The rain had stopped on Monday, yesterday was quite productive for raptors with a Honey Buzzard, Goshawk, Hobby, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard and this morning I wanted to visit Black Down to see if there was any sign of migrating birds. It often improves through the month with sometimes the best numbers at the end of the month or early September.
I wasn't too hopeful for the first hour. I had 3 Crossbills fly over but it all seemed very quiet until I reached the Southern end. Firstly a bird shot past me into a nearby pine, it was a Pied Flycatcher ! a decent local rarity. It stayed at the top of the tree until dropping to a nearby birch but mostly out of sight before it seemed to melt away. There were families of Stonechat and Dartford Warbler in good numbers, I was scanning the pines to see whether I could pick up the Pied Fly again and I caught of glimpse of something flycatching that landed on a branch in the Scot's Pine, surprised to see it was a Wheatear. Not sure I've seen a Wheatear in such close proximity to a Nuthatch and a Coal Tit before. A bit further down the track and I found 3 Spotted Flycatchers, it definitely started to feel as if autumn migration was truly underway. I retraced my steps and eventually came across a bird party being headed up by Long-tailed Tits but included c40 Warblers, most of which looked like Willow Warblers with a few Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcap and 4 Whitethroat. I then saw another Wheatear back on the Reservoir track, so a very productive morning for here.
The Rowans on site look fairly berry-laden and even a few of the Whitebeams have some berries unlike last year, which might be good for autumn Ring Ouzels.
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| Wheatear |
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| Unusual to see one hawking insects in a Pine tree |
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| Wheatear |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Dartford Warbler |
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Another Wheatear |
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| The Pied Fly was fleeting - so a poor pick with it's back to me was all that was available |
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