I was pretty knackered this morning so it was a later visit to the patch from 12:30 - 2:30pm, I didn't cover many of the areas but the bits I did produced 1 Pied Flycatcher, 5 Crossbills west, 1 Whinchat, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Snipe west, 8 Pied Wagtails, 10 Linnets, 80 Swallows, 1 House Martin and 1 Green Woodpecker.
Thursday 30th August (LIVERPOOL V HEARTS EUROPA LEAGUE)
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| Some Pictures from Anfield |
A chance of watching Liverpool v Hearts in the Europa league Cup 2nd Leg certainly was not going to be missed, and especially as Dave and I watched the game from the KOP what an atmosphere that was. A round trip to Anfield was in order a long day in itself finally coming home at 3:30am, but it was well worth it. The game itself well as expected Liverpool dominated much of it, with plenty of possession and also creating a few good chances but without really troubling the Hearts goalkeeper, at half time it was 0-0 but all to play for going into the 2nd half, yes the chances kept on coming but it was Hearts who took a shock 0-1 lead thanks to a blunder from a normally reliable Pepa Reina, with the game drawing towards extra time (1-1 on agg) who was to pop up in the 88th minute a certain Mr Suarez to break certain Hearts (sorry no pun intended), but what a goal it was and worthy of a winner, the noise in the KOP was also another experience, It was a great day all round and what a superb bunch of supporters Hearts had a pleasure mixing in with a few fans before the game started. Away from this well there was some birding today not much, just for a quick hour before we left which not surprisingly only produced a couple of Willow Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps and 1 Lesser Whitethroat.
Wednesday 29th August
I had prior arrangements elsewhere today so Dave watched the area from 6am - 1pm, in this time he found another very scarce/rare autumn bird for the patch when a Black Redstart was noted by the paddocks, a bird over the years which has nearly always been seen in spring so this was a good autumn record at that. The day was a lot more quieter than yesterday but it still produced a Whinchat and 4 Wheatears in nearby fields and a Hobby which shot through at 7:20am, the Little Owl also put on a good performance and must be getting used to us now. Other bits included 12 Whitethroats, 6 Blackcaps, 2 Willow Warblers, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 8 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 60 Linnets, 2 Mistle Thrushes and 1 Chaffinch.
Tuesday 28th August
After a few hard showers first thing this morning the birding eventually started around 7:15am, and in total there was a nice selection of birds in the 9 hours of hard coverage. Probably best of all due to its scarcity was a Turtle Dove which headed west early afternoon and another juvenile Cuckoo which didn't stay long either. In total the day produced just under 50 species and it certainly started well with an early Marsh Harrier north/west at 7:20am, and this proved to be a good starting point for a few other raptors including a rather large female Peregrine which was chasing pigeons by the cement works, also 1 Hobby, 2 Sparrowhawks and 3 Kestrels, warblers didn't to to bad either with 17 Blackcaps, 14 Whitethroats, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Willow Warblers and 1 Chiffchaff. The paddocks held 4 Wheatears and 2 Grey Partridges which were the first birds seen for quite a while, with other bits being 4 Sand Martins, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 80 Swallows, 47 Swifts north/west, 6 House Martins, 9 Green Woodpeckers, 8 Jays, 2 Chaffinches, 52 Linnets, 1 Jackdaw, 6 Pied Wagtails, 2 Skylarks and 22 Blackbirds.
Monday 27th August
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| Pied Flycatcher |
A good all round day with Margate comfortably beating leaders Lowerstoft Town 2-1 and the birding was also a pleasure. Dave and I watched from 6am - 1pm recording the Pied Flycatcher from yesterday, also 3 Sand Martins feeding over the paddocks, 1 Little Owl (seems to like it here), 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 12 Whitethroats, 20 Blackcaps, 6 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 4 Wheatears, 5 Yellow Wagtails, 60 Swallows, 7 Swifts, 7 House Martins, 1 Reed Bunting, 13 Pied Wagtails, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 40 Linnets, 4 Green Woodpeckers and 1 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. Sorry to my readers for not updating the site since the 20th August until today, as I have had a rather busy week elsewhere going to Legoland, etc etc.
Sunday 26th August
Today was good with a few migrants around and another new year tick which was a Grasshopper Warbler present by the garden of rest, one bird I have had before but not on to many occasions. Certainly when the weather improved the birds came out with another Pied Flycatcher showing high up in some Sycamore trees, with 1 Whinchat and 4 Wheatears nearby in the paddocks. Other bits noted were 1 Little Owl, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 4 Willow Warblers, 4 Whitethroats, 5 Blackcaps, 7 Yellow Wagtails, 7 Swifts, 80 Swallows, 2 House Martins, 80 Linnets, 2 Chaffinches, 1 Grey Heron west (also ringed), 6 Green Woodpeckers and 1 Kestrel.
Saturday 25th August
(A DAY OF CHARITY WORK)
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| Charity Abseil St Anne's Court Herne Bay Kent |
I didn't do any birding today instead I spent the day in Herne Bay to which I took part in a Charity Abseil, completing a 130ft decent down St Anne's Court to raise money for a charity for children with special needs, which is also very close to my heart, there was also a further 80+ people who did the abseil for their chosen charities so well done to all of those people who took part. Personally I loved it, it was certainly a great view from the top of the building and also coming down even if I was coming down backwards. Next year I will hopefully be doing a Sky Dive (certainly looking forward to that one). Today's birding news from Dave included 3 Wheatears, 14 Whitethroats, 7 Willow Warblers, 8 Blackcaps, 60 Swallows, 2 Swifts, 2 House Martins, 140 Linnets, 1 Sparrowhawk, 8 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Yellow Wagtails and 26 Blackbirds.
Friday 24th August
Another several hours in the field produced 3 Whinchats, 3 Wheatears, 9 Yellow Wagtails, 65 Swallows, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 16 Whitethroats, 11 Blackcaps, 6 Willow Warblers, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Sparrowhawks, 11 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 40 Linnets and 8 Pied Wagtails.
Thursday 23rd August
There was no doubt that today was very hard work with just a trickle of migrants and common birds around the area, the best of the highlights included 2 Garden Warblers, 8 Willow Warblers, 7 Blackcaps, 17 Whitethroats, 1 Wheatear, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 60 Swallows, 12 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 80 Linnets, 6 Jays, 2 Corn Buntings, 12 Pied Wagtails and 3 Long-tailed Tits.
Wednesday 22nd August
Dave mainly watched the patch today and spent another 6 hours covering most of the areas, best of the bunch was another Honey Buzzard which he found heading north/west early afternoon, also recorded was 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 14 Whitethroats, 11 Willow Warblers, 5 Blackcaps, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 11 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 4 Sparrowhawks, 2 Kestrels, 280 Swallows mainly heading north/west, 8 Swifts, 6 House Martins, 6 Pied Wagtails and 4 Chaffinches.
Tuesday 21st August
Today's sightings included 3 Common Buzzards, 1 juvenile Cuckoo, 12 Willow Warblers, 14 Whitethroats, 1 Blackcap, 4 Swifts, 40 Swallows, 1 House Martin, 11 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Chaffinches, 130 Linnets and 110 Starlings.
Monday 20th August
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| Wheatear |
Another long days birding with Dave and I starting out at 6am and finishing at 1pm, and then returning for another 2 hours late afternoon/early evening, bird wise well it was a bit better although hard work it was. At long last we managed to record another Wheatear which showed well in the paddocks, and was joined by a Whinchat that did the opposite. Probably the strangest of sights was a Common Buzzard which was hovering by the cemo (not a rare sight I know but an interesting one nevertheless). Warbler numbers were on the up with 14 Willow Warblers, 12 Whitethroats, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Chiffchaffs and 11 Blackcaps, there was also another juvenile Cuckoo which was seen late on, and shot through the garden of rest at some speed pretending to be a Sparrowhawk. Other highlights included 4 Chaffinches, 130 Linnets, 60 House Sparrows, 76 Swallows, 1 House Martin, 2 Sparrowhawks, 5 Pied Wagtails, 9 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 9 Mistle Thrushes.
Sunday 19th August
Well sometimes you just have to, today I spent most of the time sunbathing on Broadstairs beach with the family, yes the birding was certainly hard work with Dave spending about 4 hours in the extreme heat. Highlights included 2 Whinchats by the paddocks and 10 Willow Warblers many of which were in the cemo. Others noted were 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 13 Whitethroats, 3 Blackcaps, 1 Chiffchaff, 20 Swallows, 13 Long-tailed Tits, 5 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 9 Jays, 78 Linnets and 13 Greenfinches.
Saturday 18th August
Well today turned out to be quite a poor one not only for the birds but also a terrible result for Liverpool losing 3-0 away to West Brom. Today Dave and I was out from 6am - 1pm, and it was extremely hard work in very hot conditions (god we need some rain), there was no movement of any kind and most of the bits that we did find was probably from recent days. The only change was a singing Reed Warbler by the paddocks and 2 juvenile Chiffchaffs near the garden of rest, others included 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 5 Blackcaps, 1 Willow Warbler, 7 Whitethroats, 1 Little Owl, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Hobby, 3 Sparrowhawks, 120 Linnets, 4 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 40 Ring-necked Parakeets, 2 Chaffinches, 20 Swallows, 1 House Martin and 2 Pied Wagtails.
Friday 17th August
Today started off with a heavy showers which lasted about 25 minutes but at 6:20am, the weather finally cleared to produce a rather glorious day,with the early morning wind also being a little on the strong side the bird life at first was a little slow, but then they started to appear especially when a Pied Flycatcher the 3rd bird this autumn was found very briefly in an elderberry tree by the allotments, followed by another Little Egret which headed north soon after. Once again the patch was watched for a good few hours in fact pretty much most of the day this time from 5:55am - 3:50pm, and also produced 2 juvenile Peregrines which headed east together over the paddocks, also 2 Common Buzzards, 1 Hobby, 3 Sparrowhawks and 1 Kestrel. Warbler numbers again fluctuated with only 2 Willow Warblers present, 6 Blackcaps, 1 Garden Warbler, 7 Whitethroats, 3 Lesser Whitethroats and 1 Chiffchaff. Green Woodpecker numbers peaked to an impressive 12, and there was also 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers which also added to the show. Other bits included 60 Swallows, 9 Swifts, 90 Linnets, 1 Grey Heron north, 9 Mistle Thrushes, 8 Jays and 2 Pied Wagtails.
Thursday 16th August
I was out and about at the Hop Farm in Paddock Wood today, so I could only watch the patch from 6-7am, to which Dave joined me at the same time. The early morning stint was pretty good with 1 Tree Pipit south/west, 4 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Garden Warblers, 7 Willow Warblers, 16 Blackcaps, 14 Whitethroats, 3 Chiffchaffs and 6 Chaffinches. Dave then proceeded on until 2:30pm, and once again a little time after I had left he recorded another Honey Buzzard our 8th bird for the year which headed slowly west between (10:12 - 21am), but the scarcer birds for the patch didn't end there when another Little Egret was seen heading south/west over the cemo at 8:15am, constant persistence does certainly pays off. Other bits included 4 Sparrowhawks, 4 Kestrels, 94 Linnets, 9 Swifts, 40 Swallows, 13 House Martins, 1 Little Owl and 12 Long-tailed Tits.
Wednesday 15th August
*ANOTHER NEW PATCH TICK NUMBER 7 SO FAR THIS YEAR*. Well what a year once again this is turning out to be, not only for some of the superb species that Dave and I have had but also for the number of new patch ticks which really by now should be a lot harder to come by, but once again its turned up the goods this time with a CETTI'S WARBLER found in some bramble by the garden of rest, it was watched for about 20 seconds before being chased off, and by of all birds, a Garden Warbler. But Dave and I are pretty sure that we had this bird some 5 days before without properly nailing it, but today was certainly different, this is also number (192) for the patch just another 8 needed for that magic (200). In total we watched the area from 6am - 1pm, with other bits including 10 Blackcaps, 2 Garden Warblers, 10 Whitethroats, 4 Willow Warblers, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Little Owl, 2 Hobbies, 40 Swallows, 2 House Martins, 9 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 86 Linnets, 13 Mistle Thrushes, 13 Pied Wagtails, 2 Grey Partridges and 3 Jays.
Tuesday 14th August
Well today was the worst autumn day for a very long time with just the odd couple of Willow Warblers, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs to report.
Monday 13th August
Well I am certainly looking forward to getting back tomorrow, as for today the sightings were pretty much ok with 2 Common Buzzards and a passage of 115 Swallows. There was also a scattering of 16 Whitethroats, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 3 Willow Warblers, 1 Garden Warbler, 12 Blackcaps and 1 Chiffchaff. Other bits noted were 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Kestrels, 9 Green Woodpeckers, 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 106 Linnets, 1 Chaffinch, 40 House Sparrows, 9 Swifts, 9 Jays, 16 Mistle Thrushes, 60 Starlings, 7 Pied Wagtails and 1 Grey Heron north.
Sunday 12th August
Dave was out from 6am until mid afternoon and recorded our 2nd Pied Flycatcher of the autumn and a juvenile Hobby which showed very well for a few minutes sitting in a bare tree by the paddocks (typical when the camera's elsewhere). The first Whinchat of the autumn was also found by the allotments and a Whimbrel was heard calling over the cemo. Other bits included 1 Wheatear, 12 Whitethroats, 4 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Garden Warblers, 9 Blackcaps, 6 Willow Warblers, 60 Swallows, 3 Swifts, 2 House Martins, 1 Little Owl, 12 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 46 Linnets, 19 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Sparrowhawks, 1 Corn Bunting and 130 Herring Gulls.
Saturday 11th August
Well I am off for a short 3 day break to the Dungeness area but not birding related so Dave will be covering the patch for the next few days. I did however manage to squeeze in a quick 2 hours this morning before Dave covered it for a further 4. Between us we recorded 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Marsh Harrier, 4 Garden Warblers, 11 Blackcaps, 13 Willow Warblers, 6 Lesser Whitethroats, 11 Whitethroats, 5 Crossbills west, 2 Little Owls, 80 Swallows, 9 House Martins, 9 Green Woodpeckers, 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 4 Chaffinches, 80 Linnets, 4 Kestrels, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Jays and 15 Pied Wagtails.
Friday 10th August
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| Wheatear |
*NEW CEMO PATCH TICK WINS THE DAY*. As mentioned yesterday the weather for the next few days looks very favourable and today it certainly was one of those. Dave and I started off at 6am and between us finally finished off at 7:30pm, a whooping 13 hours but it was well worth it. The morning started off very well with another new year tick and a NEW CEMO PATCH TICK when I found a flock of 13 COMMON SCOTERS headed high east over the paddocks at 6:30am, which is no (191) for the patch and gradually nearing the magic (200) mark, but the day had started earlier than that when 3 juvenile Marsh Harriers were found with one bird east at 6am and the other 2 west at 6:20am. The day was already set up and we just had to wait until 10:04am well Dave did anyway when he found a Honey Buzzard heading north/east over the paddocks our 7th bird for the year. Also on show for a few minutes was the first Pied Flycatcher of the autumn/year which was found at 2:10pm, certainly summing up a fab day but there was also a few other bits including 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Hobbies, 4 Garden Warblers, 1 Reed Warbler, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 10 Whitethroats, 10 Willow Warblers, 4 Blackcaps, 5 Chiffchaffs, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Kestrels, 60 Swallows, 9 Swifts, 1 House Martin, 1 Wheatear, 9 Green Woodpeckers, 6 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 4 Chaffinches, 7 Goldfinches, 20 Mistle Thrushes, 100 Ring-necked Parakeets, 80 Linnets, 4 Pied Wagtails, 8 Jays, 35 Long-tailed Tits and 35 Greenfinches.
Thursday 9th August
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| I am due another autumn Red-backed Shrike but not today. |
The weather forecast looks pretty good in the next few days, and with autumn passage now underway it sure would be nice to find the first goodie. One of my favourite birds the Red-backed Shrike would be lovely just like the bird shown above that stayed for a record 10 days a few years ago, but I have only ever recorded one juvenile bird in August with the rest in September so perhaps I am a little eager but you never know. Well today due to the early thick mist it certainly took it's time to get going but when it did there was a few bits around. The patch got covered from 6am - 2pm, and new overnight arrivals included the 2nd Wheatear of the autumn which showed very well in the paddocks, but that was pretty much it with the rest of the species and numbers staying pretty much the same apart from the warblers which were slightly down. Today's numbers included 14 Whitethroats, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 8 Willow Warblers and 3 Blackcaps, there was a Hobby over the cemo, with other raptors being 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Kestrel. Other bits noted were 90 Linnets, 40 Swallows, 6 Swifts, 1 Cormorant north/west, 9 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Chaffinch, 12 Greenfinches, 22 Mistle Thrushes, 3 Pied Wagtails, 21 Blackbirds and 50 Black-headed Gulls.
Wednesday 8th August
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| Chaffinches |
Dave and I started off at 6am and finished the day off at 2pm, at first you could here a pin drop as in the first 15-20 minutes we couldn't even find a Whitethroat, but this means nothing as shortly afterwards it was pretty much all guns blazing, I have certainly seen it all in the past and this was another day off just sit and wait. Best bird of the day was a superb Wood Warbler which we watched for about 2 minutes, a lovely bird and one that I personally missed last year so I was well pleased with this one. Warblers today were pretty much showing together with a good showing of 3 Garden Warblers, 5 Lesser Whitethroats (including some cracking juvenile birds), 16 Whitethroats, 17 Willow Warblers, 18 Blackcaps and 3 Chiffchaffs. There was an early showing of Swifts with at least 70 heading east in an overall total of 136, also 66 Swallows and 8 House Martins. 2 Hobbies also showed very briefly and Green Woodpecker numbers dropped to 6 birds. Other bits noted were 20 Long-tailed Tits, 60 Linnets, 4 Goldfinches, 7 Chaffinches, 2 Kestrels, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 21 Blackbirds, 23 Mistle Thrushes, 70 Ring-necked Parakeets and 7 Pied Wagtails.
Tuesday 7th August
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| Goldfinch |
In the past the 7th August has been rather a lucky day on the patch with some good birds being found, the best in fact was an Icterine Warbler a few years ago which showed very well by the main entrance. Bird wise today it didn't happen but my luck was still in somewhere else when I won the 2nd cash prize in the Margate Football Club 50/50 when watching them against Horsham tonight, well there you go. Anyway for the birding news there was a few good bits around including another 2 Garden Warblers which were by the garden of rest, also the first Yellow Wagtail the first for some time which was a nice male in the paddocks. Willow Warblers were down on numbers with just 2 present, this also applied to just 5 Blackcaps, and the lone Lesser Whitethroat. Other bits around the area included 13 Whitethroats, 6 Chiffchaffs, 1000+ Swifts, 26 Swallows, 2 House Martins, 3 Chaffinches, 92 Linnets, 3 Sparrowhawks, 11 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 6 Jays, 3 Corn Buntings, 5 Jackdaws north/west, 1 Cormorant, 9 Mistle Thrushes and 7 Pied Wagtails.
Monday 6th August
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| Mistle Thrush |
Today Dave and I watched from 6am - 1:30pm, and recorded another excellent bird for the patch when a Grey Plover headed east at 6:30am, which I do believe is only the 3rd record for the site, not only that but another year tick. Today I must admit was certainly a strange one as overall it did feel very quiet, one minute there was warblers almost anywhere you looked the next thing they had all disappeared within seconds but hey that's birding. Birds on the move included 20 Swallows north in a total of 35, also 110 Swifts which headed east very early morning, and a Crossbill also heading east later on. Warblers today included 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 12 Whitethroats, 10 Blackcaps, 8 Willow Warblers and 3 Chiffchaffs, the Little Owl was still present but very flighty, and the first returning Common Gull was by the paddocks. Other bits noted were 3 Chaffinches, 2 Lapwings, 2 Corn Buntings, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 110 Linnets, 23 Mistle Thrushes, 3 Pied Wagtails, 30 Ring-necked Parakeets, 6 Goldfinches and 40 House Sparrows.
Sunday 5th August
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| A feast for somebody |
The Sedge Warbler was still present today and there was also 2 Sand Martins which were feeding by the paddocks for most of the morning. The Little Owl put on a better show as did 1 of the 4 Sparrowhawks that took an unfortunate Linnet from the allotments early this morning. Other warblers today included 18 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 8 Willow Warblers, 4 Blackcaps and 2 Chiffchaffs. Other bits included 11 Green Woodpeckers, 46 Linnets, 5 Chaffinches, 40 House Sparrows, 21 Mistle Thrushes, 7 Jays, 29 Swifts, 40 Swallows and 3 Pied Wagtails.
Saturday 4th August
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| Green Woodpeckers x4 |
There was another 7 hours of coverage today and although the species haven't changed that much over the last few days the numbers of birds have been pretty good especially for the returning migrants for late July/beginning of August. New birds in included another Sedge Warbler which was showing by the garden of rest. Other bits noted were 13 Willow Warblers, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 6 Blackcaps, 11 Whitethroats, 2 Little Owls, 2 Chaffinches, 10 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 40 Swifts, 20 Swallows, 4 House Martins, 7 Mistle Thrushes, 40 House Sparrows, 78 Linnets, 2 Goldfinches and 4 Long-tailed Tits.
Friday 3rd August
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| Kestrel |
Today belonged to the warblers with a total of 7 different species seen, Dave and I once again spent another 8 hours on the patch starting off at 5:40am, at first it was pretty quiet but soon livened up about 6:30am, which generally continued throughout the day, but without getting that extra bit of quality. Warbler totals included 11 Willow Warblers, 8 Chiffchaffs, 20 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethtroats, 16 Blackcaps, 1 Reed Warbler and 1 Garden Warbler. The juvenile Wheatear remained near the paddocks but remains a very shy and generally elusive bird, and once again the Little Owl showed all to brief. Other bits noted were 4 Crossbills, 40 Swifts, 10 Swallows, 10 House Martins, 40 Linnets, 8 Green Woodpeckers, 4 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Kestrels, 5 Chaffinches, 1 Sparrowhawk, 22 Ring-necked Parakeets, 1 Corn Bunting, 18 Mistle Thrushes, 4 Long-tailed Tits and 4 Goldfinches.
Thursday 2nd August
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| Whitethroat |
Today was more like dodging the showers than anything else, just like the above Whitethroat tried to do, but it wasn't a bad day when the sun eventually did come out away from the heavy cloud. Dave and I watched from 5:40am - 1:40pm, but it certainly didn't feel as busy as yesterday, probably the best was a Marsh Harrier just our 2nd of the year that headed west at midday, but the warbler numbers still fared ok with 20 Whitethroats, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 10 Blackcaps, 6 Willow Warblers and 1 Chiffchaff. The Wheatear remained near the paddocks and the Little Owl once again put on a brief show. Other bits included 1 Hobby, 2 Sparrowhawks, 4 Kestrels, 20 Swallows, 65 Swifts, 5 House Martins, 10 Chaffinches, 1 Corn Bunting, 80 Linnets, 11 Green Woodpeckers, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 22 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Goldfinches, 25 Ring-necked Parakeets, 3 Pied Wagtails and 10 House Sparrows.
Wednesday 1st August
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| Female Common Darter |
Well another month's birding is upon us and if the start of early autumn matches the spring/summer its certainly going to be an enjoyable one. Today Dave and I watched from 5:35am - 2pm, and once again like yesterday we recorded 46 species. There was a slight increase in warbler numbers today with 13 Willow Warblers, 5 Lesser Whitethroats, 20 Whitethroats, 10 Blackcaps, 1 Garden Warbler and 4 Chiffchaffs, earlier on 2 Crossbills headed west at 6:40am, and the juvenile Wheatear remained near the paddocks. The Little Owl put in a very brief appearance but the 6 Chaffinches today showed very well by the garden of rest. Other highlights included 10 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Hobby, 60 Swifts, 80 Swallows, 22 House Martins, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Kestrels, 100 Linnets, 2 Corn Buntings, 20 Ring-necked Parakeets, 8 Mistle Thrushes, 5 Pied Wagtails, 20 House Sparrows, 30 Starlings and 600+ Wood Pigeons.
