Today is the last day of September. The weather was truly fantastic and Jack and I spent several hours checking Bockhill hoping to find that elusive rarity. Any bird moving around in the bushes at Hope point has the potential to be the one that makes the autumn a memorable one.
Of course most will turn out to be common migrants but the fun is in identifying the birds you find. When this little brown job finally came into full view it showed itself to be a Reed Warbler, the first I've seen for a few days.
I was interested to see it adopt this "banana" shape at one point, as this is one of the poses that is characteristic of a Blyth's Reed Warbler. Jack pointed out that it was bending round the spiders web. While we were watching at Hope Point a Short-eared Owl flew away over the golf course, not to be seen again and we had brief views of two Ring Ouzels. There were loads of Chiffchaffs around, especially at Farm Wood, and we scrutinised as many of them as possible, without any luck. Near the Gun Site (Big Bruce) I heard a Woodlark, "tit-lu-it" as it flew over, but again we didn't' connect with it again.
Later this afternoon I had a walk from the Lighthouse to Langdon Hole. At one point I watched the birds around a pile of rubble and as usual it took up the character of a rocky outcrop. Wheatears are attracted to this vantage point as if it is a magnet.
The tangled metal mess that crowns this mass of bricks and concrete looks rather better that many an art installation that's been shown in fashionable art galleries in London and today it was improved by the addition of a couple of live exhibits.
I though that the Linnet showed impeccable artistic taste in joining a male Stonechat on the rear perch.
There is so much suitable habitat around that I'm surprised that so rarely do Stonechats remain in the area to breed in the summer, but they are always an attractive addition to the winter avifauna.
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