25th September

The weather forecast was for NE winds over night and fog so it was hoped that there might be a fall of birds and on the first net round it looked promosing with a chiffchaff and then a spotted flycatcher trapped. However it was soon apparent that there were few birds about.  There was approximately 20 snipe feeding around the Coastal Park with another 4 up on the Leas.  Several Bramblings were observed heading south and a snow bunting went north over Jackies Beach.  The first autumn redwing and song thrush were trapped and several were observed flying in off.  Yellow-browed warblers were turning up all over the place with a total of 9 being found in the local area.  Not surprisingly two yellow-browed warblers were trapped and ringed over the day.  The surprise of the day came when our second common rosefinch was trapped.

Elsewhere a red-breasted flycatcher was found in the afternoon on the Leas hedgerow. Once the fog had lifted there was a big wildfowl movement offshore.

Ringing: 4 greenfinch, 2 yellow-browed warbler, 2 robin, singles of common rosefinch, spotted flycatcher, song thrush, redwing, chiffchaff.

© Adrian George

24th September

After hearing reports of 300 yellow-browed warblers in Norway at the beginning of the week John poped down to the Coastal park after work and put up a handful of nets in the Big Mound.  On the first net round he trapped a yellow-browed warbler.  It was very quiet though with few other birds about.

Ringing totals: 3 birds - singles of yellow-browed warbler, robin and a blue tit.

22nd September

A much more breezy day today and winds still from the west. A total of 28 birds of 12 species were ringed today plus 5 retraps.

Ringing totals; 7 blue tit, 6 greenfinch, 4 robin, 3 chiffchaff and chaffinch and singles of blackcap, whitethroat, goldcrest, great tit, dunnock, goldfinch and reed bunting. Retraps included 2 blue tit and great tit and a dunnock.

21st September

A fairly bright day at Souter.  Winds were from the west all night so no rares were expected to turn up. A total of 32 birds of 11 species plus one retrap.

Ringing totals; 7 blue tit, 6 greenfinch, 5 great tit, 3 chaffinch and meadow pipit, 2 chiffchaff and dunnock plus singles of blackcap, magpie, robin, swallow.  One blackbird was retrapped.  

Quality not Quantity

With the weather forecast showing NNE to NE winds over night with rain, it was hoped that there would be a fall of migrants on the Whitburn coast.  The first net round produced a single retrap wren and it was clear that birds did not arrive over night.  So it was then hoped that birds would arrive in the afternoon which also failed to occur with not a single bird trapped between 1140 and 1630.  All was not lost though with a new ringing species for the site, a common rosefinch.

 Juvenile rosefinch (c) Phil 

ringing totals - 13 birds

3 chaffinch, 2 garden warbler, 2 great tit and singles of common rosefinch, whitethroat, willow warbler, wren, robin and goldfinch.

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Arctic Warbler

Steve Eggleston finally got a photo of the elusive greenish warbler at the northern end of Shearwater Estate. However from the photo below it has been re-identified as an arctic warbler. A great bird to add to the list of scarcities found in and around Whitburn over the Bank holiday weekend.

arctic warbler © Steve Eggleston