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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Worcestershire Migration Log (2 Viewers)

Clee Hill this morning with Gert. 2 Ring Ouzel that took a lot of finding. Wheatears and Stonechat also present.

This was after a flying trip to the Flashes to see the Upton Marsh Harrier !
 
Today at Upton Warren
willow warbler...1st of the year at the reserve
Marsh Harrier.....2nd of year?
an increase in chiffs and blackcap, possibly singing more due to the warm conditions.
 
Lots of Chiff Chaffs singing across Lower Bittell (Friday)...thanks to the Window Cleaner Birder who can hear a pin drop miles away.

Keith:t:
 
Today, first Chiffchaff that I have seen by Cofton Reservoir this year.
 

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Forgot about this new thread - sorry.
I had a Willow Warbler singing at the edge of Alfred's Well (Dodford) yesterday evening.
 
Keith - you ca'nt say with any certainty, yes both CC and BC overwinter but are we talking about a few hundred birds as was the case in the 70's or a few thousand birds with the mild Winters that we have had over the last 30 years? Either way compared to the European populations of these birds (some 25-50 million pairs each) we must have several hundred thousand pairs in the UK so far and away the 99.9 recurring still migrate?

Early-flowering Goat Sallow is an excellent source of both nectar and the insects feeding on them. I watched 2 Chiffchaffs feeding on one ystda and any Chiffchaff whether overwintering or newly arrived would exploit this food source so i would'nt automatically associated a 'Nectar-head' as a newly-arrived bird but that just my opinion.

Personally i associate the arrival of migrants with the first singing birds as you have to start somewhere;)

Laurie:t:

Wintering Chiffchaff will sing on a nice day January and Febraury, incoming migrants to the UK drop in the same areas you can find wintering Chiffchaff early in the season.

Regards, John
 
Agreed John - in my experience it tends to be sub-song type stuff, the sort of thing you get in the Autumn but there's always exceptions.

Laurie:t:
 
You are indeed a most fortunate individual to receive the full panoply of natures' bountiful sounds whereas as us mere mortals have to make do with the crumbs of 'sub-song';)

Swallow @ Hurcott ystda....

Laurie:t:
 
I've found that if you visit a sewage works on a bright, warmish day in the winter months, Chiffchaffs quite often give brief bursts of full song. About 10 years ago, a Willow Warbler wintered at Upton on Severn sewage works and was in full song in January. It was a warmish bright day when I visited in the first week of Jan and several Chiffchaffs as well as the Willow Warbler were really going for it.

There are no hard and fast rules in nature - as it is governed by stochastic processes.
 
I've found that if you visit a sewage works on a bright, warmish day in the winter months, Chiffchaffs quite often give brief bursts of full song. About 10 years ago, a Willow Warbler wintered at Upton on Severn sewage works and was in full song in January. It was a warmish bright day when I visited in the first week of Jan and several Chiffchaffs as well as the Willow Warbler were really going for it.

There are no hard and fast rules in nature - as it is governed by stochastic processes.

Woodchat,
I went to Upton for Siberian Chiffchaff and was surprised to hear the Willow Warbler in full song, it had been reported for a while.


John
 
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Must visit a few more sewage farms during the Winter months;) Interesting stuff re: the pollen 'horns' - not a phenomena i had heard of until Dave pointed it out, nice shots from Bardsey.

Laurie:t:
 
Spring Migration So Far?

Here is a quick round up so far of the return dates (to my knowledge) for a selection of species in Worcestershire in 2014. Others may have more complete info:

Chiffchaff - singing birds from 1st March at least
Blackcap - singing birds from 2nd March at least
Ring Ouzel - 16th March, British Camp
White wagtail - 16th March, Lower Moor
Marsh Harrier - 20th March, Upton Warren
Sand Martin - 20th March, Upton Warren (Any earlier?)
Wheatear - 21st March, Wast Hills
LRP - 21st March, sites in 'south Worcs'
Swallow - 22nd March, Upton Warren (Any earlier?)
House Martin - 23rd March, Westwood Great Pool
Garganey - 28th March, Grimley
Little Gull - 29th March, Kemerton Lake NR
Willow Warbler - 29th March, Upton Warren (Any earlier?)
Osprey - 31st March, Upton warren
Common Tern - 3rd April, Upton Warren (Any earlier?)
Yellow Wagtail - 4th April, Ripple Pits / Clifton Pits
Grasshopper Warbler - 5th April, Salwarpe
Sandwich Tern - 7th April, Westwood Great Pool

Any additional info or corrections to the above are very welcome. :t:
 
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