Broom GPs and local stuff

The last few weeks have flown by.  Surveying has been fun but tiring in this heat.  It's been standard fair apart from discovering two Hobby nest sites, observing six flyover Crossbill, and chancing upon my first Purple Hairstreak for quite a while.

Wanderings round the local area have been few and far between but it always provides an outlet from home office days.  The scenery never stops being a source of joy.

There's not been a lot around birdwise but a Marsh Harrier seen along the Wallington Road during a bike ride on the 3rd was my first for the local area. My first Wheatear of the autumn was present on the airfield on the 4th. Grey Partridge seem to have had a good year with plenty of youngsters around.

Not managed many trips to Broom but there has been a bit of quality there over the last couple of weeks.

A fresh juvenile Wood Sandpiper was present for a couple of days on the 2nd with a decent selection of common waders including three Common Sandpiper, two Green Sandpiper, five Little Ringed Plover including the three juveniles.  In addition, four Common Tern, 11 Egyptian Goose, two Teal, a single Shoveler and Little Egret made up a decent selection of waterbirds.

 

It had been pretty steady since then with little change.  A juvenile Ruff has been present for a few days seen both on the 11th and 12th with a selection of waders including two Green Sandpiper, four Common Sandpiper (11th), five Little Ringed Plover, 12 Snipe (12th), three Shoveler (11th), and three Teal (12th).

An evening visit added another fresh juvenile Wood Sandpiper that had dropped in, this being the third this autumn.