5th May – Big movement of Swifts and hirundines

It was too windy (from the East) on Friday for any ringing to take place, which was frustrating for Rob Duncan & David Kightley on their last full day as there were plenty of migrants around... The highlight was a big passage of Swifts and hirundines, including minima of 145 Swifts, 565 Swallows, 123 House Martins and 30 Sand Martins, with flocks of Swifts arriving into the West Side and crossing the middle of the island towards the north-east, whilst the hirundines tended to stay lower into the lee of the West Side all the way north. Also recorded were: 1 Kestrel, 1 Merlin, 7 Dunlins, 2 Ringed Plovers, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit (Pondsbury), 1 Common Sandpiper (bottom of Montagu Steps), 2 or 3 Cuckoos, 40 Willow Warblers,  5 Chiffchaffs, zero Blackcaps (!), 1 Garden Warbler, 5 Whitethroats, 1 Sedge Warbler, 3 Whinchats (Airfield wall and wall between Old Light and Lighthouse Field), 2 Redstarts, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 7 Yellow Wagtails (including up to 4 together in St Helen's/Barton Fields), and 2 Tree Pipits (calling in flight over Ackland's Moor and at Quarter Wall).