28-29 August: visi-migging (not-so)lucky!

28th August

Met up with Tim who was sporting a new hair cut and enjoying the early morning rain and we agreed it looked pretty good for something to turn up.  It didn't, but we found the source of the Tree Pipit calls emanating from the enclosure almost daily for the last week or so. It made Tim happy and then he went to work. I soldiered on and discovered it was a Lesser Whitethroat day, the pub and alex scrubs were littered with them.  OK about eight birds, but with Richard's help we managed to notch up another five elsewhere for probably a record breaking count.  Migrants? Richard also picked up a late Swift going over the brick pits.

29th August

One of those days you don't want to leave the flats, or a particular place on the flats, or go to work.  OK that last one happens everyday, but today doubly so.

First up the Kestrel was giving the female Wheatear a bit of a chase round the brooms, a Whinchat appeared and then disappeared until my way home when I found her by the car park on Centre Road (a male was subsequently reported too). Just a bit further on as I looked for the chat another juvvy Turtle Dove skitted through in the company of a Wood Pigeon. I am beginning to notice how slim they are in comparison to the rather stocky Collared Dove we have round here.

In the enclosure I picked up a little blob of orange in the hawthorns on the north east corner of Long Wood, through the bins it looked like it could have been a Red-breasted Flycatcher, until, that is, I saw the head moments later. Pah! Common Redstart. At least he did the right thing and showed well for about five minutes before disappearing never to be seen again.

With the wind a bit blustery, the northern side of the wood appeared to be the best for passerines. Two or three Spotted Flycatcher (5-6 all told on site and picking up nicely) raced around the elder sheltered by the larger oaks behind. Whitehroat and Blackcap of course, but then I picked up a Garden Warbler getting its sugar ration for the morning from an elder on the northern side of the ride. It would pop out just in range of the camera I thought. I thought it did. However imagine my dismay when I looked at the images to discover no Garden Warbler crippling shots, just a Nightingale bastard Reed Warbler...