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| A Kestrel hovering over Allden's Hill |
Spring is in in full swung on the patch. Birdsong is
constant, with parents taking food to hungry young, and fledged birds of some
species on the wing. All the summer migrants are now in – Matt Phelps had the first Spotted Flycatcher at Winkworth on Sunday (I’ve yet to see one in 2016). The Nightingale found on Clockhouse Lane on Sunday has been presence
ever since, singing at different times of the day. It remains largely hard to
see, showing only for brief periods. Hopefully a mate will appear soon. On that
subject, today was the first in a while that the Slade’s Farm Cuckoo wasn’t at it full pelt. Maybe a
female has arrived? There has clearly been an arrival of this species, with 2
different males singing on Monday.
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull flying east over Slade's Farm |
At least 17 Greylag
Geese were around on Monday, and this count excludes the non-viewable breeders
in private Thorncombe Park. 2 Egyptian
Geese were also noted, my first since March, and it looks like they might
be nesting, which they weren’t thought to do last year. Red-legged Partridge numbers remain high – 10 the biggest number this
week on the 9th. The exceptionally elusive Grey Partridge pair were seen briefly by Matt on Sunday, as they flew
over the road opposite the Winkworth disabled car park, in the Wintershall part
of the estate.
Today was another hot one, and with the whole day at my
mercy I chose to spend most of it sky-watching from Allden’s Hill, with the
Montagu’s Harrier still fresh in my mind. It was largely slow-going, however,
with a steady trickle of Swallows, 5
Swifts, a late Meadow Pipit and a small Gull movement the only migration evidence.
The latter featured 3 Herring Gulls
(2 and 1) going E, with an adult Lesser
Black-backed Gull later on being my 6th record of the year. The
bird circled a couple of times over the Ridge before continuing in the
direction of Winterfold.
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| All sorts of young birds are now on the wing |
Raptor numbers weren’t as high as Saturday, despite the
favourable conditions. I won’t really be publicising much about these birds,
and a few other species, as the breeding season carries on. With little in the
air my attention was drawn to the numerous Sylvia warblers, particularly in the
scrub on the southern side of Allden’s Hill. There are at least 2 Garden Warblers around, and one showed
fairly well this morning, though I was too slow for a picture. A male
Whitethroat was new here earlier, and at least 15 Blackcaps were around. I await my first Thorncombe Street Lesser
Whitethroat.
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| A remarkable moment - Dunlin in Sainsbury's car park |
Locally, an extraordinary event occurred yesterday, at the
unlikely setting of Sainsbury’s car park, in Godalming. At around 11:00,
following a shower, a delightful summer-plumage Dunlin appeared, and proceeded
to feed in the puddles on the tarmac. It was clearly migrating, and the rain
forced it down, with the vast concrete space perhaps resembling mud. Unperturbed
by shoppers and vehicles, I enjoyed close range views for about 20 minutes. At
around 12:30 it stopped in its tracks, called twice, before taking off high
north. Sensational stuff! I’ve posted some more pictures into the gallery.
