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This morning was a completely different 'kettle of fish', what a nice start. I was meeting Alex (assistant warden) to walk with him and try to pick out a few migrants maybe, I was there early and went to see Steve recording the moths, he had just found a new site addition in the shape of a Blossom Underwing (might be a pic tomorrow). I heard TREECREEPER singing and a COMMON GULL was over the ploughed fields, I met up with Alex and we added LINNET, NUTHATCH, GOLDFINCH and a newly arrived WILLOW WARBLER, the first of 3 today. By the lake there was the singing REED BUNTING and a GREYLAG GOOSE was on the lake, the Greylag now with the female on the nest, before we got much further the mobile went off and Stephen had just seen the HOOPOE again flying over a hedge towards the Park Field!! It took a few minutes to get to the spot where Stephen was looking but the bird had disappeared!! I now had a slight problem half an hour before I had to leave for work. I had a lieu day owing, so decision made, we searched, with the help of Steve Broyd, for an hour or so but to no avail, we added 2 SWALLOWS whilst looking then Stephen left around 11 ish in the end after adding TREE PIPIT, which flew over with the many MEADOW PIPITS that went over this morning, we also upto 7 BUZZARDS and a couple of SPARROWHAWKS and at least 1 KESTREL. I heard another CROSSBILL whilst with Steve Broyd and later a couple of SISKIN.
I stayed until around 2.30 joined by my Dad for the last couple of hours. We did a fairly long walk right round the estate, our undoubted highlight were 3 WHEATEAR (83), in an emerging wheat field, overall there was alot going on today, the Hoopoe stayed elusive, Stephen counted 115 STOCK DOVES late this afternoon, a site record and probably not great news for the farmer in his newly planted fields!! Looks like an early start tomorrow!!
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| Trying out the camera still. |
6 comments:
Who else can just take a day off like that??!! Looking forward to my first swallow of the year, well done on the wheatear, nice bird. Bad luck on the hoopoe but at least it's still around. It must be a good day for buzzards, I saw three with Mary at Sevenoaks, two on the drive home and another over my house in the afternoon. Was a nice sunny day though, must have been good thermals perhaps.
Nice one with the Wheatears Alan, but will you catch up with that Hoopoe !!
Hi Rach, It was lucky we weren't too busy. It was a nice day with some good supporting birds, the Buzzards were certainly busy.
Hi Warren, the Wheatears were pleasing I don't always get them in spring, as for the Hoopoe, who knows!!
Bad luck on the Hoopoe Alan, birding can be so frustrating sometimes...but such fun ;)
What a good day you had otherwise. Well done with the Wheatear!
Lovely Yellowhammer photo :)
Hi ShySongbird, Thank you, it was great to be able to search for the bird, despite not finding it. It was such a beautiful day :-)
Alan ,
Congrats on the Wheatears .
I was talking to another birder today who just missed a Hoopoe by a couple of minutes in a friend's garden centre down in Sussex .
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