Pittswood Birds

The last walk into work of the month, and only one sighting of note was made - a STONECHAT! This one was on the fenceline along ashes lane, just 20m from Migrant Alley. I wonder if it was yesterdays bird, if it was, it did a good job of hiding from me all yesterday afternoon.
This afternoon I got soaked coming home, but I needed just one more new species for the month to beat the highest ever monthly total of 71. I put my wet coat back on...yuk, and went off out to the Maize Stubbles, and it threw it down! I pushed myself tight into the hedge, and watched the sky. A HOBBY came over, chased some MEADOW PIPITS, and then headed off south. I waited for another half hour, getting wetter, but had amusement watching the LINNETS, PIED WAGTAILS and Meadow Pipits chasing each other about. Another few minutes passed and my enthusiasm was waning, but then a big gull came in, distant at first, looking like a heron, but as it came over I could see it was a GREAT BLACK BACK GULL - 72 for the month! another milestone for my patch. Well worth getting wet for!

Above: Great Black backed Gull.

As it's been such a good Sept. for migrants on my patch, I thought i'd put up some dates for the scarce migrants that visited. This has, without doubt, been the best Autumn passage I've had here in Pittswood.

HOBBY- seen on 11 days, with a peak of 2 on three of those days.

OSPREY- seen on 3 days (One of those by another bird watcher)

SAND MARTIN - seen on 3 days, with a peak of 6 on the 9th

YELLOW WAGTAIL- seen on 18 days, with a peak of 6 on the 19th. Also 4 on the 8th & 20th

REDSTART - one on the 24th

WHINCHAT - seen on 11 days, with a peak of 3 on the 18th. Also 2 on the 17th & 19th

WHEATEAR - seen on 6 days, with a peak of 3 on the 8th & 12th

STONECHAT - seen on 4 days

SEDGE WARBLER - one on the 13th