A very light easterly breeze should be perfect for birding in autumn, and only fly in the ointment being the unseasonably hot weather. I headed for Morton Bagot this morning hoping for something worth blogging about. It was a close call.
I've just about abandoned all hope of adding Tree Pipit to my year-list, and today it was just the drip drip of the first Meadow Pipits heading south plus a couple of Grey Wagtails. September tends to be the poor relation of autumn here. August's warbler glut is over, although Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs are still plentiful. There'll be no true winter visitors until mid to late October, but there are still things to see.
The highlight of my morning came when I spotted a Hobby dashing around, being harassed by corvids over a distant copse. It was too far away for any thoughts of a photo. Instead, I was surprised to see two Whinchats in exactly the same spot as on Saturday (and where they weren't on Monday). It's hard to know whether these are two new individuals or not.
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| Whinchat |
Earlier on I'd glimpsed what I was sure was my first Stonechat of the autumn at Netherstead, it made the list but I was still pleased when I relocated it on my return there.
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| Stonechat |
I'm sure there'll be plenty more in the coming weeks.
The water at the nearest flash is evaporating rapidly leaving a substantial edge, but still just the same birds. On this occasion I counted five Green Sandpipers, two Teal, 21 Lapwings, and 27 Black-headed Gulls.
A single Siskin flew south, a further reminder that autumn is on the way. The warm weather encouraged plenty of butterflies and dragonflies onto the wing, giving plenty of photo opportunities.
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| Comma on blackberries |
Finally, many thanks to Linda and Mike who invited Lyn and I to spend time in their fabulous garden overlooking the river Arrow in Studley yesterday. I scored a massive own goal by leaving my binoculars at home, but fortunately they had several spare pairs for us to use.
I'm looking forward to showing them around Morton Bagot later next month.
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