Friday 18th October - Delivery day

Following the building work at home, the next task is to try and get the garden looking like a garden, with the back of the house largely having been mud and rubble. So I arranged to get a couple of garden beds properly dug, an area re-turfed, and eventually moving the chicken pen to the orchard so the back garden has a bit more light and a better flow. Today was delivery day for manure, soil and turf but a problem is our post-code doesn't get drivers to the house, and we always need to be around to guide delivery drivers in when the inevitable call comes saying 'I'm lost'. At least by the end of the day everything had successfully arrived,. I'd sorted out work so I could do any at home and I had a couple of slots where I could get out of the house. It was very misty first thing and I stood in the garden waiting for delivery number 1 and notched up a fair old bird list both flyovers and in situ.

lots of Redwing (97) in various loose flocks.
Song Thrush (7)
Fieldfare (4)
Blackbird (2)
Pied Wagtail (4)
Nuthatch
Wren
Chaffinch (7)
Jackdaw
Meadow Pipit (5)
Swallow (1)
Siskin (4)
Linnet (4)
Black-headed Gull (2)
Raven (2)
Goldfinch (7)
Greenfinch (5)
Firecrest (1) - in the same Holly
Collared Dove
Great-Spotted Woodpecker
Stock Dove (5)

After delivery 1, I headed up to Blackdown, as the mist seemed to have cleared at home, but annoyingly Blackdown was still covered in thick rolling fog. There were plenty of birds calling, particularly Redwing and Fieldfare although it was difficult to see more than about 30ft in front,  I could also hear the call of Bramblings, Chaffinches, Goldcrest and Siskin. I headed down one of the more sheltered valleys but it was still quite foggy. A Bullfinch called then at least one Brambling, then a call, which took a while to register, but it was a Yellow-browed Warbler !, the problem was the call was coming from a clump of young birch half way up the slope shrouded in mist. It then called again (a continuous series of notes) but I waited for around 20 minutes but no sighting and no more calling and I had to start heading back for the next delivery- how frustrating !.  A single Crossbill chupped away and flew around the tops of several pines then in a noisy bird flock, I made out at least 15 Brambling feeding in a Rowan  with more calling.

After delivery 2, with the weather brightening up I went to Ambersham. I met Colin and Mich (Selsey regulars) as I got out of the car, they that said they had had no luck looking for yesterdays shrike. I hadn't walked far down the path when I found the Great Grey Shrike distantly at the top of a small pine. I called out to Colin and Mich who managed to to get on the bird through the scope before it took flight again. I headed off along the path where there was a Stonechat and 2 Dartford Warblers. The shrike then flew across the path and was visible through a gap in some pines not too far away. The next 20 minutes were spent watching the shrike as it hunted, successfully catching what looked like a large bumblebee, before it flew more distantly.

After calling in at home again, I headed back to Blackdown, to see if I could relocate the calling YBW, but no luck and other than around 50 Fieldfare there was very little else on offer.

Stonechat

Great Grey Shrike

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Eventually gave good views