Sunday morning trouble heading our way
Muntjac Deer
Sun rising at Pophills
First Wigeon of Autumn
Two patch visits to Salford Priors at weekend sadly didn’t result in much luck on either day. The early morning mist prohibited any searching on Saturday whilst a hot air balloon flushed everything on Sunday morning before we had reached the main pit.
Pophills continues to be quiet and sightings were limited to one Ringed Plover, six Coot, Buzzard and a Stonechat that was in the west hedge .
The two Pintail remained on the main pit whilst eight Wigeon had joined them. Seven were flushed by balloon but lets hope they hang around as I love observing the Wigeon as they come through their eclipse plumage. There was a very young Little Grebe brood to compliment a great summer for the species at the site. 16 Lapwing landed late morning and three Snipe were feeding with the Teal. The only other waders were 3 Green Sandpipers.
This is historically the last weekend of the year to see and hear warblers and we perhaps saw our last Reed Warbler of summer. Two Redpolls flew across edge of main pit as we entered the old workings. A small number of Meadow Pipits and Swallows past over heading south. Skylarks could be observed in more plentiful numbers that normal no doubt feeding up before moving on.
Coal Tits, Goldcrests, Nuthatches, Green Woodpeckers, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpecker could all be observed on the edge of the plantation.
10+ Yellowhammers were using a puddle to drink from by the migrant trap towards the south of the pits. The shrub bushes contained Blackcaps, Song Thrushes, Blackbirds. Long-tailed Tits, Blue & Great Tits. Starling numbers continue to grow and they were watching us from the top of the old dead tree.
A family of seven Raven were calling loudly as we crossed the meadows where drainage work had unfortunately started. Very disappointing for us all given the population of Snipe & Jack Snipe.
Despite the clear skies raptors were limited to 10 Buzzards, Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel.
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