Bird Sightings

Compared to recent census counts, Millcombe was on the quiet side with 3 singing Whitethroats, 7 Blackbirds, 2 Dunnock, 3 Woodpigeon, single Song Thrush, 4 Robin, a few of the 15 Wrens, a single Chaffinch, 5 Goldfinches and a flyover Swallow. Walking along the south coast resulted in 3 Swifts that came inoff; 14 Guillemots, 41 Razorbills, 3 Puffin and 3 Rock Pipit from Benjamin’s Chair; 4 Skylarks heard singing; 14 Wheatears and 4 Stonechats hopping along the walls; 15 Meadow Pipits in the fields; a Grey heron flew inoff the sea before spiralling high and flying North. There was a second that did the same near Quarter Wall and was seen to be a different individual based on plumage features. The flocks of non-breeding/failed breeding gulls resulted in a single Great-Black Backed Gull, 174 Herring Gulls and 14 Lesser-Black Backed Gull. Feeding with the sheep included 16 Carrion Crows, 4 Ravens, 2 Pied Wagtails, 15 Linnets and 62 Starlings. In the Village, 4 Feral Pigeons, 7 Collared Dove and 16 House Sparrows were seen.

Another foggy start to the day, delaying surveys and not clearing for most of the day. However, a report in the evening of a possible American Robin seen earlier in the day was very interesting and so we just had to check it out. However, there was no sign since the initial sighting.

Ringing

Starling caught and ringed in the Village. ©Thomas Weston

A day of Starling and House Sparrow ringing was successful again with new breeding adults colour ringed, retrap breeding adults from previous years, a few of our fully fledged juveniles we ringed in the nests earlier this year as chicks and new juveniles almost certainly from wild/inaccessible nests. They keep coming!

A foggy start to the day with drizzle during seabird surveys. However, the number of Kittiwake and Guillemot chicks keep increasing every time we monitor them, and the ones who are a week or so old are now looking very smart. Due to the breeding ecology of the auks, the Guillemots will be jumping the cliffs soon!

Sticking with the seabird theme, an afternoon check of our Manx Shearwater boxes resulted in a freshly hatched chick, a pipping chick and two expected to hatch today but have not yet! A great success for this ongoing project and our work to monitor the boxes so systematically has resulted in us knowing the hatch days within a couple of days.

Ringing

Pied Wagtail caught in the Lodge Garden. ©Thomas Weston

An evening Starling and House Sparrow session was successful with new breeding adults colour ringed, retrap breeding adults from previous years, a few of our fully fledged juveniles we ringed in the nests earlier this year as chicks and new juveniles almost certainly from wild/inaccessible nests. Two Pied Wagtails were a pleasant surprise with one recently ringed in Millcombe and the other a new bird.   

A warm census today with a breezy but warm SW wind. Millcombe was a bit sheltered and held most of the juvenile passerines. Here, our breeding residents included a single Robin, single Woodpigeon, single Song Thrush, 13 Blackbirds (couple of broods seen), 7 Dunnock, 4 Goldfinches, and 19 Wrens (juveniles heard across the route). Breeding migrants included a single Blackcap (possibly a juvenile or female based on call), 3 out of the 4 Whitethroats, single Willow Warbler and 2 Chiffchaff. It is hard to tell what’s really going on with the gulls in the colonies and on the plateau but today a single Great-Black Backed Gull, 78 Herring Gulls and 10 Lesser-Black Backed Gull were seen. Benjamin’s Chair was a bit choppy but held a few seabirds below. This involved 78 Guillemots and 6 Puffin on the water and a slight passage of 17 Manx Shearwaters and 3 Gannets. Walking towards Rocket Pole Pond and the juvenile Grey Heron was seen on the pond again. Moving through the fields, flocks of Starlings emerged and flew along the walls, 3 Skylark were singing, 2 Wheatears and 3 Stonechats alerted me to their presence and 14 Meadow Pipits fed in the grass. Old Light was a little hotspot for activity today with 2 juvenile Rock Pipits, 21 Linnets, single male Kestrel trying to hunt Starlings and a flock of 13 Carrion Crows in the vicinity. Walking back into the village and then the village itself, 12 Mallard, 5 Feral Pigeons, 4 Collared Doves, a single Swallow, 16 House Sparrows and 3 Pied Wagtails were seen.

Later, the Hooded Crow x Carrion Crow hybrid was seen again on the Airfield and the Yellow Wagtail male was heard only flying around Barton’s Field.