Ringing Warblers and Shooting Swifts

Sedge Warbler 

Reed Warbler 

Whitethroat 

Swifts (click on to enlarge)

We had the nets up today with Mike and caught a few warblers. More Reed and Sedge Warblers now. We still haven't managed to catch the Cetti's.

Plenty of migrants still about which have been around for the last few days during this easterly spell: 9 Wheatears, 3 Whinchat, 20+ Yellow Wagtail, 5+ Common Sandpiper and lots of hirundines. The weather is forecasted to improve tomorrow so maybe the migrants will be on their way.



Grey day flight shots

Whimbrel (above), Swifts (below) 

For starters check out Dominic's blog for some decent coverage of the Dotterel spectacle yesterday:

http://www.birdingetc.com/2012/05/unexpected-trip.html

Secondly check out my grainy dodgy shots of Whimbrel and Swifts over Beddington today.
Thirdly check out Roger's decent shots of Swifts at Beddington:
http://dodge007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/birds-are-falling-all-around.html
Forthly I need to get a better lens.

Beddington in the recent news- The Beddington Incinerator

Proposal for an incinerator within the future nature park has caused a bit of a stir.

Ken Livingstone was hoping to win the London mayoral election vowing to stop the Beddington incinerator. Despite his defeat hopefully he can still contribute on the issue.

Political careers are in spin over the incinerator plans

Beddington Farmlands continues to be at the centre of the local media over the plans for Viridor to build an incinerator (Energy Recovery Facility) within the developing Nature Park.

Viridor claim that the incinerator is safe, is the best way too deal with waste, will enhance the local environment and will be good for their business and society.

The counter argument is that incinerators are not safe (and are associated with cancer clusters and birth defects), is not a good way to deal with waste as more recycling and other techonologies/decentralised waste management strategies are better, will provide a scar on the landscape of the nature park and will not be good for society.

There is total agreement from all parties that it will be good for business profits for Viridor- so good to see there is some kind of consensus.



Beddington in recent literature

Recent edition of Atropos with article on Dewick's Plusia at Beddington (click on to read)

More here: 

http://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/first-for-beddington.html

One of our Tree Sparrows makes it into a recent Natural History Museum of Paris publication- A la decouverte des oiseaux

Tripping Out

Dotterels (Part of a flock of 15 and one being chased off by a Magpie) 

Greenshank and 1 Redshank 

Yellow Wagtail

Thankfully so many other people will be writing about the flock of 15 Dotterel at Canons Farm today (the first in the county since 1884) that I can go and make my dinner.

Co-finder account here:http://devilbirder.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/canon-has-fired.html

Loads of migrants at Beddington today and I've been trying to keep an eye on things from the window and popping over there- lots of hirundines moving through, good numbers of Wheatear and Yellow Wags and a few waders. More from Dodge on this here: http://dodge007.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/birds-are-falling-all-around.html

Yesterday I had these Greenshank and Redshank (above) flying past the kitchen window. 

The fall of Beddington

Fly over male Ring Ouzel 

Male Whinchat (above and below) 

Female Whinchat 

Male Wheatear 

Male Yellow Wagtail 

Male and female Wheatear

Common Tern 

Dunlins 

View of North Lake and light overcast sky with a east sector wind in prime time spring- the recipe for a good fall

What a pleasant day with migrants everywhere on the farm. By the end of the day we had racked up 1 male Ring Ouzel (a fly-over!), 2 Whinchat, 5 Wheatear, 15+ Yellow Wagtail, 75+ Swallow, 60+ House Martin, 200+ Swift, 2 Sand Martin, 1 Hobby, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Willow Warbler, 4 Sedge Warbler, 10+ Whitethroat, 10+ Blackcap, 3 Reed Warbler, the Cetti's, 6 Chiffchaff, 3 LRP, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Common Tern N and the Iceland Gull was about too.



Blinking brilliant!

May Day

Wheatear 

Little jobs yet to be identified 

Plenty of vis mig this morning- 70+ Swallow, 15+ House Martin, 100+ Swift, 11 Yellow Wagtail and 10 Wheatears on the mound. 4 Ringed Plover still on the enclosed beds and a couple of Common Sands on the lake.

When the weather improved I did a bit of bugging with Frank. Looking forward to proper summer weather because it looks like everything is bursting to come out.