randombirder

It's a small patch but one that I enjoy walking. While balancing expectations, the odd common migrant here and there always brightens up a working day. No cars, just walks or a cycle. Here are the 'highlights' of the autumn so far. Whinchat have been regular across the fields this autumn with 12 birds recorded. The first autumn record was this 1st year bird along the fenceline between Weston Hills and Bush Wood on the 29th August. This bird was one of seven seen on the 6th September, five along the Wallington Road where this picture was taken, and two at Bygrave Farm. Two yellow wagtail were also present at the latter site. A female merlin was also present in fields viewed from the tarmac path between Clothall Common and Wallington Road. Northern wheatear pass through in decent numbers during spring but are less frequent in autumn. This individual was utilising the bales on the 18th August. This 1st year male common redstart on the 5th September at Weston Hills NR was ...

Making the most of some fieldwork in Musselburgh, it was off the train and straight into a car where my compliant colleague was happy to whisk me over to Dunbar for the Steppe grey shrike that had initially gone 'missing' for an hour before seeing it sitting up on a hawthorn along the clifftop slopes beyond the walls of the park. A really lovely bird and my  second   pallidirostris  on a stunning evening in Midlothian.