Shorncote

30 Sep - My first visit to Shorncote for a while. A fairly good selection of autumn birds and Shorncote specialities - 2 Little Grebes, a flock of a hundred or so Tufted Duck and the first Wigeon of the winter, calling Water Rail, Lapwing flock in flight, 2 Kingfishers including one perched, a passage of Meadow Pipits, 3 fairly confiding Stonechats, and 3 Greenfinches, a local scarcity these days. 2 late Swallows, and a late juvenile Wheatear, were a sign of ongoing migration.

Blakehill recently

3 Oct - Several recent walks at Blakehill. Stonechats are passing through and hopefully arriving for the winter, with a flock of 8 seen this evening, and a late Whinchat this week as well. The Wheatears seem to have finally moved on southwards, still a few Chiffchaffs calling in the hedges though. I’ve seen Peregrine on 2 of my last 3 visits. Good numbers of Swallows present especially in the strong winds at the end of Sept, swooping low around the cattle, a Snipe flyby, and good numbers of Meadow Pipits passing overhead.

WWT

25 Sept - A fairly quiet early morning at Slimbridge, but very nice light on the pools especially on the Black-tailed Godwits feeding in front of Robbie Garnett Hide. Increasing numbers of wintering is now arriving and moulting out of eclipse into smart winter plumage.

Local outings

23 Sept - Recent visits to Blakehill and Shorncote. A definite autumnal feel, with Meadow Pipits passing in good numbers, the Wheatears having moved on to southern climes, and the Swallow passage petering out. Stonechats beginning to appear, with one accompanying a late Whinchat and Blakehill, and 4 the next day at Shorncote - also 2 late (presumably juvenile) Hobbies at Shorncote feeding on dragonflies - mainly Migrant Hawkers - in the windy weather - in view of the unsettled forecast, probably my last sighting this year of one of my favourite birds. Wintering Teal and Wigeon beginning to arrive. An interesting time of year for passage species with one or two scarcities to be expected......

Farmoor wader hotspot

21 Sept - A late afternoon visit to Farmoor on the last of the cloudless September days. The evening light was excellent, and I had really superb views of the tiny juvenile Little Stint that was still present on the causeway, keeping company with a juvenile Dunlin that appeared much bigger and more bulky on this direct comparison. Waders always appear, to me at least, smaller when seen very close to, and the Stint was barely bigger than the Pied Wagtail that was at one point adjacent to it on the causeway. It is always fascinating to see these Arctic breeders on their way south, presumably the juveniles have not encountered much of humanity and they always appear fearless, especially so for some reason on the causeway at Farmoor. Also present, a juvenile Knot, only my second ever here, and 2 juvenile Ruffs, a new species for my Farmoor wader list.

Farlington Foray

19 Sept - Another perfect cloudless day in prospect. I decided to head down to Farlington where a rare vagrant, an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, has been present for the last few days. As back up there is a good variety of waders especially on passage, and high tide was early afternoon. I arrived to see a small group of birders watching the hawthorn bushes, the EOW was still present and I had excellent views within 5 minutes of arriving - distinctively long-billed, with distinctive tail-dipping and a soft call that enabled the bird to be tracked when within the vegetation. I therefore had plenty of time to look for waders as the tide gradually rose, and I checked the adjacent Langstone harbour and also drove round to a couple of wader spots on Hayling Island. Langstone proved the most productive with birds gradually moving onto the lagoon as the tide rose, with Greenshanks and Grey Plovers proving the last to be pushed off by the rising tide as it covered the remaining mud islands. There was a good variety of waders present including 2-3 Curlew Sandpipers, at least 15 Greenshanks and 25+ Knot, amongst the more numerous Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank and Dunlin, together with impressive Curlews with their decurved bills. Greenshanks are one of my favourite waders, always so elegant, so a flock of 13 in one scope view was a real treat. Some of the Grey Plovers were only just beginning to moult out of their stunning summer plumage, presumably having recently arrived from their Arctic breeding areas. The Curlew Sandpipers present were fairly easy to pick out from the neighbouring Dunlin, with longer decurved bills and legs, and larger size, together with their active feeding behaviour thigh-deep in the water. Hayling held about 15 or so Bar-tailed Godwits, a regular site for them. I also saw the remarkable total of at least 46 Little Egrets during the morning. An excellent day.

Lower Moor

18 Sept - The perfect autumn weather continues, and I called in at Lower Moor to look for hawking Hobbies, as there is a good dragonfly population (prey) here. None seen amongst the hawking Gulls feeding on insects. A good view of a female Kestrel perched along the entrance track, a few Swallows moving, and a calling Nuthatch and Green Woodpecker. Insect highlight was definitely a perched Brown Hawker - these normally zoom around in the sun, and I've hardly ever seen one perched. let alone photographed one.