Thursday 2nd October - Inland Fog

With the bright. calm and hot weather continuing the mornings have remained quite misty. I went to Blackdown again this morning after the school-run thinking that by 8.30am the fog should have lifted, but the fog was holding on, there was still a pea-souper until about 9.15am.

Fog is fairly useless for birding (along with high winds, driving rain or blizzards), but it doesn't mean the birds aren't there- you just can't see them. This year I've been to a few places around the world where a high hillside or mountain near to the coast will become a migrant trap with a bit of fog (Bach Ma in Vietnam being memorable for flocks of Japanese Thrush with Red-throated, Siberian and White's Thrush) and in a way that's the general idea of what I hope for when I go to a foggy Blackdown, with it being the highest point in Sussex but other than the odd Ring Ouzel I've yet to find it can complete with anywhere on the South Coast, probably being 20 miles nearer the coast would help.

As the fog cleared to bright sunshine there was a stunning display of cobwebs full of dew and glistening across the heather and scrub.

I could hear several Meadow Pipits calling and recorded 8 as the fog started to lift, until then had made do with Coal Tit and Goldcrest. Stonechat were in the usual places, I counted 5 in total and the only sign of a migrant fall was 5 Song Thrushes together before they flew off calling with a single Mistle Thrush.
I encountered 2 Long-tailed Tit flocks both of which had several Chiffchaff, and one also with a Treecreeper and a Firecrest. The only other bird of interest was a flyover Lesser Redpoll - the first one this autumn, a single Kestrel and 2 Ravens being the other birds of note.

Couldn't see much to start with !!

Spiders had been busy

A couple of Meadow pipits resting up

A better view as it cleared but birds remained thin pickings.