Above: GREENFINCH'S and a couple of GOLDFINCH'S at the garden feeders, there were at least 33 Greenfinch enjoying the sunflower hearts.
My walk to work today, in overcast conditions, with a cool easterly wind, felt like it might produce something nice flying over, but I was wrong ( as usual!)
The wind had picked up a bit as I left for my afternoon visit, the sky was grey, and it got darker as the 2 hour visit progressed. I walked round the Tree Nursery, then up the side of the Maize crop at the Pub Field, and saw 2 COLLARED DOVES and a WOODPIGEON -yep, that was it!!
I crossed Ashes Lane and walked into Migrant Alley, where the LINNET flock was wheeling around the paddocks, along with the Starlings, having been flushed up by a dog walker. I scanned the fences and fence posts in the hope of a passage migrant, but none were seen there today. With the cloud coming down even lower I went over to my sky watching seat, and spent a little over an hour scanning the sky, it felt quite cool sitting out there in the wind, but I felt sure an Osprey or a Marsh Harrier would come floating over - ever the optimist :-) Neither did of course, but I did get a surprise visitor in the form of a MEADOW PIPIT (71) It came over from the NW and dropped down into the sheep pasture. I always look forward to the arrival of the Meadow Pipits every Autumn, but this one was the earliest arrival by far, it being 18 days earlier than the previous earliest Mipit record back in 2009. The months list moves on to 71 now, the second best August of the ten years recording here, but still 7 behind the record tally set last year!
That was as good as it got really, the only other highlights were watching a SPARROWHAWK, then a pair of HOBBIES upset the local SWALLOWS :-)
7 comments:
Meadow Pipit would do nicely at New Hythe Warren. Don't think i've had one in two years now.
Phil,
Do a bit of sky watching from your Rapator view point next month, I bet one passes over :-)
Warren ,
You need a few of the species that Alan has been conjuring up on his patch .
The other 23 Finches must have been around the back of that feeder .
I'm still after my first Meadow pipit of the autumn Warren...I'm sure it wont be long before they are moving through again in good numbers
...you made me chuckle, Warren. You're not usually wrong...you're usually right! Glad the Meadow Pipit saved the day...
September`s the peak month for Mipit movement, Warren. Just hope they pass over in good numbers, as the counts have been a bit low over the last couple of years.
That is an early Mipit, good advice for Phil too, he's bound to pick some up flying over later on. There's still more to come this month, hopefully, although I think I've been greedy, it must be someone else's turn :-)
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