I spent the whole of the morning checking out the Greenhouse Grounds, Greenhouse Copse, Migrant Alley and the Ashes lane field, hoping to find a few more passage migrants, but this morning it seems, they had mostly departed.
The LESSER WHITETHROAT was still in the Greenhouse grounds though, with 2 COMMON WHITETHROATS and 2 CHIFFCHAFFS as well as the 20+ GOLDFINCH flock. Up on the greenhouse rooves over 120 SWALLOWS and 100+ HOUSE MARTINS were sat preening and chattering.
On the paddocks and sheep pasture at Migrant Alley the STARLING flock had shrunk to around 250, there were 4 LINNETS and a couple of immature GREEN WOODPECKERS seen, but they were the only ''fence sitters'' seen.
The Greenhouse Copse had a probable WILLOW WARBLER flitting about, but views were brief, as a SPARROWHAWK flew through before I had decent views!
Approaching the Greenhouse Grounds for a second time, I watched a HOBBY put up all the House Martins and Swallows from the rooftops, and walking through the scrubby areas there, I found the only BLACKCAP of the day, as well as a BULLFINCH, plus a party of 7 PHEASANTS, the first seen for two weeks.
Three or four sessions from my sky watching seat were had, and on one of those sessions I was accompanied by my lovely wife, which brought mixed fortunes, the reason being that as we sat, a WHINCHAT dropped into the top of the adjacent tall hedge, it was at the far end so I lent my missus my binoculars to view it, while I got another dodgy distant photo, then another bird flew in to join it, which looked like another Whinchat, but by the time I got my bins back another Hobby went speeding past, putting up all the hirundines again and that scared off the Whinchat (s), which were not found again despite much searching.
KESTREL and BUZZARD made it a four raptor species day, and a lone SAND MARTIN flew south, but little else was seen on the sky watching sessions, just BLACK HEADED and HERRING GULLS, not one Yellow Wagtail went over today, the first time for a week.
 |
| Another long distant Whinchat image, was there two ? |
 |
| House Martin on the Greenhouse roof |
 |
| BLACKBIRD at the Greenhouse Grounds |
 |
| Moulting Chiffchaff |
 |
| Chiffchaff |
 |
| Chiffchaff |
 |
| Chiffchaff |
4 comments:
Warren ,
Sounds like the hirondine are telling us Summer is over , and they're off on a long trip .
Greenie,
Autumn will be here in 3 days time, the year turns again :-)
I never tire of watching the natural world point the way to the approach of a new season :-)
Another good list Warren, not managed to get for 2 days and feel like I missing out!!
Another great set of pics, Warren.
Post a Comment