Double Osprey please

Two Ospreys visited Salford Priors this week as Autumn swung into gear. Our first Osprey was picked up by Ann & Noel on Tuesday in Bidford heading towards the pits harassased by a party of gulls. Thankfully I managed to get the news out quickly to our fellow pitters enabling Mark Clarke to get on site and take to great photos including the one shown above. This bird was wearing a blue ring (5). Terry managed to see it at Abbots Salford before heading south.

The following day Chris Lane text me at 12.24pm saying juvenile Osprey (unringed) was sat on top of the Little Owl tree. The Squire was on hand this time for a patch tick before the bird flew west at 1pm. Chris also recorded a Hobby, Little Egret, 4 Little Ringed Plover, Pochard, 2 Swift, Green Sandpiper & 6 Lapwing. I did call down after work but there was no sign however an escaped Chiloe Wigeon was on Pophills. 

Fridays visit was very quiet but the Chiloe Wigeon was present again with an addition of a Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper & 39 Lapwing. 

There was no sightings on Saturday however Jon had a very interesting day on Sunday when he recorded the second site record of a Blue-headed Wagtail, appearing on the main pit during the rain, with at least 2 White amongst 15-20 Pied and 4 Yellow Wagtails. After the rain had stopped most departed again leaving just a few Pied.  Highlights included 1 Little Egret, 9 Grey Herons (the best for some time), 225 Greylags, 1 escaped Chiloe Wigeon on the main pit, 1 eclipse male Wigeon, 10 Gadwall, 22 Teal, 300 Mallard, 1 Shoveler, 1 male Pochard, 26 Tufted Duck, adult male Hobby chasing martins, 1 Grey Partridge calling by main pit, 3 Little Ringed Plover, 4 Ringed Plover, 40 Lapwing, 2 Dunlin, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpipers, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull dropped in for a while, 1 Kingfisher, huge numbers of hirundines milling about in the rain with an estimated 550 House Martins, 120 Swallows and 25 Sand Martins, 1 Tree Pipit and a few Meadow Pipits flew south before the rain.

There has been a lack of posts of late as sightings have not really changed until this week.