Pied Flycatchers in the Rain!

 Whinchat

This morning I did a net round with Jacques and trapped just a single Blackcap, with so few birds around and rain in the forecast we furled the nets. On the way back a Tree Pipit was posing nicely on some Gorse, but I didn't have my camera with me. Once we got back to the observatory I collected my camera and went back for the Tree Pipit needless to say there was no sign of it, so I took some pictures of a couple of Whinchats that were in the High Gorse, while doing this 100s of Swallows and Martins appeared though mainly stratospheric as the rain front approached. The rain was not heavy but as soon as it started Pied Flycatchers started to appear, I saw at least 9 possibly 12 as they seemed to pop out all around, also a Spotted Flycatcher appeared, OL saw 3 Spotted flycatchers, once the rain stopped the Flycatchers seemed to melt away. Around the are there were also 4 Black Redstarts, 2 Wheatears, the usual Willow Warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats and a few Yellow Wagtails over, also a hunting male Marsh Harrier. There 2 more Pied Flycatchers in The Moat that I didn't see per DW also a Common Redstart per PB. I've still not seen one this autumn.     

 Pied Flycatcher

  Pied Flycatcher

  Pied Flycatcher

 Spotted Flycatcher

An hour this afternoon sea watching with RW at the fishing boats was abysmal, c40 Sandwich Terns and c40 Gannets tooing & froing offshore, 6 Common Terns flew West, 2 Mediterranean gulls went East, a single Kittiwake loitered offshore, and a single each of Grey Seal and Harbour Porpoise.

 Great White Egret & Little Egret from Hanson 

Late afternoon from Hanson there were 100s of mainly Sand Martins hawking over the lake in the drizzle, 4 Ruff, 5 Common Snipe, 7 Garganey, 2 Great White Egrets and a flock of 9 Greenshank flew through.

This evening a Cattle Egret was in the cow field at Boulderwall Farm, while on Burrowes a single Common Sandpiper, 6 Great White Egrets and 5 Danish and Norwegian rung Great Black-backed Gulls.