Nene Mouth - 22 October 2012

A visit to this area which in my view is a good migration watchpoint with a variety of habitats including fen fields, copses, hedgerows with narrow reed fringed pools and the impressive atmospheric backdrop of the vast bleak wilderness that is The Wash.

Ideal fall conditions of thick murk, mizzle and north-easterlies the hour or so drive from home couldn't pass quickly enough, I spent the morning from 08.00 to around midday slowly working the area...

Good numbers of thrushes dropping in, some seen and many others only heard as they passed overhead, difficult to quantify the numbers but c 60 Song Thrushes, c 310 Blackbirds, c900 Redwings (possibly double this number), c 700 Fieldfares and 6+ Ring Ouzels. Other notable species/numbers included c 140 Robins, c 150 Goldcrests, 2 Black Redstarts near Lodge Farm, 4 Swallows through south, 4 Chiffchaffs  all of which looked like abietinus, c 600 Starlings. Non-passerines were represented by c. 60 Brent Geese,a male Merlin, a ringtail Hen Harrier, a single juvenile Arctic Skua along the river and 16 Snipe which dropped in. Marvellous stuff, leaving the camera at home was the only negative though photography on a day like this would have been problematic and time consuming in any case, a day to enjoy.

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