Scratchin'

I've had an increasingly severe itch that needed scratching over the last few rainy days! Today positively oozed better weather. I awoke early to overcast skies, little wind and NO rain; we've had well over 40mm lately. Gathering my skirts up, I proceeded down to the water meadows at first light - which is getting to a more reasonable hour, but we are still on BST.

I put a 60 in the balsam rack and another in the apple trees. With the assistance of a 'Chiff' tape, I caught a Blackcap in the Balsam. Wise thought - and switched the tape to Blackcap ... only to catch a Blackbird. I'd had enough of that by now so put it on to Mipit. Good timing as there had been about 14 birds pass over in the last half hour. Another 14 went over in the next half hour, too, but those that cared to stop, sat on the HT wires some 50' above the net, mainly for a rest, it turned out!

Decided to move the MP3 to the orchard net in frustration. No birds of any sort were moving through the veg.; they were just passing over at some height, even the local stuff like Dipper, Grey Wag and Green Sand! I was scratching to catch anything at all, to say the least. The wind was getting up and the nets were in full autumnal sun by now.

Bingo! A Mipit in the bottom corner! Run, run! Species 37 for the square. Yippee!
I did catch another one and a second Blackcap as well. Hard graft for 5 new birds.
One of the young Mipits (Meapi) had a wing of 85 and had moulted its median coverts, whereas the other had a shorter wing of 77 and had not moulted any of its flight feathers yet. After a couple of hours, I had counted 48 Mipits over, all heading SW for the Brendons, which is the easternmost part of Exmoor and generally around 200m ASL. This is the first noticeable movement of the autumn.


Meadow Pipit. Euring age 3 after PJ moult.

Other birds on site (not previously mentioned) were Green & Gt. Spot Woodpeckers, a couple of Pied Wags and c.18 Swallows on the move with 3 House Martins in tow. I did hear one Chiff; perhaps they have moved out, providing they weren't 'drowned out'. A couple of Chaffinches might be the vanguard of some finches from "oop nworth".