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Sunday 18 September 2016

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.

1 comment:

  1. Some great sightings. The Peregrine at the football is cracking, I love when bird spots like that happen!

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