North Wilts Group

31st August 2014 - Salisbury Plain (centre) & Salisbury Plain (east)

SALISBURY PLAIN (CENTRE)

With the weather forecasting rather breezy conditions it was with some suprise that we arrived to flat calm conditions with a light mist over the lower parts of the site.

With all 18 nets up nice and efficiently we went to shake to dew off of the chat valley net while it was still dark and were pleased to find 6 Whinchats in the net including a rather nice colour ringed control which probably originates from a PhD students project on the Imber Ranges of Salisbury Plain to the west of our site.

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We decided to clear what was in the nets while it was still pretty dark and were greeted at each net to the sound of Blackcap's calling from the scrub all around. This proved a good move as we had 60 birds from that round which was followed by a second net round of 100 birds with Blackcap's piling into the nets.

While Blackcap's made up the majority of the catch we still caught good numbers of the other common warbler species with Whitethroat and Willow Warbler numbers still high. Two Grasshopper Warbler's were caught durung the morning including an adult female with a feathering over brood patch. We also caught 2 Tree Pipit's out of the 20 or so that flew over. This number would have been higher if stupidity hadn't intervened when I set Meadow Pipit playing on one of the ipod's by mistake although this did mean we caught our first Meadow pipit's of the Autumn.

A very busy morning produced 246 new, 16 retraps and 1 control. GD/PD/OF

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Tree Pipit 2, Meadow Pipit 2, Wren 1, Dunnock 3(1), Robin 9(1), Redstart 1, Whinchat 5(1), Blackbird 3, Song Thrush 1(1), Grasshopper Warbler 2, Sedge Warbler 9, Reed Warbler 3, Lesser Whitethroat (1), Whitethroat 23(2), Garden Warbler 5(1), Blackcap 136(7), Chiffchaff 24, Willow Warbler 12, Blue Tit 2, Bullfinch 2

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SALISBURY PLAIN (EAST)

Today was near perfect for migration with the potential for something more interesting with the fall of drift migrants on the east coast earlier in the week. The night was clear but warm and just before dawn a mist descended and then the sun came through but throughout there wasn’t a breath of wind. Blackcaps moved early on in big numbers, 109 ringed during the morning is pretty spectacular. A northern race Willow Warbler for the second week running showed the origin of some of our migrants.
 
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There were a lot of Whinchats but we only managed three new, a retrap and a control probably meaning that a lot of the others are already ringed, a juvenile male Stonechat was unusual for us and a first for Simon. Three Redstarts including a stunning adult male delighted us all but particularly Anna as she also tried to watch others in the field that frustratingly eluded us. Another 33 new Sedge Warblers was very impressive in our best ever year for the species and another control Sedge will help build the picture of how this species passes through the county. Reed Warblers appear to have gone past their peak but Grasshopper Warblers still featured in amazing numbers with another ten ringed.
 
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Despite playing two ipods with Tree Pipit we caught none but three flew over.
 
All in all, this was the Salisbury Plain in top form and the team really enjoyed it. I was particularly pleased for Anna to see the site at last and I think she will be back because as an inland migration spectacle it is without compare. 229 new and 18 retraps is a very good catch during which we were busy but never rushed and still allowed for some good training. Three of the retraps were controls ie ringed by someone else, one of them was a Whinchat ringed as part of a study on the Salisbury Plain Imber Ranges. A two year old Willow Warbler was late for an adult.
 
We found a common lizard on the track at the end which is our first for the site which rounded the morning off nicely. MP, PA, SW, AF
 
Blackcap 109 (4), Whitethroat 39 (4), Lesser Whitethroat 2, Garden Warbler 1, Sedge Warbler 33 (2), Reed Warbler 1, Grasshopper Warbler 10, Chiffchaff 9, Willow Warbler 4 (1), Whinchat 3 (2), Stonechat 1, Redstart 3, Robin 4 (1), Wren (1), Linnet 1, Reed Bunting 1 (2), Swallow 4, Blue Tit 3 (1), Dunnock 1
 
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