2nd October

Sightings:
Whitburn Coastal Park: yellow-browed warbler, red-breasted flycatcher.

Ringing: song thrush (4), blackcap (2) and singles of redwing, redstart and dunnock

1st October

Another breezy day so few birds trapped today.

Sightings:
Whitburn Coastal Park - red-breasted Flycatcher (3) and singles of yellow-browed warbler, ring ouzel and short-eared owl.

Ringing:
song thrush (4), blackcap (2) and singles of robin, garden warbler, goldcrest and greenfinch.

30th September

Another breezy day at Whitburn.  A few sheltered nets were erected but were visible to grounded migrants.  Ringing totals were 11 birds of 5 species.

Sightings:
willow tit in Marsden Quarry via IM
2 brambling in Marsden Quarry via IM
yellow-browed warbler in Mardsen Quary via JPC
Richard's pipit on golf course and opposite the Coastal Park via JPC

Ringing:
song thrush (5), robin (3) and singles of blackcap, greenfinch and brambling.

Richard's pipit phone scoped by Andrew Walker



29th September

Despite the moderate SE winds there were clear skies over Whitburn today. It was clear from the offset that there were very few birds around.  A yellow browed warbler was present in the Big Mound and in the Little Arc (mound to the east of the Big Mound).  In total of 5 yellow browed warblers were present in the Coastal Park with a further 7 in the local area, of which 5 were in Church Lane, Whitburn.  Ringing was slow all day with a total of 11 birds ringed of 6 species including 3 retraps.

Sightings:

12 yellow-browed warbler

2 richard's pipits 

1 marsh tit (Marsden Quarry)

1 Wheatear

Ringing:

song thrush (4), great tit (2), greenfinch (2), singles of blue tit, brambling, siskin and a retrap blackcap and song thrush (2). 

28th September

There was a full team of ringers working two sites at Whitburn Coastal Park today.  With clear skies overnight there was not going to be a large fall of migrants.  The first net round produced another new yellow browed warbler and a retrap. A second new yellow browed warbler turned up in a net in the Big Mound mid afternoon.  That brings the annual total to 7 ringed and there are plenty of unringed birds in the coastal park. A total of 34 birds of 15 species were trapped and ringed including 2 retraps. There was no sign of the rustic bunting or the common rosefinch today.

Sightings:
1 blyth's reed warbler (in the nature reserve)
3 richard's pipit (in the field opposite the coastal park entrance)
1 whinchat (in the field opposite the coastal park entrance)
5 snow bunting (south)

Ringing:
song thrush (6), greenfinch (4), blue tit (4), goldfinch (3), yellow-browed warbler (2+1),  chiffchaff (2), chaffinch (2), robin (1+1), great tit (2), singles of house sparrow, wren, dunnock, woodpigeon, redwing, coal tit, meadow pipit and goldcrest plus a retrap blackbird.

27th September

John arrived for an afternoon/evening ringing session.  A rustic bunting along with 2 richard's pipits and a common rosefinch graced the site.  However all evaded the nets.  Fingers crossed the rustic stays over night and finds a net in the morning.

26th September

It was a much clearer day with clear skies and calm winds.  A yellow-browed warbler was trapped on the first and the last net rounds making the total so far this year to 5 which equals the 2011 total.  There were at least 4 different yellow-browed warblers in the Big Mound during the day. The supporting cast included a tree pipit trapped which is only the second ringed in this site.  Chaffinches, bramblings and a continued stream of meadow pipits passed south over the site.