Wednesday, 27 August 2008

DUNLIN fresh in but otherwise more 'chats'

Wednesday 27 August
(Another warm day, with fresh SSW winds, overcast skies and dry conditions)

Undoubted highlight was a juvenile DUNLIN that joined the 2 adult Ringed Plovers on the island all day, as well as a healthy count of juvenile CORN BUNTINGS and more passage WHINCHATS.

WILSTONE RESERVOIR
(1430 intermittently to 1800 hours; with SR, FB, SW & DB in part)

Grey Herons - 13 feeding in the shallows
Mute Swan - 78 present
WHOOPER SWANS - adult pair still
Canada Geese - 94 early evening
Common Teal - 27
Shoveler - 64
Red-legged Partridge - pair still present in field behind new overflow
*Coot - 610 click-counted today indicating sharp decrease in numbers
RINGED PLOVER - 2 adults remain on islands
*DUNLIN - juvenile present all day, feeding on small muddy islet (DB, SW, MW, SR, FB, LGRE, et al)
COMMON GREENSHANK - 3 juveniles remain present
COMMON SANDPIPER - 2 juveniles still
HERRING GULL - 1 juvenile on spit

Common Buzzard
HOBBY - juvenile still present
COMMON SWIFT - 1 (MW, SR)
SAND MARTIN - 23
House Martins - 63 still
Barn Swallows - 15+
NORTHERN WHEATEAR - juvenile present in 'Meadow Fields' (SR, FB)

IVINGHOE HILLS NR

Steve Rodwell recorded the continuing juvenile male COMMON STONECHAT and 3 WHINCHATS earlier in the day but I saw none of these this evening - the field had been completely harvested.

PITSTONE HILL (all birds congregating in stubble by fence at cSP 953 146)

**CORN BUNTINGS - 16 present in flock including 7 very freshly plumaged juveniles (resembling Bobolinks or Yellow-breasted Buntings!!)

YELLOWHAMMER - 9
Meadow Pipit - 14
Common Skylark - 25
NORTHERN WHEATEAR - 3
*WHINCHAT - 2 along fence (SR, LGRE)

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