3rd highest September species count

We only need one more today to reach the 2nd highest September, it stands on 96, missing Redwing and Siskin, both usually occur late Sept, but with it being so mild I am not surprised they haven't arrived yet.

Other likely birds perhaps that should have been seen were Peregrine, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Ringed Plover and Dunlin. Even if we had those, we would still be 1 short of the record of 106 set in 2012.

This morning's brief car park and BSL visit offered 10+ Meadow Pipit over SE, 1 Common Gull East, 2 Grey Wagtail at the sailing club, 1 Nuthatch heard. 3 then 2 Song Thrush over points to Redwing arriving any day.

What will be next

There are several good candidates to hope for before winter sets in, for my 2014 year list remaining, all with a handful of Sept and October records;

Golden Plover, Jack Snipe, Merlin, Little Gull (running out of time), Yellow-legged Gull, Scaup, Black-necked Grebe, Brambling, Rock Pipit & Yellowhammer.

Then from November we can look for Goosander, Smew, Woodcock...maybe Short-eared Owl thru?

Still, but potential there

Out at 10:00, it appeared quiet, but on examination, small groups of Meadow Pipit were going SE, as were Swallow and House Martin. I also heard 2 Skylark and saw a Linnet head NW over the car park field, which doesn't sound that exciting, but what was interesting was the Jay movement, 3, then 4, then 9 more all SE along the edge of Lavell's and is the biggest count I have, other than 11 in one flock on the 24th Sept 1983....spooky how close the dates are!

Again Blackcap and Chiffchaff were the only warblers, but I had no time to really check, I heard 3+ Goldcrest and feel a goodlook thru them might yield something?

As I left it was warming up and I felt something more would happen today.

Quiet week

Work is keeping me busy, but I have been out at lunchtimes, not much to say really, just a pair of Mistle Thrushes NE of landfill, trickles of House Martin & Swallow, fairly good Meadow Pipit passage NW mostly. Just Blackcap and Chiffchaff left on the warbler front it seems.

47 Shoveler yesterday at LFGP was a nice count, but the ducks are clearly moving between there and Twyford pits, so number fluctuate a lot.

2 Hobby 24th, 1 more today over the landfill and around 15:15 a Raven was out flying a Red Kite way over the landfill at around 1500-2000 feet.

Chat or chats? Thanks for that one mum

This morning we were back to fog and almost pointless conditions, but by late morning for those able to get out, it was looking nice and I heard plenty of Meadow Pipits over.

Then I got a text saying Whinchat on edge of SE corner LFGP, plus many ducks just flew in, so I put the news out. Marek went saw the Whinchat and re-found 2 Pintail as well.

I was otherwise engaged until 13:00 when on dropping my mother off she said "why don't you take Ethan if you need to see the bird". I didn't need to as I'd had Whinchat already, but thought "why not, I like Whinchat and Pintail for that matter".

I went and passed Alan, Gray, then Richard all heading back one after the other, telling me how far away it was, but the 'super' had been well enough to be sure.

So I was not expecting to find a juvenile Stonechat where everyone had been seeing the Whinchat and duly tweeted the news, to then hear some had seen 2 birds earlier, so both chats at one time in September for the second time? I am told Alan has shots of the bird from earlier.

Here are my shots of the Stonechat and as you would expect not beautiful, but the last one clearly shows no 'super';

A Wheatear was also present not too far from the Stonechat and I glanced at one of the Pintail, before Ethan got too bored.

So here I am on 130 for 2014, picking up an amazing 11 new species recently, 6 in August, 5 so far in Sept!

Thank you Marek

I'd left my phone in my car having picked up family for Sunday afternoon roast, but suddenly realised and when got it, saw a missed call from Marek...I called and he said Garganey LFGP now!

It was 40 mins til serving up so I dashed, I saw, I year ticked and equaled my 4th highest year of 129, set in 2009, excellent. And a great striking individual it was.

Marek said this was part of a huge flock of ducks that all came in together, comprising of 123 Wigeon - the largest early autumn count, 52 Shoveler, 94 Teal - the largest early autumn count, 72 Gadwall and 2 Pintail, quite a flock.

My morning trip out had been pretty quiet, Raven heard, a few groups of Swallows, 6+ Meadow Pipit, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2-3 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap and on to Bittern with a small handful of Gadwall and Teal.

Friday and Saturday Morning

I ran out of time to report the things I had yesterday, it amounted to Nuthatch heard, 5+ Meadow Pipit over SE, a few Blackcaps and Chiffchaff, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Linnet East, but not much else, except another stab at catching Kingfisher in front of Ron's hide, this time perched on the big clump of mud.

Today I found nothing at LFGP around 08:00, so went to the car park, again very little bar a few Swallows and Meadow Pipits over.

Then as I crossed to towards the sailing club, I heard something singing in the brambles on the left, it was a sub-song and sounded more 'Acro' like than 'Syliva'. I waited and waited getting low volume, but quite long bursts of song, followed by a low toned call, repeated 5-7 times, not so dissimilar to the 'picking' call of Water Rail and I was flumoxed.

It shut up by the time Eddie walked up and I hadn't even had a branch move and apart from 1-2 Chiffchaff and 2-3 Blackcap that passed by, no others warblers were seen. The Blackcaps also did their familiar 'tak' calls, which the mystery bird did not.

After trawling Xeno-canto I am not much wiser, but believe it was either an 'Acro' giving some pretty unusual mimicry, or something much more fun to contemplate...I'd love to go for Melodious Warbler and will check the sailing club again, but seriously doubt I'll hear it again...but I'd know that 'pick' call again, if it wasn't random mimicry and a one off?