A great day on the marshes with our 200th bird species of 2010 being a real belter when Les Harrison found a first-winter male Bluethroat along the Northern Trail at 0820 this morning. It was incredibly elusive and showed only occasionally from the reeds and sedges and as many people went away disappointed as happy. Although it had no real blue on it it was heard singing quietly to itself this afternoon confirming it as a male.
It is most likely to have been of one of the red-spotted race that breeds in Scandinavia and the Arctic as we have had lots of easterly birds arriving in the last few days.
Bluethroat by the finder Les Harrison
There was plenty else to see today and the Tree Sparrow showed well for most of the day on the feeders with the House Sparrow flock while a pair of Marsh Harrier, f Merlin, and Peregrine kept eyes on the skies. Four Pink-footed Geese were new in and on any other day would have drew a crowd of London birders in their own right!, Also seen were seven Stonechat, two Wheatear, Green Sandpiper, two Curlew, 15 Redwing, 13 Chiffchaff and five Golden Plover. Role on tomorrow!
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer