Mild, dry, overcast, W2 - The benign weather continues with a circuit of Lade and Kerton Road this morning producing very little of note on the migrant front apart from a few Blackbirds in Mockmill, a trickle of Skylarks over the desert and several Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests by the ponds. Duck numbers on the lakes were also low with only Tufted Ducks reaching three figures and most of the Great Crested Grebes having returned to the sea for the winter. Buzzard, Kestrel and Marsh Harrier were all hunting over the rough grassland behind the `mirrors` where Water Rail and Cetti`s Warbler also heard. In the trapping area we arrived as Tom was ringing Redpolls and a Firecrest (although we just missed a Bullfinch (something of a local rarity here) and heard a Yellow-browed Warbler from the pilot path.
Yesterday, on the way back from the Church Lane spinney, a flock of 50 White-fronted Geese flew over heading south (seen shortly afterwards by Dave Scott flying out across the bay at Greatstone) noisily cackling away to one another. The garden moth trap last night lured in several each of Blair`s Shoulder-knot and the micro Palpita vitrealis
