Meadow Pipits and alba Wagtails were again the main movers this morning. Siskin numbers have dropped off dramatically in the last few days, but there were the first signs of some East➝West Chaffinch passage with small numbers flying through high. Visible migration:- 1 Swallow ➝S 214 Meadow Pipit ➝S/SW largest flocks of (20) (14) (11) (10)+(10) 53 alba Wagtails ➝S largest flock of (12)+(10) 3 Song Thrush (1 in) 5 Siskin (3➝S/SW) (2➝W) 47 Goldfinch (28➝S) 15 Chaffinch ➝W 35 Canada Geese (20➝SE) (15➝W)
'The sweet sound of vis mig!' Meadow Pipit (flight call and sonogram) 3/10/11
A Wheatear was perched on the power line near Grange Barns late morning, and was almost caught by a hunting Hobby! Luckily the Wheatear managed to escape the Hobby by diving for cover under my parked car! (2) Tree Pipits and (3) Yellow Wagtails flew over and a flock of (80) House Martin, (1) Sand Martin and (18+) Swallows were 'sunning' on the roof of Grange farm. Also of note (8) Common Buzzards were soaring together, high over the Top Footpath. 1 Hobby ➝E 1 Wheatear 2 Tree Pipit ➝SW 3 Yellow Wagtail (1➝SW) (2 in then ➝W/SW) 11 Swift (3➝W/SW) 25 Swallow (4➝W/SW) 1 Sand Martin 80 House Martin 7 Cormorant (5➝E/NE) (2➝W/NW) 1 Raven ➝N
Wheatear 22/8/11 (shortly before..and after it's brush with death!)
Yellow Wagtail Lutley Wedge 22/8/11 (sonogram/sound recording of flight call)
More visible migration this morning and more typical mid August fare with a trickle of Yellow Wagtails and Tree Pipits flying over in the still conditions. The only noticeable grounded migrant was a Willow Warbler that dropped in briefly at my vis mig watchpoint along Top Footpath, before quickly moving on. (2) Hobbies flew East over Grange Barns followed by another Hobby later on over Wassell Grove Pools, that flew NE towards Grange Farm.
3 Hobby (2➝E) (1➝E/NE)
2 Tree Pipit ➝S/SW
3 Yellow Wagtail➝SW
1 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
4 Common Whitethroat
3 Blackcap
21 House Martin (20➝E) (1➝SW)
1 Swallow ➝S
1 Grey Heron➝N
Willow Warbler Lutley Wedge 18/8/11
Willow Warbler (call and sonogram) Lutley Wedge 18/8/11
The ♂ Reed Warbler was still singing on territory today along with a ♂ Sedge Warbler. According to the BTO 'Migration Atlas' 2002 although Reed Warblers arrive back in southern Britain from mid April the spring migration is protracted and some do not leave Africa until early June, these late birds are unlikely to return to breeding grounds in western Europe until mid-June (Dowsett -Lemaire & Dowsett 1987). This possibly explains the June arrivals of Reed Warbler here on the patch in the last two years.
Lutley got in on the large overland Barwit movement of the last few days this morning, with a superb flock of (18) Bar-tailed Godwits flying high ➝ENE at Wassell Grove Pools at 07.46am (only the 2nd record at Lutley Wedge). Otherwise it was fairly quiet migration wise, in the strong and blustery Easterly wind with a trickle of Swifts moving through (the first this year) and 2 Yellow Wagtails of note. 18 Bar-tailed Godwit ➝ENE 2 Yellow Wagtail ➝N 12 Swift ➝E/NE 9 Swallow (3➝NW) 1 Sand Martin ➝NE 7 House Martin (3 ➝N) 2 Sedge Warbler 1 Garden Warbler 1 Willow Warbler Common Whitethroat Blackcap Chiffchaff
Visible migration this morning included the first 3 Cormorants of the spring on the move. 2 Lapwing flew through and there was a slight increase in numbers of Meadow Pipit going over, though after an initial flurry of Pipit passage early doors including an impressive flock of 29 heading North, passage slowed dramatically and stopped soon after. The only obvious new grounded migrant today was (1) ♀Stonechat near Wassell Grove (the 2nd this spring) though still no sign of any passage Wheatear yet. (1) Chiffchaff, (21) Redwing and (5) Fieldfare were around Wassell Grove Pools. Visible Migration :- 37 Meadow Pipit ➝N 3 Cormorant ➝NW 2 Lapwing ➝SE 6 Siskin ➝E/SE 3 Goldfinch ➝NE 16 Starling ➝E 3 Herring Gull ➝E/NE 1 B.H.Gull ➝W/SW 3 Grey Heron (2➝WNW) (1➝SE)
♀ Stonechat Wassell Grove and Cormorants 20/3/11
Chiffchaff Wassell Grove Pools 20/3/11
(sound recording/sonogram from this bird below...)
Chiffchaff Sonogram 20/3/11
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Below is a short sound recording (and sonogram) of a Redwing in full song i was lucky enough to hear at Wassell Grove Pools on 8/2/11, though sadly i missed the best chance to record this singing bird when it was much closer! I'll be trying to get some better recordings of Redwing song, before they start to depart back to their northern Scandinavian breeding haunts in the coming few weeks.
I found another 6 Waxwings at 09.30am today at Bassnage Road/Foxhunt Road Halesowen, and managed to get a short sound recording and a few record photographs, before the flock flew off 'trilling' high to the South at 09.38am.
Waxwing/sonogram (Halesowen West Midlands) 7/12/10
The ground on the patch today was still frozen hard and covered with ice this morning caused by the slight thawing of the lying snow over the last few days re-freezing overnight, making conditions underfoot treacherous. The highlights birding wise were 2 Common Snipe which flew over at 12.35pm . A few winter Thrushes were still around in the hedgerows with 30+ Redwing and 2 Fieldfares seen, and I also managed to get a good sound recording of one of the Fieldfares which was perched in the hedgerow along the Top Footpath. Also seen of note :- 1 Goldcrest, 10 Siskin, 6 Bullfinch, 2 Red-legged Partridge, 2+ Common Buzzard, 3 Herring Gull >N/NE and 13 Black Headed Gulls (including 1 carrying a leg ring).
I found another flock of 18 Waxwings very near to my home today at 10.20am. The flock were perched in the top of a tree on Bassnage Road/Foxhunt Road Halesowen. They were only present for about 5 minutes giving me just enough time to take a few record photographs, though sadly the light wasn't great due to the onset of blizzard like conditions! I also made a sound recording of the 'trilling' calls before they flew off.
Heavily overcast skies and low cloud seemed to suppress a lot of visible migration this morning, though Thrushes (mostly Redwing) appeared to be arriving and 'dropping out' late morning into the hedgerows due to the overcast skies.
I managed to get a reasonable recording of Song Thrush flight call today. The call is a very quiet and sharp 'sip' and can almost be 'subliminal' i think when you here it from migrating birds, though it still seems to carry for some distance even from high flying birds if you have sharp hearing that is!
Song Thrush Sonogram of flight call Lutley Wedge 31/10/10
Fewer birds moving this morning in the decidedly cold, heavily overcast and murky conditions. The weather however did 'ground' a very late Wheatear (on plumage a probable 'Greenland race/leucorhoa) in the horse paddocks briefly, before it was chased off by Pied Wagtails! This is without doubt my latest ever Wheatear at Lutley Wedge. Much lower numbers of Redwings flew through along with just 3 Fieldfare, and in the colder conditions there were signs that Wood Pigeon passage was just getting underway.
Visible Migration 07.30-11.10am :-
1 Wheatear
146 Redwing (57 >N/NW) (66 >S/SE/SW) (10 >E/NE)
3 Fieldfare (1 >N) (2 >W)
4 Song Thrush >NW/NE
5 Blackbird
12 Meadow Pipit (10 >S/SW)
15 alba Wagtail (3 >S/SW/SE)
1 Goldcrest
1 Redpoll sp >S
11 Siskin (9 >N+in) (2 >S)
1 Grey Heron >SSW in
178 Wood Pigeon (146 >S) (32 >SSW)
Over the last few days I have been attempting to make some recordings and sonograms of Redwing flight calls. This is easier said than done at a semi-urban watchpoint like Lutley Wedge! Conditions have to be just right, i.e the birds have to be migrating reasonably low overhead, on a day without too much wind noise for the mic, too many car alarms going off, police sirens, shouting/whistling dog-walkers, barking packs of out of control dogs, pneumatic drills from nearby road works etc etc!
Below are two examples from some of the thousands of Redwings that have been migrating overhead during the early morning skywatches. To me, the thin 'seeep' call of nocturnal migrating Redwing at night is one of the most evocative sounds, and something I listen out for every autumn. 'Non-visable acoustic migration'!
The recording below was from a small flock of migrating Redwing as they flew overhead this morning. The middle call in the group of three on the sonogram below, is distinctly different to the normal Redwing 'seeep' flight call from the two birds around it, and is more like a Waxwing like thin 'trill'. Not a call i've noticed or heard from Redwing before. The Redwing making the 'trill' call can be heard again shortly after, but this time more distantly as the flock heads away from me.
Meadow pipits were continuing to push through this morning in good numbers with 110 in the first hour from 07.20-08.20am flying S/SW with numbers tailing off slowly after that, but birds were still flying over in small numbers at 11.00am. Also a few small groups of Swallows flew very low through to the S/SW early on.
Visible Migration 07.20-10.20am
245 Meadow Pipit >S/SW
6 alba Wagtail >S/SW
30 Swallow (26 >S/SW)
14 House Martin
2 Raven >SW
2 Chiffchaff
1 Red Admiral >SSW
Meadow Pipit and Common Buzzard Lutley Wedge 18/9/10
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.
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
