19 August 2014

Vismig diary: 18th & 19th August


Dan found me looking at bush on Monday.  Not a lot that was happening in said bush was that exciting and so we decided to Alex it, just on the off chance of a Wood Warbler still being there. He immediately picked up two female type Wheatear on the football pitches and three Pied Wagtail, more unusual than you would think at this time of the year. There was not much going on round the Alex the scrub to its east and we were heading back when we heard a strange call.  Neither of us could put a name to it,but then we didn't have to as two Tree Pipit rose from the bushes behind us "zeeping" and were joined by a third as they circled the Alex scrub and appeared to put down.  Not that we could find them again.

Meanwhile Richard found a Spotted Flycatcher in Long Wood so all-in-all we just about made par for Monday.

Tuesday and I am trying to drag myself away from Long Wood; the time can just evaporate when you find a few birds to follow, but was getting dragged further down the line of trees by constant action down the west end (not something I would countenance on a Wednesday). Here Marco found me waiting for a Pied Fly or Nightingale to pop up.  None had, none did, so I joined him Alex-ward.

A quick scan of the loitering small gulls on the shore brought a first winter Mediterranean Gull, the youngest one I'd seen on the flats, and interesting enough to drag Mr Lethbridge nearly all the way to the lake.  Nearly, the bird managed to help out by joining the loiterers on the playing fields briefly before flying off.





Again the scrub to the east held nothing much of interest, though there were a few Willow Warblers on the islands back at the Alex. Here we met up with Dan and Richard trying unsuccessfully to find the med. Then all the gulls went up as one, the reason a lone Buzzard circling to the north. We soon picked up another two falling into the wind going westwards, slowly. A Hobby came and joined them for a bit and then a fourth Buzzard (possibly the most I've seen together at one time on the patch).

We split up again at Long Wood, where Dan and Rich went to look for the Winchat Marco thought he might have had in the brooms, while Marco and I headed slowly for the SSSI for the Tree Pipit Dan had found earlier. Somehow Dan made it there first and reported a male Redstart just south of Motorcycle Wood.  We would describe an arc to arrive there some time later, but immediately got side-tracked by a Winchat in the northern brooms in the SSSI.



The weather may be getting colder but its getting warmer out there!

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