The drive to the site was through the tail end of a a weather front the gave a very light rain for most of the journey that cleared up as soon as we arrived. The hope was that this might drop a few extra migrants onto the site but as it turned out migrant numbers were generally much lower than average for the time of year so it must have really chucked it down further north of us which would have stopped the birds reaching us.
In the end numbers didn't really matter as we had a fanastic morning catching birds of real quality with the star bird being a totally unexpected Wryneck. This is the second Wryneck we have caught at this site and our group has caught a further 5 in recent years usually a few days after a big fall of them on the east coast but with only a couple of others in the country at the moment it makes you wonder how it has managed to get as far west as us.
The bird did the usual Wryneck neck twisting while being processed, a habit that gives the bird its name.
We also caught a record number of Whinchat for a single session with 12 ringed as well as catching a good numner of Tree Pipit, a couple of Redstart, a Grasshopper Warbler and our first Spotted Flycatcher of the year. Good numbers of Whitethroat are still passing through but Blackcap's have all but disappeared since the bird catches of 3J's last month. GD/PD/OF
120 new, 12 retraps
Wryneck 1, Swallow 1 & 4 pulli, Tree Pipit 7, Wren 4, Dunnock 3(1), Robin 4(2), Nightingale (1), Redstart 2, Whinchat 12, Blackbird 1(1), Song Thrush 1, Grasshopper Warbler 1, Sedge Warbler 5, Reed Warbler 2, Lesser Whitethroat 3, Whitethroat 33, Garden Warbler 8, Blackcap 4(3), Chiffchaff 2(1), Willow Warbler 8, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Blue Tit 2(2), Great Tit 1, Chaffinch 2, Goldfinch (1), Linnet 1, Bullfinch 2, Yellowhammer 5