A very productive couple of visits over the weekend in warm sunny weather where starting at 5am on both mornings, the highlights included 5 Whitethroat, 4 Blackcap, 4 Jay, 2 Yellowhammer, 4 Linnet, 3 Chiffchaff, 7 Reed Warbler, 4 Sedge Warbler, 1 Cetti's Warbler, 1 Turtle Dove showing well on both mornings where a few photos were taken. There were 5 Skylark, 4 Swallow, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Bullfinch, 1 Swift, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Buzzard and as I walked along the eastern side on Saturday, I thought I heard a Nuthatch call. I was not wrong as I was then able to pick out the Nuthatch (108) which gave its familiar call and showed well but briefly before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. This is the first time I have seen this species here and was not really on the radar of birds that I hoped would appear... but most welcome. Just a bit further along the path and I found my first Purple Hairstreak for the site. With plenty of Oak on site, I suspect this butterfly is more common than I believe. I will have to spent some time searching the Oaks for more. 'Nocmig' recording over the weekend produced 2 Little Grebe, 1+ Oystercatcher (109) over calling but the biggest surprise was a Quail (110) which flew over calling at 01:42. You never know what's out there and another bonus bird for the year.
I'm very impressed by your Turtle Dove finding and photography, Marc. In my early days of volunteering at Rutland Water it was the norm each year for a Turtle Dove to be on the wires as I made my way to the Osprey monitoring hide. The, some years later, we didn't get one, and I've not seen one since. It's 15 years since I last saw one I could photograph!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes - stay safe - - - Richard
Many thanks Richard. 15 years, that's quite a while but a sad reflection on how hard its getting g to seecthis species. They are definitely getting g harder to see every year. I'd better make the most of this bird this year then. Take care.
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