1 becomes 3

I was about to head out early this morning, but my little boy got up and I owed mummy a lie in, so stayed in and when I finished my first cuppa, was at the kitchen sink looking out of the window and picked up a large bird moving SE 200+ metres beyond the church, some 500 metres away.

Luckily bins were to hand and I got onto it immediately, seeing enough to id it as female type Marsh Harrier, a garden tick, but it was going behind the big Oak, so I ran out to the front of the house and picked it up again, it's deep wing beats did not have the sharp Red Kite appearance and a few movements showed the square tail, it remained at about 400 ft up moving steadily SE, which projected on would have been somewhere over the West end of DP.

Meanwhile Brian texted to say now 3 Pintail at LFGP, but I couldn't go for another 30 mins and by the time I arrived they had vanished.

Being bird walk morning time was short, so headed off to Lavell's car park, we moved quickly on to BSL sailing club car park, but nothing happening we went to overlook the lake, a Grey Wagtail went over, then a small bird flew just in front of us, left to right, landing in one of the small bushes there, I got my bins on it as it went on to another bush, following it I got a 1 second view and saw it's white supercillium "Firecrest" I announced, but it flew on again and then on into the Willows, but we could not relocate it.

This is the first in September, the only other early autumn record is 1st Oct 1989 (MSW).

I hit a landmark with the Firecrest today, as it was my first self found, so I am now on 180, my 179th was the Spotted Redshank last month, so that isn't too bad out of the 195 species I have had at DP. This is my 128th species for 2014, so my 6th highest, just one more to equal 5th from 2009, five more to equal 3rd of 133 for 2011 & 2013.

There wasn't a lot more to note today, but 8 Ring-necked Parakeet on the edge of Lodge Wood was a reasonable count, Goldcrests here and there, a Sedge Warbler opposite the green bridge, no waders at LFGP other than Lapwing.

A quick lunchtime 30 mins brought 2 Hobby, 5 Ring-necked Parakeet and then the threat of rain sent me home early.