An excellent day for spring migrants at the patch. The day started off well with excellent views of a Grasshopper Warbler in the NW corner along the hedge bordering Stanwell Moor, watched at close range, even flying out into sedges on Staines Moor and heard to sing occasionally. 3 Common Redstart (a male and female in the hawthorns in the NW corner and a male in the hawthorns on the west side) is an excellent site day count, although they proved typically elusive, appearing in front of you one moment and vanishing the next.
A Lesser Whitethroat in the NW corner is the first patch record of the year, as were 7 (3H) Willow Warbler (including 1 on the ground around the anthills in the NW corner). Other grounded migrants included 4 (1m, 3f) Northern Wheatear on the west side, 10 (1H) Blackcap (inc. 8m, 1f) and 14 (6H) Chiffchaff (including a ringed bird along Bonehead Ditch).
Overhead, 13+ Sand Martin (NW to NE, with 9 pausing to feed over the Colne for a while), 1-2 barn Swallow N, 3 Linnet NW, 1 Skylark N, 2 Meadow Pipit N and 1 Peregrine N were noted moving, along with 6 Red Kite and 6 Common Buzzard.
Local breeders logged include 2 Redshank on the east pool (one bird displaying to the other by fanning its tail), 21+ Linnet (including a female collecting nest material in the NW corner), 9 (8m, 1f) Reed Bunting, 1 Greenfinch in display flight over the west hawthorns, a pair of Robin seen courtship feeding, and many Meadow Pipit and Skylark. Also found a discarded Blakcbird egg.
Also noted were 2 (1m, 1f) Stonechat still (south end east of Colne), 1 Little Egret (Colne), 1 Coot (Colne), 1 Grey Heron (Butts Pond), 2+ (1m, 1+f) Kestrel, 1+ Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 8 (6m, 2f) Mallard and 4 (2m torquatus, 1f, 1H) Common Pheasant (SE corner). A couple of Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris were in flower today and inverts seen include 3 Comma, 4m Brimstone and a Peacock.
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| Today's Grasshopper Warbler in the NW corner |
A Lesser Whitethroat in the NW corner is the first patch record of the year, as were 7 (3H) Willow Warbler (including 1 on the ground around the anthills in the NW corner). Other grounded migrants included 4 (1m, 3f) Northern Wheatear on the west side, 10 (1H) Blackcap (inc. 8m, 1f) and 14 (6H) Chiffchaff (including a ringed bird along Bonehead Ditch).
Overhead, 13+ Sand Martin (NW to NE, with 9 pausing to feed over the Colne for a while), 1-2 barn Swallow N, 3 Linnet NW, 1 Skylark N, 2 Meadow Pipit N and 1 Peregrine N were noted moving, along with 6 Red Kite and 6 Common Buzzard.
Local breeders logged include 2 Redshank on the east pool (one bird displaying to the other by fanning its tail), 21+ Linnet (including a female collecting nest material in the NW corner), 9 (8m, 1f) Reed Bunting, 1 Greenfinch in display flight over the west hawthorns, a pair of Robin seen courtship feeding, and many Meadow Pipit and Skylark. Also found a discarded Blakcbird egg.
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| Discarded Blackbird egg |
Also noted were 2 (1m, 1f) Stonechat still (south end east of Colne), 1 Little Egret (Colne), 1 Coot (Colne), 1 Grey Heron (Butts Pond), 2+ (1m, 1+f) Kestrel, 1+ Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 8 (6m, 2f) Mallard and 4 (2m torquatus, 1f, 1H) Common Pheasant (SE corner). A couple of Marsh Marigold Caltha palustris were in flower today and inverts seen include 3 Comma, 4m Brimstone and a Peacock.
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