The last two days have seen a slowing of passage after the excitement of the Pigeon and Thrush day of Monday but there have still been some good sightings. The Spoonbill finally left us this morning at 0915 after nine days of parading around and circled up into the grey and four Marsh Harriers have still been keeping things in their toes while a female Merlin once again terrorised the finches today.
Our colour ringed Kestrel - John Humble
Stonechat numbers are still good with about a dozen on the trail and a smart Greenland race Northern Wheatear was hopping up and down the river wall this morning and keeping curious company with a Robin and a Linnet it would seem...
Stonechat - Russ Sherriff
Greenland race Northern Wheatear - Russ Sherriff
and with some new friends too...
I had a Siberian Chiffchaff yesterday but no sign of it today but there was still a normal one in the woodland and Blackcaps are still being seen too. Bill Moss photographed a Willow Warbler today in the ivy which is getting a bit late and I suspect it is the reserves latest ever record.
Willow Warbler - Bill Moss
Cetti's Warblers have been quite showy! - Paul Hutchison
The only Redwings today were a flock of 150 high and west and the three Fieldfares of yesterday have not been seen which is not surprising - everything is so transient this time of year.
Fieldfare - Russ Sherriff
Although there have been less finches over the last two days there have still been a few Lesser Redpolls and Siskins through along with small Chaffinch flocks. It was with one of these that Tony Houston found a female Bullfinch in the chestnut canopy. I suspect that it too was a continental bird.
Most of the Bullfinch but Tony H was lucky to get a shot!
Today was so warm that I almost got burnt while out pruning the gardens and the Honey Bees were back on the wing too. Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were zooming after other aerial prey of which there was plenty and I found two Eristalis tenax hoverflies in the centre at the end of the day which I caught and released. Red Admiral, Small White, Speckled Wood and Clouded Yellow butterflies were all seen and the Marsh Frogs were back up and loafing on the surface!
Migrant Hawker - Ken Bentley
Episyrphus balteatus - Ken Bentley
And to cap it all off we had the first cracking sunset of the late autumn...
25-10-17
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer