Saturday 25 July 2009

First migrant COMMON REDSTARTS on the Quainton Hills

Calvert sailing lake; 2 Common Sandpiper

Hillesden; Little Grebe with 3 chicks

Quainton Hills; 2 COMMON REDSTARTS, the first migrants of the autumn and following two juveniles at Ivinghoe Hills NR on 23-24 July; an adult male and female-type. Both very wary birds, first glimpsed in flight in bushes. Sat down and waited but didn't re-appear. Left for an hour and got one in 'scope from extreme range. Crawled closer but they still spotted me. Managed to obtain long range poor quality record shots. The second bird appears on zoomed image to have remnants of speckly head which would make it juvenile, possibly a male as back quite greyish but not sure.

Also 2 COMMON RAVENS over tops regularly and cronking and Warblers are on the move. So open/barren/no scrub up there you only get migrant warblers. Today had 1 Lesser Whitethroat/3 Common Whitethroat and 2 Willow Warbler (Tim Watts)

DIRECTIONS; Walk from Quainton village, head towards radio mast. Go through mast field with mast on right, through next gate, straight on, through next gate and there's a very sparse line of Hawthorns in front of you. Both redstarts were in paddock type field to left. This is top of West slopes. Slightly off path but open grass area and not a problem, just don't wander into farmhouse areas.

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