If Morton Bagot is good for anything, it's good for chats. This morning I parked at the church and duly ticked off the Black Redstart which shows no sign of leaving. Later on I added two Whinchats and two Stonechats to the day list. They were accompanied by a single Whitethroat, a warbler which seems to consider itself an honorary chat. They say that Dartford Warblers will often accompany Stonechats, and even follow them to the Midlands. One day maybe.
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| Black Redstart photographed on Wednesday by Mike Holley |
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| Whinchat on Wednesday - Mike Holley |
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| Stonechat - today |
The ringers are back from their holidays and were concentrating on catching Meadow Pipits. September sees the start of that species' annual migration to southern Britain or western Europe as far south as Spain.
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| Meadow Pipit |
In calm, sunny conditions the patch was generally quite quiet. Teal numbers were lower, but Snipe were up to seven, and Green Sandpipers about the same (three). Other birds seen included Kingfisher, Raven, and Red Kite.
This mid-September lull is typical as the last of the summer visitors leave and we await the arrival of the first winter thrushes from mid October.
But as always in birding, anything can turn up in the meantime.
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