16th March 2020
I had 2 Caspian Stonechat at the golf course including this male showing off the tail pattern.
It was already 25% and the car inside as I got in was unbearable. By 09.00 I arrived at the golf course entrance and there to welcome me as I drove through was a male Black-eared Wheatear. I could already hear Blue-cheeked Bee-eater as I walked to the SW corner and the flighty Richard’s Pipit was still present. Everything had cleared out and I didn’t hear the first Lesser Whitethroat for 45 minutes after arriving. There were only 20 Black-headed Wagtail and new in was a male Caspian Stonechat in the NE corner. I hung around with it for a while and 17 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater flew through followed 30 minutes later by another 24, all heading north. also in the clear blue skies were 10 red-rumped Swallow, 30 Swallow, small numbers of House and Sand Martin and still present, was the Asian Red-rumped Swallow.
This male Black-eared Wheatear greeted me at the entrance gates to the golf course
This Richard’s Pipit in the NW corner is hard work to get close to but this morning it showed a lot better than the three days it has been here now.
This male Caspian Stonechat was spending time in the NE corner busy catching flies
The flock of 24 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater paused for a few seconds and then they were off north again.
As I approached the west perimeter fence, I noticed a large warbler ahead of me and putting my bins up I could see that it was a Upcher’s Warbler. I spent nearly an hour with the hippo as it was a new species for me. Earlier on while walking across the center of the golf course towards the south side, a male stonechat flying away from me, I first thought was a wheatear with the large amount of white in the tail and strongly expected it was a Caspian Stonechat. I returned to where I saw the bird earlier and sure enough it turned out to be a male Caspian Stonechat. While I was observing the chat, a single Isabeline and 3 Northern Wheatear and only 8 Short-toed Lark were nearby. Then I heard the Richard’s Pipit but when I scanned and picked it up, I could see that it was a different individual being paler on the underparts with less markings. I guess it’s the individual from when I had the 2 Richard’s Pipit in the SW corner together a few years ago. The pipit flew off towards the NW corner and when I arrived to have a look at the 2 birds, there were now 3 Richard Pipit together! Like the Caspian Stonechat, I was thinking that maybe this large pipit is a scarce migrant here but there is nearly more Richard’s Pipit than Tawny Pipit on the golf Course. The latter species I only saw 6 birds this morning. There were only about 20 each of Lesser Whitethroat and Chiffchaff compared to over 100 each yesterday and also only 5 Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler. No sign of both the Siberian Chiffchaff or male CommonxBlack Redstart but the Black-eared Wheatear had not moved from the entrance gate when I drove out nearly three hours later.
I saw my first Caspian Stonechat last week and got excited as I thought that maybe it was a good bird for the area. Well I’ve had three now and I think we can sat that it’s a regular migrant through here
This Upcher’s Warbler was a new species and showed very well but when I pointed the camera at it all I could get were record shots
And this is all I could get on the second male Caspian Stonechat of the day as it flew away a long ways off to the otherside.
And as for the second Richard’s Pipit, it was distant and like the other individual, was very flighty
However, this beauty was to close that I had to back off to get this image of the male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear still at the entrance gate!
As for the botanical garden, well it was dead.! There was no sign of life in the Acacia Trees or nearby area on the south side. On the left side there were a handful of Lesser Whitethroat and Chiffchaff, 2 Tree Pipit, 4 Bluethroat and 2 Siberian Stonechat.
Migrants had dried up in the gardens but I did find 2 Tree Pipit
There were less than 10 White Wagtail
2 Siberian Stonechat were not approachable
With no birds in the garden I spent some time with this awesome Hooded Crow
Before when they were destroying the habitat to make it look nice…
And now when they destroyed it even more. Every visit I’ve made to the gardens, the south moat has been so active with good numbers of different species and today after that trashed it, nothin!!
SCILLYSPIDER 2 