August 28th 2009

A quandary for me today?
Do I work the pond hoping the wind will bring in something or do I plod around Napton on the Hill for migrants even though last night was clear and everything might have cleared off.
Tim text mid-morning that there was no sign of Wood Warbler but Redstart still present and a potential for more stuff to be found so that did it for me. Arrived early afternoon after catching the bus and worked through the sheltered areas of the hill avoiding the brisk westerly wind and the ‘sheep’ who were all staring at the tree the Wood Warbler had been in hoping it would materialize.
It soon became obvious that Tim was right as a Grasshopper Warbler was found near Grove Lane and further searching of a group of warblers working there way through the gardens and hedgerows below the hill produced at least 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Garden Warbler and 3 Spotted Flycatcher. Another good migrant present was a juvenile Cuckoo being mobbed by a Raven near the windmill.
Called in to Draycote Water in the evening just in time for the heavens to open and the extremely strong winds made walking difficult along the banks but managed 2 distant juvenile Black Tern and 4 Common Tern from farborough bank along with Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Common Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover between farborough spit and toft bay. In toft shallows at least 5 Shoveler were trying to seek shelter from the wind along with a male Pochard and 14 Teal and a Green Sandpiper flew in.

Richard