Buzzards 'R' Us

Wintersett Vis Mig The vis mig hill was manned from before dawn through to 16.00 hours, with the forecast of rapidly falling temperatures overnight it was hoped birds would realise winter is on its way and it's time to migrate. Well temperatures weren't as cold as predicted and passerines haven't responded as hoped. However, something has certainly stirred the Common Buzzard population to the north as previous day record counts were shattered today;- the first bird that was clearly a migrant and not a local went south at 10.30 and then nothing much until 11.15 - we picked up a 'kettle' of Buzzards soaring very high in the sky to the north, five to begin with, then ten with distant dots slowly metamorphasing into Buzzards as they joined the 'kettle' and in the next 15 minutes a minimum of 21 were in the skies above us. Most of these drifted off to the south or west with the local birds which had joined them (presumably defending their territories) then losing height and returning to their own woodland patch. This was a repeating scene for the next couple of hours, by 2.00 pm we had a total of 45 migrants and the last flock of five went south at 3.15pm to make a total of 51 migrant birds and a absolute minimum of ten local birds - a grand day total of 61. Most of these were going through very high in the clear skies, unseeable to our ageing naked eyes but quite easy to find using optics. Anyone out casually birding would probably have seen none! And for anyone still reading and not bored senseless the following were also moving (southwards unless noted);- Pink-footed Goose 84 in 3 skeins (53, 15, 16)west, Sparrowhawk 5, Kestrel 1 west, Dunlin 1, Common Snipe 3 +3 in +12 down, Swallow 41, House Martin 10, Skylark 81, Meadow Pipit a very disappointing 73, Grey Wagtail 3, alba Wagtail 36, Jay 16 north, Linnet 28, Chaffinch 22, Red Admiral 15, Comma 3.