade for the Weymouth reserves!

Unfortunately this picture doesn’t quite do it justice but its all I’ve got!