Birding was to prove a very frustrating experience this morning. The TV people are still camped at Netherstead, so I parked at the church.
A few Chiffchaffs and Meadow Pipits suggested passage was still taking place, and one Grey Wagtail went over, and I flushed a Whitethroat. The defining moment came when I spotted an "interesting" Buzzard flying over the former pool. Did I see a longish tail with a roundish tail tip? Was its head a little small? I was sufficiently interested to take some shots as it headed away towards Morton Wood.
My camera currently has a fault which means I can't check the shots in the back screen, so all I could do was head for the flash and scope the wood in the hope that whatever it was was perched up. It wasn't.
The Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls were rather restless, and the cause turned out to be a Peregrine which I saw flying away into the distance.
The flash pools contained four Shovelers, and just the usual ducks and waders. I decided to head home to see if the shots added anything.
All I would say is that the raptor's level winged glide is illustrated well, but I can't see anything else which supports an identification as Honey Buzzard, so I guess it was just a Common Buzzard.
Meanwhile, some ringing news. The team switched to Saturday this week and also tried their luck along the hedge west of the former pool in the hope of catching some buntings and pipits. They were very happy with their final haul of 119 birds, which included lots of Meadow Pipits and the first Linnets caught on Heart of England Forest land.
The full totals (re-traps in brackets) are as follows:
Blue Tit 45 (6)
Great Tit 15 (3)
Chiffchaff 3
Blackcap 1
Whitethroat 1
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Wren 2
Dunnock 1
Meadow Pipit 22
Greenfinch 7
Linnet 2
Goldfinch 2
Reed Bunting 17
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