September 15th 2008

Today's been a game of two halves - and I won them both. Out before first light to grandborough valley and rewarded with four Barn Owls then spent three hours on Bush Hill, Flecknoe looking for migrants and had 17 Siskin, 14 Meadow Pipit and 30 Swallows going west and there was a Spotted Flycatcher in the copse and Lesser Whitethroat in the gorse bushes. On the way home two Curlew were in a waterlogged field near Sawbridge and two Grey Wagtails in the stream that runs through Willoughby village.
In the afternoon I spent another three hours on dunsmore ridge hoping for a Honey Buzzard. The weekends influx on the east coast has some of them drifting inland but alas not on my shift but I did well with Hobby 2, Buzzard 5, Peregrine 2, a Common Tern flying towards Draycote and 27 Golden Plover.
Late evening visit to Draycote Water produced Blackcap male, Yellow Wagtail 2, Common Scoter female and Black Tern. The Osprey came in late and once it caught its dinner it again flew down the grandborough valley. There were at least 3 adult Yellow-legged Gulls in the roost.

Richard