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Sunday, 2 August 2015

Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 2 August

It would have been hard to beat the conditions this morning - overcast, still and warm, but not hot. If this didn't produce a decent catch, then we might as well have hung up our pliers. Fortunately it did. A team of Kev, Gary, Alex, Duncan, Sue, Tom and I finished on 123 birds (111 new/12 retrap) comprising:

Sparrowhawk 1/0, Green Woodpecker 1/0, Blackbird 1/0, Song Thrush 1/0, Dunnock 3/3, Wren 8/1, Robin 5/0, Blackcap 23/1, Garden Warbler 6/1, Whitethroat 8/0, Lesser Whitethroat 4/0, Reed Warbler 22/1, Cetti’s Warbler 1/0, Chiffchaff 8/1, Willow Warbler 12/2, Blue Tit 4/0, Great Tit 1/0, Long-tailed Tit 0/1, Reed Bunting 2/1.

As can be seen, warblers made up the majority of the catch and they have clearly done all right somewhere, if not at the other end of this site. The oldest retrap was a Willow Warbler from 2011 and it was good to pull in a good number of Reed Warblers, a species that has been thin on the ground in the last few sessions.

The site did feel reasonably busy with feeding flocks moving throughout, although Long-tailed Tits were few. There were a couple of flocks of Goldfinches about and quite a bit of Wood Pigeon movement overhead. Two Hobbies circled together but hirundines were scarce.

As the day warmed up the insects got going and Common Blue Damselfly, Brown Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer were all around. 13 species of butterfly were noted too including Small and Essex Skipper, Small Copper, Comma, Common Blue and good numbers of Peacocks.

Pete

juvenile Green Woodpecker


 A mix of brown juvenile and grey adult feathers on a male Sparrowhawk indicating a bird born last year.

 juvenile Willow Warbler

The scrape created on the old Blotts pit of Skylarks Nature Reserve.

(All photos PML)

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