Monday 22 March 2010

22/03/10 Lutley Wedge 07.40am (7°c) - (11°c) Sunny spells and scattered cloud, clouding over with rain from late a.m (SSW) Wind



Wheatear Wassell Grove 22/3/10

There was an excellent 'fall' of at least 10 Wheatears today on the patch, as the ridge of high pressure from yesterday was replaced by low pressure from the west overnight.
The thickening cloud overnight and rain during the morning combined with a southerly wind, grounded overflying night migrants as birds that had probably departed in good migration conditions and clear skies encountered the cloudy skies and increasingly poor weather. (2M) Wheatear were in a ploughed field at Wassell Grove early morning and (5M and 1F) were in another ploughed field near Foxcote. Later in the evening i re-checked the fields on a hunch there may have been more arrivals during the day and found an impressive 10 Wheatears (8M, 2F) in a different ploughed field. Some of these birds had probably relocated from the other fields during the day, but also probably contained new arrivals.
At Wassell Grove Pools a late morning visible migration watch saw 34 Meadow pipits fly over in an hour from 10.50-11.50 but no doubt many more flew through earlier in the morning.
Also seen, 5 Redwing, 80+ Linnets and 50+ Chaffinch.

No comments: