Lutley Wedge 31/08/10 11.00am (17/22°c) Warm, sunny with scattered cloud S1/2

A quick look around the patch late morning produced :-

50+ House Martin

1 Sand Martin (in with House Martins at Wassell Grove Pools)

30+ Swallow

13 Swift (including 7 over Wassell Grove Pools)

1 Lesser Whitethroat (Wassell Grove Pools)

1 Common Whitethroat

2 Chiffchaff

Lutley Wedge 30/08/10 07.00am (6°c) Sunny, clear skies (scattered cloud later) NW/N 1-2

Common Buzzard (moulting adult) Lutley Wedge 30/8/10

Virtually empty skies this morning, with very few signs of any visible migration on a day that looked good for some raptor migration but sadly failed to deliver. 1 Hobby soaring high to the south at 09.52am was the highlight of an otherwise quiet day.

Visible Migration 0700-10.30am:-

1 Hobby >S

4 Swift >N/NW

13 House Martin >SE

1 alba Wagtail>W

3 Meadow Pipit >W

1 Chaffinch >S

10 L.B.B Gulls >W/NW/SSE

also:-

26 Swallow

5 Chiffchaff

4 Common Whitethroat

6 Blackcap

2 Raven (soaring high to the south)

8 Common Buzzard

16 Linnet

Lutley Wedge 28/08/10 06.45am (8°c) Sunny, clear skies. (Scattered cloud later a.m) W 1-2

Visible migration this morning proved to be fairly quiet, but interestingly in the fine clear skies some waders were on the move. Normally the best weather at Lutley for seeing waders flying over is overcast/cloudy conditions or low cloud/drizzle. 4 Golden Plover flew over >WNW at 07.00am, followed by 4 Common Snipe also flying >WNW at 08.03am. Also the first Meadow Pipit of the autumn flew over >W.

Visible Migration 06.45-10.00am

4 Golden Plover >WNW

4 Common Snipe >WNW

1 Meadow Pipit >W

26 Swift >W/NW/SW

2 Linnet >SE

2 Black-headed Gull >W

2 L.B.B Gull >SSE

Also

11 Chiffchaff

10 Common Whitethroat

2 Lesser Whitethroat

8 Blackcap

25+ Swallow

12+ House Martin

Chiffchaff calls (sonogram) 28/8/10 Lutley Wedge

Chiffchaff Lutley 28/08/10 by Lutley Birder

Lutley Wedge 25/08/10 07.50am (11°c) Early broken high cloud + sun/clouded over later a.m (heavy rain moved in from SW late pm) SW 1

Cormorants Lutley Wedge 25/8/10 

An unprecedented movement of Cormorants over the patch today with 11 Cormorants flying east at 09.10am, followed by an even bigger group of 18 Cormorants also heading east at 12.00pm. 1 Curlew flying west at 10.18am was the first this autumn.

Visible Migration:-

29 Cormorant >E

1 Curlew >W

13+ Swift (1>SE, 12>SW)

also:-

45+Swallow

8 House Martin

6 Common Whitethroat

1 Lesser Whitethroat
10 Blackcap

8 Chiffchaff

22/08/10 Lutley Wedge 07.45am (13°c) Scattered cloud and sun SW/W 2

A Whinchat dropped out near Grange Farm briefly this morning (the first this autumn), and yet another Wheatear was in the horse paddocks nearby. It's proving to be a good autumn for passage Wheatear at Lutley, and this mornings bird was the fourth through the patch already this autumn. A visible migration watch showed that Yellow Wagtail passage is getting under way, with 1 Yellow Wagtail flying over >SW  at 07.53am followed by another 2 >SW at 08.49am. Also 46 Swifts flew through, again heading into the WSW wind.

A good patch count of 9 Common Buzzards were soaring over Lutley Brook late morning.

Visible migration 7.45-10.45

3 flava Wagtail sp >SW

1 alba Wagtail sp >S

46 Swift >WSW

17 Swallow

20+ House Martin

1 Whinchat

1 Wheatear

Whinchat Lutley Wedge 22/8/10

Wheatear Lutley Wedge 22/8/10 

Yellow Wagtail heading > SW Lutley Wedge 22/8/10

Swift Lutley Wedge 22/8/10

Lutley Wedge 18/08/10 07.40am (12°c) Grey, cloudy+overcast first thing, sunny with scattered cloud later a.m SW-W 2

Cloudy overcast conditions again first thing this morning, had the desired effect and dropped in a few more migrants, and some late Swifts were still moving through to the west/southwest into the light SW wind. 2 Sand Martins early on and a trickle of Swallows were heading south, and a Hobby flew swiftly through late morning. An adult Common Gull (Scarce at Lutley) flew in from the ENE first thing, heading off to the southwest.


Visible Migration Lutley Wedge 7.40-11.40am :-
1 Tree Pipit >S (Flew over >S at 0850 and dropped out briefly, before flying off high >S)
1 Wheatear
1 Hobby >NE/E
2 Sand Martin >SW
37 Swallow  (+47 Swallows at Wassell Gove) 
23 Swift >W/SW
8 House Martin >W
10 Goldfinch >S/SW
1 Common Gull (ad) >SW
3 Herring Gull (1ad,2juv) >W


Also:-
9 Common Whitethroat
4 Chiffchaff

Tree Pipit Lutley Wedge 18/8/10

Wheatear Lutley Wedge 18/8/10

Adult Common Gull heading >SW Lutley Wedge 18/8/10

Lutley Wedge 15/08/10 7.40am (15°c) Grey and overcast with low cloud first thing, scattered cloud and sun later a.m NNE 2

With high presssure in place, a light NNE wind, and a grey overcast sky with low cloud first thing this morning, conditions were ideal for dropping in some migrants. The first 2 Wheatears of the autumn were seen, with 1 (female/1s) literally dropping out of the sky  at 07.50am to perch on a powerline directly above where i was stood! Another 1 (juv) Wheatear was in the horse paddocks along the top footpath. Both birds seem to have moved on quickly when the low cloud was replaced by better conditions with broken cloud and sun later in the morning. Also a suprising number of late Swifts were on the move.

2 Wheatears

11 Common Whitethroat

4 Chiffchaff

2 Blackcap

69 Swift (including 36 over Foxcote)

30+ House Martin

20 Swallow

1 'alba' Wagtail >S

'Eye to eye' with a Wheatear Lutley Wedge 15/8/10 

Wheatear Lutley Wedge 15/8/10

Swift Lutley Wedge 15/8/10

Sun and low cloud this morning Lutley Wedge 15/8/10

A look at the current pressure charts and satellite shows the ideal fall conditions that brought todays Wheatear at Lutley and have brought the first fall of 'drift migrants' this autumn to the east coast of the U.K.

With high pressure extending over the UK northeast into Scandinavia, and a low pressure system over Germany,  a feed of NE winds off the North Sea brought cloud spilling into the UK off the North Sea overnight.  Skies were initially mostly clear in the UK overnight under the influence of the high pressure, providing ideal conditions for birds to migrate, but were replaced by cloudy skies from the low pressure system over Germany and Holland which grounded overflying birds early this morning.

Satellite image showing clearing skies overnight under high pressure 14-15/8/10

Cloud moving in from the North Sea a.m 15/8/10

Lutley Wedge 13/08/10 08.15am (13°c) Cloudy/overcast with showers NNW 3

Spotted Flycatcher Wassell Grove Pools 13/8/10

More signs of autumn migration today with a Redstart (female/1s) in the hedgerows near Foxcote pond and a Spotted Flycatcher nearby at Wassell Grove Pools.  40+ Swallows were over the horse paddocks at the pools and i managed to get some sound recordings as the birds hawked for insects low overhead. Also 2 late Swifts were seen flying over the Top Footpath.

Lutley Wedge/Wassell Grove Pools :-

1 Redstart

1 Spotted Flycatcher

8 Chiffchaff

5 Common Whitethroat

2 Lesser Whitethroat

4 Blackcap

2 Common Swift  >NNW

50 Swallows (3 >E)

11 House Martin (5 >NW)

Swallow (sonogram/flight calls) Wassell Grove Pools 13/8/10

Swallow (flight calls) Wassell Grove Pools 13/8/10

Lutley Wedge 08/08/10 07.55-09.45am (14°c) Cloudy/overcast, NNW 1

Far fewer Swifts were seen this morning after yesterdays movement, but another Tree Pipit flew high over Grange farm heading south at 09.11am and 5 Swallows flew through. 1 Cormorant also flew over very high to the east.
1 Tree Pipit >S
8 Swallows (5 >S)
12 House Martin
13 Swift
7+ Common Whitethroats
2+ Chiffchaff
1 Cormorant >E
6 Black-headed Gull >WSW

Lutley Wedge 07/08/10 08.20-10.10am (15°c) Cloudy/overcast, patchy drizzle then heavy rain showers later. SW2

Sand Martin and Swift Lutley Wedge 7/8/10

Signs of some visible migration over the Top Footpath this morning with the autumns first Tree Pipit calling as it flew over and a single Sand Martin seen flying south, also good numbers of Swifts on the move heading into the light SW wind, before the heavy rain showers set in at 9.35am.
1 Tree Pipit >SW
1 Sand Martin >S
3 Swallows (1 >S)
200 Swifts >SW
8 Common Whitethroat
5 Chiffchaff

Lutley Wedge 06/08/10 1.15pm Warm (19°c) Cloudy/overcast with showers S/SW 2-3

Herring Gulls heading South Wassell Grove Pools 6/8/10

At Wassell Grove Pools:-
3 Lesser Whitethroats
1 Chiffchaff
13 Swallows
5+ House Martin
35+ Swifts (including 25 >SW)
(1ad/1juv) Herring Gull >S

Hasbury/Halesowen 05/08/10 11.14am Cloudy (19°c) W/NW 2-3

Just 'off patch' 5 Common Crossbills flew over my garden >North at 11.14. Probably part of the current Crossbill influx into the U.K.

Lutley Wedge 01/08/10 11.30am Cloudy overcast and warm (21°c) W/NW 2

The first ever signs of successful breeding by Lesser Whitethroats at Lutley Wedge today, with at least 2 juvenile Lesser Whitethroats seen being fed by the adult birds at Wassell Grove Pools. Also signs that one pair of Garden Warblers have bred at the pools again.

Far fewer Swifts were seen today than a few days ago, and is perhaps a sign that Swifts have already started there migration South.

Wassell Grove/Pools totals:-

3 Lesser Whitethroat

4 Garden Warbler

3 Common Whitethroat

2 Blackcap 

3 Chiffchaff 

14 Swallow

11 Swift

5 House Martin

Garden Warbler 1/8/10 Wassell Grove Pools (S.L.Clement)