A lovely sunny day but, without much of a headwind, probably too fair to have dropped anything in quantity. Another
Osprey passed through - this one over Weston and Fortuneswell - and a
Green Woodpecker was a surprise turn up at the Obs, whilst the assortment of migrants at/over the Bill included 30
Swallows, 15
Blackcaps, 10
Chiffchaffs, 4
Short-eared Owls, 4
Goldcrests, 2
Wheatears, 2
Black Redstarts and singles of
Yellow Wagtail,
Firecrest,
Brambling,
Siskin and
Bullfinch; the only other reports from the land concerned 2
Black Redstarts at Reap Lane and the
'Eastern' Lesser Whitethroat still at Southwell. Apart from a trickle of Manx Shearwaters seawatching at the Bill returned just 7
Common Scoter and a single
Red-throated Diver.
The Short-eared Owls have got so fed up with long lenses being poked up their a***s all winter that they've taken to sneaking about on foot to avoid the circus © Roger Hewitt:
And as record shots go this one of the Green Woodpecker must be about as bad as it gets © Martin Cade:
