Lutley Wedge 27/05/10 10.15am Sunny spells/scattered cloud, light NW wind

Wassell Grove Pools:-
1 Hobby flew through > NW at 11.13am
also seen:- 3 Sedge Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Common Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, Chiffchaff, 12+ Swift, 10+ House Martin and 5 Swallow.
2 Male Tufted Duck were on the bottom pools.

14/05/10 Lutley Wedge

Whinchat Lutley Wedge 14/5/10

3 female Whinchats were in a horse paddock near Foxcote House Farm this morning (T.H, S.L.C, C.R) and 100+ Swifts flew over.

Lutley Wedge 3.20pm (9°c) Scattered cloud and showers, light SSE breeze

Sedge Warbler and Swallow Wassell Grove Pools 12/5/10

Male Sedge Warbler singing at Wassell Grove Pools 12/5/10

A quick visit to the patch late this afternoon and generally quiet, although a flock of 150+ Swifts flew high> SW over Wassell Grove Pools ahead of advancing rain showers early evening and at least 1 Sedge Warbler was still singing and displaying there.

Also seen:-

1 Garden Warbler

3 Common Whitethroat

1 Sedge Warbler

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

3 Swallow

11/05/10 Lutley Wedge 07.55am (5/13°c) Sunny, scattered cloud, light breeze NNE 1

Male Wheatear and Swift Wassell Grove Pools 11/5/10

Signs that spring migrant passage is still not quite over this morning, with 1 Male Wheatear alongside the track down to Wassell Grove Pools briefly, before moving quickly on. Also 1M1F Tufted Ducks showed up again at the pools.

Lutley Wedge Migrant totals:-

1 Wheatear

42+ Swift

20 Swallow

6 House martin

2 Sedge Warbler

2 Garden Warbler

7+ Common Whitethroat

1 Lesser Whitethroat

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

09/05/10 Lutley Wedge (7/15°c) Sunny, scattered cloud, NE 2

Swift and Lapwing Wassell Grove Pools 9/5/10

Much better weather today, though on the down side quieter migration wise this morning. Noticeably more Swifts about though, than in recent days in the improving weather conditions , with two Swifts seen mating several times in mid-air high over the pools, and 2 Lapwings also flew over > NW.

Migrant totals at Wassell Grove Pools:-

65+ Swifts

1 House Martin

4 Swallow

2+ Common Whitethroat

2 Garden Warbler

2 Sedge Warbler

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

2 Lapwing

Blackcap

N.b An influx of Swifts occurred today along the south coast, with birds arriving in off the sea throughout the day. The increase in sightings on the patch today fits in well with this arrival, and we can hope for more moving through in the coming days.

08/05/10 Lutley Wedge 9.30am (6°c) Grey, cloudy/overcast with rain showers. Cold NE wind 3-4

Flock of 24 Whimbrel heading>NE over Wassell Grove Pools 8/5/10

Hobby Wassell Grove Pools 8/5/10

With a cold NE wind blowing, heavily overcast skies and frequent rain showers this morning, i wasn't hopeful of getting much in the way of visible migration. However the first Hobby of the spring speeding overhead at 09.30am meant things were looking up, even with the grim weather conditions! Another Hobby flew through at 09.40am high >NE, but these sightings were totally eclipsed when a flock of 24 Whimbrel flew over high > NE at 11.13am! This is only the 2nd sighting of Whimbrel at Lutley Wedge and a record count, with the previous sighting of just a single bird at Wassell Grove Pools on 14/5/09. The flock that flew over the pools today were part of a large overland movement of Whimbrel through midland counties and were possibly the same flock of birds seen flying North over Upton Warren WWT reserve a little earlier at 09.30am. Many of the other Whimbrel flocks seen today were also heading Northeast presumably towards the Wash and Lincolnshire coast. This overland movement also included Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes and other wader species.

The pressure chart and rainfall radar etc for today show ideal conditions for seeing wader passage, as birds migrating overland heading north and northeast encountered the frontal system of thick cloud and rain showers, and were forced to fly lower than normal or became 'grounded'.

U.K Satellite Image 8/5/10 showing thick rain bearing cloud feeding in on NE winds from the North Sea.

Rainfall Radar image 11.00am 8/5/10

Lutley Wedge Migrant Totals:-

24 Whimbrel>NE

3 Hobby (2>NE 1>WNW)

18 Swift

7+ Swallow

2 House Martin

Common Whitethroat

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

07/05/10 Lutley Wedge 07.45am (7°c) Cool cloudy start with a cold N/NE wind 3-4

Very quiet migration wise on the patch today, and feeling more like early March this morning than early May!

With the cold NE wind strengthening and really beginning to dig in, slowing migration i wasn't hopeful of much, but i managed to stick it out for an hours 'vis mig' at Wassell Grove Pools. The empty skies said it all!

Migrant totals:-

10+ Swallow

2 Swift

3+ Common Whitethroat

1 Garden Warbler

06/05/10 Lutley Wedge 07.50am (10/13°c) Grey and overcast with low cloud early a.m and light rain showers. Light E/NE breeze 2

Wheatears Lutley Wedge 6/5/10

Raven Wassell Grove Pools 6/5/10 (about to get mobbed by one of the local Carrion Crows!)

A still, murky and overcast start this morning with light rain off and on. The weather looked good for a passage wader or tern, although in the event the early rain and cloud only 'grounded' 2 new Wheatears with 1M/1F near Foxcote Farm (SLC/CR). All of yesterday's birds had moved on overnight. Also 2 raven flew over at Wassell Grove Pools.

Visible Migration:-

2 Sand Martin >NW

2 Siskin >N

Migrant totals:-

2 Wheatear

6+ Common Whitethroat

3 Sedge Warbler

1 Garden Warbler

1 Chiffchaff

2 Blackcap

15+ Swift

6+ Swallow

1 House Martin

2 Sand Martin

2 Siskin

2 Lapwing

05/05/10 Lutley Wedge (9/16°c) Bright/sunny spells with scattered high cloud, clouding over later. Light N/NW breeze 2-3

Female Whinchat and Wheatears Lutley Wedge 5/5/10

Sedge Warbler Wassell Grove Pools 5/5/10

A small 'fall' today with 1F Whinchat and 3 Wheatears (1M2F) in a ploughed field at Foxcote. Also 1 Yellow Wagtail flew overhead >West. With no rainfall overnight, i think that the increasingly cloudy skies overhead during the morning combined with a light headwind must have grounded them.

Wassell Grove Pools migrant totals:-

3 Sedge Warblers

1 Lesser Whitethroat

2 Garden Warblers

3+ Common Whitethroats

2+ Chiffchaff

Blackcap

8+ Swallows

19 Swifts

8 House Martin

Lutley Wedge 7.00pm:- 2 Male Wheatear (probable Icelandic/schiloeri) in ploughed field below Foxcote House Farm. (T.H)

04/05/10 Lutley Wedge 07.50am (5°c) Sunny, clear skies, with some scattered high cloud, light N wind 2-3

Yellow Wagtail heading >E/SE over Wassell Grove Pools 4/5/10

'Vis Mig' at Wassell Grove Pools, was limited to 1 Yellow Wagtail which flew over very high >ESE at 08.55. The first sighting this spring, of this increasingly scarce passage migrant at Lutley.

Migrant totals at Wassell Grove Pools:-

21+ Swifts

1 House Martin

5+ Swallow

1 Willow Warbler

2 Garden Warbler

3 Sedge Warbler

2+ Common Whitethroats

2 Chiffchaff

Blackcap

03/05/10 Lutley Wedge 07.45am. (4°c) Cool cloudy start clearing to scattered cloud and sunny spells. N wind 3-4

Male Common Crossbill flying>NNE Wassell Grove Pools 3/5/10

Swallow Wassell Grove Pools 3/5/10

Visible migration at Wassell Grove Pools this morning included 3 Common Crossbill flying over at 07.47 heading NNE, and 2 Common Swift >N. The first Lesser Whitethroat on the patch this spring was also seen, singing from the hedgerows around the pools.

Migrant totals:-

3 Common Crossbill

19+ Swifts

9 Swallow

1 House Martin

1 Sedge Warbler

1 Lesser Whitethroat

2 Common Whitethroat

2+ Blackcap

1 Garden warbler

2 Chiffchaff

02/05/10 Lutley Wedge 10.20am (8°c) Cool, mostly cloudy skies, occasional sunny spells, windy NE 4.

Common Swift Wassell Grove Pools 2/5/10

Female 'Greenland' Wheatear Wassell Grove Pools 2/5/10

Garden Warbler Wassell Grove Pools 2/5/10

At Wassell Grove Pools 1F Wheatear dropped in briefly alongside the track down to the pools late morning. It showed extensive deeper buff underparts and flanks, typical of a female of the 'Greenland/leucorhoa' subspecies of Northern Wheatear.

Also seen:-

10+ Swifts

4+ House Martin

3 Swallow

3 Sedge Warblers

1 Garden warbler

2 Common Whitethroat

3+ Blackcap

2 Chiffchaff

01/05/10 Lutley Wedge

1 Peregrine flew over the Top Footpath this morning (SLC).

30/04/10 Lutley Wedge

2 Sedge Warblers and 1 Garden Warbler at Wassell Grove Pools, were new arrivals today (SLC).

Also seen:

1 Raven

2 (1m1f) Tufted Duck

6 Swifts>North

3 House Martins

29/04/10 Lutley Wedge

4 Wheatears today, 3 near Foxcote Farm and 1M along the track to Wassell Grove Pools (SLC).

Also seen:-

8+ Common Whitethroats

2 Lapwings

37 Swifts including a flock of 35 flying over>North

28/04/10 Lutley Wedge

5 Wheatears seen this morning, 2 near Grange Farm and 3 alongside the track to Wassell Grove Pools (SLC). Also seen:-

1 Swift

2 House Martins

3 Lapwing

27/04/10 Lutley Wedge

6+ Common Whitethroats at Lutley today, and 2 Lapwings near Grange Farm. (SLC)

25/04/10 Lutley Wedge

3 Ring Ouzel flew over at Wassell Grove Pools this morning, and 2 Wheatears (1m,1f) were alongside the track to the pools. Also seen 2 Swifts and 1 House Martin. (SLC)

24/04/10 Lutley Wedge

6 Wheatears (4m,2f) in the fields near Foxcote Farm today (T.H)

23/04/10 Lutley Wedge

1 House Martin

3 Swallows

2 Lapwing near Grange farm

3 Common Whitethroat (SLC)

22/04/10 Lutley Wedge

Common Whitethroat Lutley Wedge 22/4/10 (S.Clement)

The first 3 Common Whitethroats of the spring arrived today on the patch, with 2 along the Top Footpath and another 1 at Wassell Grove Pools. Also 1 Willow Warbler seen. (SLC)

21/04/10 Lutley Wedge

2 Wheatears (1m) were alongside the track to Wassell Grove Pools this a.m (SLC)