Tuesday 2 September 2014

Sparrows Spotted!

We don't get many of these...Tree Sparrows

Spuggies enjoying Brownsman

A flock (!) of Tree Sparrows

Spotted Redshank...first record since 2011

Sleep time

Tuesday 2nd September comments: The Farne Islands is a great place for watch migrating birds as there is plenty of food and we act as a good safe refuge (we are stuck out in the North Sea after all).

As the weather has settled (a ridge of high pressure over the islands is producing some lovely days at the moment) it has encouraged birds to move. Today we had a very unexpected arrival in the form of 26 Tree Sparrows! For an arable field in central England that would be reasonable, but for an island in the North Sea? Crazy!

The birds (all juveniles) were just enjoying the calm weather and eventually moved back off towards the mainland. This represented the first island record since 2011 and not surprisingly, the largest ever flock recorded! However our day wasn’t finished as a juvenile Spotted Redshank showed well on Brownsman, again our first since 2011.

It’s never dull on Planet Farnes. What next? Blue Tit – we’ve not had once since 1977….

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