Wednesday 24 September 2008

Today was as exciting as yesterday was dull! As I crossed the Maize stubbles at Migrant Alley at 7am this morning I saw the first Lapwing since July. On the way home over the stubbles was a PEREGRINE, it was half - heartedly chasing a JACKDAW. As I came to the edge of the field a YELLOW WAGTAIL flew over, and alighted in the stubbles.
After lunch I went back out to the stubbles and was immediately rewarded with a HOBBY, and a few moments later a SPARROWHAWK. I decided to walk up the hedgerow/fenceline that had held the Whinchats and stonechat last week, and WOW! a REDSTART (96), either a female or first winter bird, it gave me 3 short views then disappeared into a tall hedge bordering the greenhouses. This is just the 4th record of Redstart for my patch, the last was in Sept. 2006. I sat on the horse jump, and watched and waited, two KESTRELS came in and hovered over the fields for a while, the 4th raptor i'd seen, and it may well have been 5 if the small bird of prey chasing MEADOW PIPITS had been seen for more than a second or two, allowing it's ID to be had, I think it may well have been a Merlin, but I had insufficient views of it. Two more Lapwing came over, floated around for a while and then settled into the stubble, it may have been the same two from this morning. Also seen over the fields were the LINNETS with the Meadow Pipits, and 5 HOUSE MARTIN. A much better day!

The pics below are pretty poor, the light was awful. Top : a Hobby. Middle a Lapwing and bottom a Kestrel from the back.










7 comments:

Steve said...

Just getting better and better eh Warren? Shame about not clinching the Merlin

Steve said...

Just getting better and better eh Warren? Shame about not clinching the Merlin

Josh Jenkins Shaw said...

Great stuff Warren!

Simon said...

Thats fantaastic to hear that you discovered a Redstart on your patch!! Bad luck on no seeing the Merlin.

The Bald Birder said...

I'll be looking hard around East Malling tomorrow to try and match your Redstart! I think it'll be tough though. Well done.

Greenie said...

Warren ,
Creeping ever closer to that ton .
Well done .

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Warren: I have to give you credit for your persistence in trying to find the birds. I was trying to get some woodpeckers in a swap area and they kept flitting away. I never got a good photo of the two different types.