22nd October

The wind finally went east after a week or more of southwesterlies yesterday evening.  I got to Whitburn early whilst it still dark.  The place was lifting with thrushes.  The first net round was fairly quiet but it soon picked up with the majority of trapped birds being blackbirds.  A immature male fieldfare was trapped and a few goldcrests.  Two woodcock were flushed in the Big Mound but both missed the nets.  In the afternoon more goldcrests arrived and a pallas's warbler was trapped and ringed.  What a beautiful bird!!  On the next net round an Acrocephelus warbler was trapped, thinking it was possibly a blyths reed warbler, but surely it couldnt be.  I was right and it turned to be a bog standard reed warbler.  A few robins also started to arrive in the late afternoon.  A red-breasted flycatcher was located in the afternoon and was soon trapped and ringed.  In total 147 birds were trapped and ringed.  This was the highest ever day total at Whitburn.  It wont ever beat portland or spurn but it was a terrific day!

Ringing totals included 64 blackbird, 32 goldcrest, 21 robin, 13 redwing, 5 blackcap, 3 song thrush, 3 wren, 2 chiffchaff and singles of fieldfare, reed warbler, pallas's warbler, red-breasted flycatcher.

 pallas's warbler (c) Andrew Walker

reed warbler (c) Andrew Walker