Corton New Sewage Works.

Another lovely sunny day, with COMMON DARTER around with a count of 7. At least there was something to look at with birds all over the show. Best bird was a FIRECREST female which gave good views on three occasions. Mind you as for a pic no not really.  The number of BLACKBIRDS was really high with a count over 35 and also 15 ROBIN. Good to see our usual COMMON BUZZARD but even more impressed with flyover SKYLARK at 4. GREEN WOODPECKER,GOLDFINCH, GOLDCREST, LONG TAILED TIT, GREAT TIT, BLUE TIT.

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Ness Point

Big waves rolling in from the East and raining well. Bird life minimal so very short stay. Best bird was a BLACK REDSTART on the wall and also a ROCK PIPIT trying to shelter from the wind. Out at sea 10 CORMORANT flying North. At Links Hill nothing out at sea but one MED GULL and three CARRION CROW. One BLACK HEADED GULL was colour ringed, White Black lettering number  J2TK.

Ness Point

Looking for a good sea watch and in some respects good but no Little Auk. Best bird fro me was close run through EIDER five in all COMMON SCOTER 9 and EIDER 8 with GANNET all well out and at 13. MALLARD with South run at 9. On shore 4 MEADOW PIPIT and 2 BLACK REDSTART. R.T.D. just one South. SHELLDUCK travelling in convoy with BRENT GEESE altogether 66. MED GULL flying offshore 2. Other duck where TEAL with four birds and a single WOODCOCK. in off and over Hamilton Dock.

Minismere

A day out with friends at Mins, with the best bird being a very obliging BITTERN at of course the bittern hide.

Plenty of TEAL, GADWALL, WIGEON, MALLARD, MOORHEN, with around 20 BLACK TAILED GODWIT. But you just can't beat a performing bittern.

https://youtu.be/ROf9kEQpnpI

Pathways

Regular visit for the week with no real surprises but still a good count of birds. Ducks being the main area of interest with GADWALL, WIGEON, MALLARD, and 39 BLACK HEADED GULL. But a flyover COMMON BUZZARD and only the second recorded CORMORANT for the site.

Ness Point

Good visibility enabled what was seen to be good records. With good movement of birds nearly all South. Mind you can tell you are getting old when after four days you go to get your chair out of the car a find that you have not brought it. You then look over the wall and there it is since you last visited. So if you want to keep hold of anything then the lesson is easy. Always leave behind a rubbish and well used seat, because if it had been any good it would have gone. So my seat lives for another day.

BRENT GOOSE 303, COMMON GULL 2, CORMORANT 77, EIDER 4, GANNET 27, GOOSANDER 2,  GREAT SKUA 1, MEADOW PIPIT 28, MED GULL 1, OYSTERCATCHER 1, R.T.D. 8, SHELLDUCK 1, TURNSTONE 1.

Pathways.

Bright and still warm, this is worrying to say the least. But Pathways looks good and the number of species on site today was again good. The best being that although I saw a pair of GREY WAGTAIL a few weeks ago flying about they did not settle. But as walked  by the run off I saw one dive in the ditch. I came up at it was washing itself of in the stream. To say it is dark in there is to tell the truth so to get any picture was difficult so none of my pics do this lovely bird justice.

Amazingly this was the first time I have picked up on a COMMON PHEASANT which when you think of the hours of this year it is a true surprise that it has taken a long time. WIGEON, GADWALL, MALLARD, and numbers of MOORHEN  increasing. I also heard a KINGFISHER which is the first for a long while.

Later on in the day we travelled through Hulver. I needed a pee and went into a field when I put up a small flock of birds. Four  YELLOWHAMMER  and a MEADOW PIPIT. We also had a really dark COMMON BUZZARD.

Think this is more like a tree pipit as streaking is thinned out and lower mandible pink. A larger bill and also smaller hind claw. Colour is also more light brown rather than darker and finner call as it set off.

Corton Old Sewage Works

Bright and hot for a time of year and still summer stuff around.

Again some movements of birds with one male BLACKCAP for summer and a flock of five BRAMBLING for winter. I also could here a Yellow Browed but could not locate it, with GOLDCREST about, but I did have a really great male SPARROWHAWK as can be seen he did not want to be seen. Three TEAL on pond which I have never seen here before. MOORHEN here 3 and 2 REDWING. Numbers of ROBIN well up and all singing well at 12.There does not seem to be the quantity of SKYLARK with only 2 the same with MEADOW PIPIT. 

The trully amasing feature of today was the amount of COMMON DARTER about and also a COMMA which is again late on the wing.

                     Our little friend below has been busy and to prove the point any ideas.

Ness Point.

With strong South wind and high tide movement of birds South. This seemed to be in favour of waders with at least 42 DUNLIN my largest count ever. SANDLING 2, BRENT GEESE 8, MALLARD 13 and WIGEON 5. TEAL 4, Also a ROCK PIPIT flitting about.

Blunderston Lanes

Last night it was obvious that birds were flying into the country. I was able to identify REDWING, BLACKBIRD and ROBIN. The robin was the first for this method for me. So followed up on this and headed for an area that these birds seem to frequent. Sure enough the hunch paid of with the best being a flock of 4 BRAMBLING  but add to this another which I saw earlier. These birds were very flitty hence the distant pic of a female. I also had about 30  REDWING along one track and 7 SONG THRUSH. Was not able to get a clear on a ring ouzel but at least 10 BLACKBIRD. KESTREL 1, GOLDFINCH, WREN, ROBIN, Also a flock of 10 SKYLARK flew over very tired as if from nowhere a CARRION CROW flew into the flock and grabbed a lark in its claws and then transferred it to his beak still in flight flew of to the marsh. Never seen this before and compared to the Merlin at the Bill that could not catch one.
It was obvious as well that CROWS and ROOKS were sorting themeslves out before the big winter roost.
Still over 30 COMMON DARTER about, RED ADMIRAL 2, SPECKELED WOOD 2, and the best was this worn WALL BROWN.

Pathways

Pathways:  An hour on site brought in the first WIGEON for the site. GADWALL 4, MALLARD 5, MOORHEN 2, FERAL PIGEON, With 19 species in all. I also had my 6th WILLOW GREEN EMERALD and still 5 COMMON DARTER flying.
Ness Point: Seven species seen with CORMORANT 8, GANNET,  RED THROATED DIVER 5.
Corton Sewage Works, New:    A single flyover COMMON BUZZARD and 4 JAY but only one MED GULL. It was good to here and see two SKYLARK but only two. But the best was a YELLOW BROWED WARBLER which while watching I could here another to my right. So two birds here. No pic though. 

Ness Point

Wind picking up from the North until a storm tonight. This some stuff through the best being two COMMON TERN heading North as most stuff was including two SHELLDUCK. There was also a movement of COMMON SCOTER with 8 but I also had 11 DARK BELLIED BRENT and 3 PALE BELLIED BRENT. Only two GANNET well out but close in a pair of COMMON GUILLEMOT on the water. As for RED THROATED DIVER  3 on water and 7 flying. As for small stuff PIED WAG 1 and 1 MEADOW PIPIT .

Corton Beach and Corton Woods.

Bright and a really lovely Autumn day. Sun on your back it is good to be alive. Birding could be better but who cares anyway. Life is looking up.

Best find was a MED GULL with a ring and obviously a Polish bird. Recorded it through and wait and see in a few days what the outcome is. Also our very friendly RED THROATED DIVER is  still cruising up and down North Beach, but he still is not playing ball when it comes to getting a good pic. Very few passerines on cliff with only WREN and ROBIN, GOLDFINCH, STARLING, HOUSE SPARROW, CORMORANT 3. CARRION CROW 3
Corton Woods:   Although stuff was elusive it could be seen and heard as long as you could remain still. BLUE TIT, GREAT TIT, LONG TAILED TIT 30, CHAFFINCH, BLACKBIRD, and best was GREEN WOODPECKER. But over flying the woods was 20 MED GULLS.

Pathways

Bright day a a new bird for Pathways list in two GREY WAGTAILS that kept hanging around. I saw them and heard them three times in an hour. Also good evidence of otter today as his run =can be clearly seen. COMMON BUZZARD came out of tree aside the old A12 and kept himself covered by the sun most of the time. I also had three JAYS which were gathering acorns annd flying voff with them. GADWALL, MALLARD, TEAL, LITTLE GREBE, MOORHEN, COOT, ROBIN, WREN, CHAFFINCH and over 20 LONG TAILED TIT.