I was reading the latest Bird Guides weekly roundup this morning whilst enjoying a coffee and noticed that there's something of an influx of Hawfinches into the country this autumn. Although I kept my ears and eyes open on my walk through Brookfield Plantation this morning I failed to connect with any Hawfinches but I did see a few interesting things on my stroll before a lunch date with my wife and some much needed gardening brought things to a close.
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| Peregrines |
A check on the local Peregrines was successful as both the male and female were in situ though the poor light meant that my initial attempts to grab a few pics were a bit on the duff side, later efforts were better. In the plantation there were several tit flocks which included a couple of Marsh Tits in their ranks. Several Teal flew up from one of the ponds while the wood seemed full of gormless Pheasants newly released and presumably easy targets for the gun. Once I'd reached the edge of the wood I decided to hang around for a bit and see what went past. A trickle of both Skylarks and Chaffinches passed by and two or three Meadow Pipits were on the move too. At least one Redpoll was heard though this may well be wintering locally rather than on passage. Returning back through the wood added a flock of Redwing to my list and more views of Marsh Tit. By now some weak autumnal sunshine was poking through the clouds though it was still strong enough to glint off the gossamer wings of a latish Willow Emerald. This was flying weakly around the outer branches of a Hawthorn and was lost to view when it landed. A check through the bins revealed its location and I grabbed a couple of photos, a Common Darter showed briefly as I was doing so. I would have stayed longer but that lunch date with my wife was getting closer and there was no way I was going to be late for that!
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| Pheasant and Willow Emerald |
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