17th September

The Bottom Field pools had virtually dried out but the brief heavy rain yesterday topped them up and immediately attracted birds again. Last night there was a wader which at distance I took to be a Green Sand but when it was flushed neither Frank or I spotted a white rump. I don’t want to think about the bird that might have been!

This morning it was very quiet with only a covey of ten Grey Partridge (my first for a few weeks), Kingfisher and three Snipe to show for a tramp around the bottom fields and the Magic Garden. I saw one of the Snipe drop in to a small marshy area, as I searched for this I spotted three large waders flying high over.

They were Black-tailed Godwits, a new bird for the parish! It’s a species I had hoped to record in the village at some point given the recent use of the Vale of York as a key migration route. The birds headed for the little pools, circled them three times but decided against landing and then headed off towards the river. By the time I lifted my camera they were already specks but you can just make out what they are!

This sighting shows again how much must go unseen as if I hadn’t stopped to look for the Snipe I would have missed these. As if to underline this there were now four Teal on a little pool I had walked around only fifteen minutes earlier.

Earlier in the week there was a really good movement of warblers through the Magic Garden with at least 20 Willow/Chiffs in the reed beds alone. The hot weather was also ideal for dragonflies with up to a dozen Migrant Hawkers seen around the lake, by some way the highest count I’ve had in the village.

Later this afternoon I managed to combine footy and birding with a brilliant Peregrine flying in to perch on a stand at Valley Parade stadium where Rovers were taking on Bradford.