o/c, showers. light-mod NE.
Hobby - 1 adult, chasing hirundines, then heading N 0745
Common Snipe - 2 N, 0900
Tree Pipit - 1 N, 0730
Meadow Pipit - 3 singles over
Sand Martin - 1
Swallow - 10
Sedge Warbler - 1 (singing at dawn)
Reed Warbler - 8 (one singing)
Willow Warbler - 1
Chiffchaff - 12 (several singing)
Red-crested Pochard - 2
Wigeon - 9
Canada Goose - 49
Kingfisher - 2
Song Thrush - 15
Blackbird - 20
Mistle Thrush - 10
Robin - c15
Black-headed Gull - 25
Herring Gull - 1
LBB Gull - 4
another entertaining early morning on patch, the highlight being an adult Hobby - which came in from the east, terrorised a small group of hirundines, performed beautifully over the East Res and then departed to the north. Visible migration continues to provide, with a single Tree Pipit (the first of the year), three Meadow Pipits, two Snipe (the first for the autumn), ten Swallows and a Sand Martin all overhead.
Thrushes and Robins maintain a comparatively numerous migratory presence, and warblers are still moving through; they're also (surprisingly) singing regularly, with Sedge, Reed and chiffys all in song today (as well as Willow and Garden in the last few days).
Wildfowl numbers - especially Gadwall, Common Pochard, Shoveler and Tufted Duck - are high, and the extensive weed present on the East Res is a hit with Wigeon, nine of which are now present. The pair of Red-crested Pochards (an imm. male and a female)and two Kingfishers were also frequenting the ER; over on the WR, 49 Canada geese roosted and left at dawn (sadly bereft of any african brethren).
