Somethings Winged Thisway Come??

Saturday saw me actually getting to the Nose within a reasonable proximity of sunrise. It also saw an actual fall of sorts!!!!!

Despite the weather;

Almost Art

Considering it had mistyfogged up quite pleasingly the evening before, waking to brilliant sunshine was something of a disappointment..

But I was determined, and Got There Early [for once..] and was - in a shock move - rewarded.!?! [I know, I'm still not fully recovered, get a bit dizzy thinking about it...]

With bushes full of warblers and a sky overhead if not full, then very well used, by passing passerines! Ok the sea was pretty barren, but you can't have it all.

Chaffchiff

With so many birds, eventually one will pose. And there were so many; 35+ Chiffchaffs, all down the site.

I got rather hopeful, I think not unreasonably, of there being something with them. I mean, all these grounded migrants, all those birds streaming overhead [ok, not in vast numbers, but any 5 minute period had something going over], there had to be a rare around. With vagrants from both West and East arriving at Starehole alone that weekend, it was not unreasonable.

With all the Chiffs, I got... 2 Blackcaps.

Bugger.

Overhead, more than 80% of passing birds were Mipits or alba Wagtails, with more than a dozen grounded along the Sole;

Pied Wagtail

[you can see the black rump]

Luminous legs!

Meadow Pipit

With them, a sneaky Wheatear. I counted 10 roosting Oystercatchers.

Overhead, more 'interesting' species included my first Reed Bunting, and Siskin on Patch for the year, also Skylarks, regular finches [Gr/Go/Ch], Linnets,  Jays, 7 Ravens in one group, a GSW, Jackdaws [two groups], 2 Song Thrush, and - going North for some reason - a pair of Woodlark! They went right over me, like little musical woodpeckers. :D *

While I'd gleefully trade the lot for a REV or Radde's of my very own - ok, of everyone who wants to come and see it's own - it was certainly a welcome payoff for all the [relatively] flat days I've had before [and since.. ooops, spoilers]. Vismig of coast-following species is a Nose thing [unlike soaring birds, who invariably pass waaay inland], and it's been a bit down so far this year [or happening when I couldn't be there..].

Also of photo interest;

Another migrant

Possibly the same?

Greenfinch and Goldfinch numbers were markedly up; tripled and doubled from the previous weekend. This means grounded migrants in amongst the residents, so statistically, good chance that Greenie isn't local.

Even better, this was just the morning.

There was more to come.

[Ooooh, what can he mean??]

Be Seeing You...

[[* Woodlark are annual over the Nose - never seen on the ground, though - almost always in Autumn. Never in any numbers and always a treat. Their distinctive silhouette makes them probably the easiest 'special' bird, IF you get on them when they fly over. ]]