Tuesday 11 August 2015

Mike Campbell's up with the lark and finds a PIED FLYCATCHER!!

At around 0700 hours this morning, local birder MIKE CAMPBELL stumbled upon a first-winter PIED FLYCATCHER in the 'migrant gulley' 150 yards west of the car park at PITSTONE HILL. The bird was behaving particularly well, favouring a lone Elder at the edge of the dyke, and showed well throughout the day, allowing Rob Andrews, Francis Buckle, Lucy Flower, Ian Williams, Dave Bilcock and myself to connect. In fact, it was still showing well at 1800 hours!

I also had a nice TREE PIPIT in the gulley bushes, as well as 35 Meadow Pipits, 15 Yellowhammer, 40 Linnet, 3 Corn Bunting, a juvenile WILLOW WARBLER and a Common Chiffchaff

Three COMMON REDSTARTS were located in Inkombe Hole (adult male & 2 juveniles) but there have not been any sign of the birds at the Beacon since Sunday, when Dave Bilcock logged 6 individuals. A few Lesser Whitethroats of note....

The stunner - a first record for Pitstone Hill -:
























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