Tuesday, 22 July 2014

Flycatcher....................Spotted!



Sunny, 28º, light NE.

Another warm sunny day, fewer butterflies, more birds and harvesting is well underway with several cereal crop fields cut!

A couple of hours spent around the hill today proved more than worthwhile with some indication that migrants may be on the move and the first Spotted Flycatchers for the year.

No songs heard today.

Up to 3 Common Redstart on the hill. There was the from previous days present along the western edge with 2 more calling further along the hill in the Hawthorns. One was another but I didn’t see the other.

A pair of House Sparrow briefly on the hill before flying off south, 6+ Yellow Wagtails present (probably 2 family groups), a Greenfinch, 2 Song Thrush, 2 Kestrel, 3 Red Kite and 2 Buzzard.

20+ Lesser Blackback Gull mixed in with a 500+ corvid flock (mainly Rook and c10% Jackdaw) in the pig fields across the A417.

To the north of the hill there was up to 5 Spotted Flycatcher feeding in the trees by a horse paddock (adults and young) also a Willow Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat nearby.

A Hobby seen mobbing a Red Kite quite aggressively and the Kite eventually moved off, Corn Bunting, Linnet, Yellowhammer, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat all noted.

Fewer numbers of butterflies: Large White, Small White, 1 Brimstone, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Skipper (far fewer), 1 Large Skipper, 1 Holly Blue, 2 Comma, 5  Peacock and 2 Red Admiral.

Singles of Brown Hawker and Blue Emperor dragonflies.

 Spotted Flycatcher




 Yellow Wagtail

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