Well today I felt like autumn went from 8mph to 80mph in the space of a few minutes!
As all local birders will know I have spent the last many years favouring Axe Cliff when it comes to spring and autumn birding. And yes, when this autumn moves on I will probably do the same, however last week I decided I will be spending any spare mornings I had during August up Beer Head like the old days. As today was 1st August and I had a spare couple of hours, that is exactly where I went...
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| Beer Head looking west - a view I will never get bored of |
The weather was really promising, with some cloud and a noticeable north westerly breeze - prime conditions for Beer Head in spring or autumn. However, as before today I had only seen a handful of Willow Warblers so far this autumn, I really wasn't expecting the start that I had...
I had barely walked ten paces from the cattle grid next to where we park when a Pied Flycatcher flew almost underneath me, coming from behind me and fanning its tail as it then landed on a nearby hedgerow. A scarce bird here in spring and autumn. As I was watching it, Willow Warblers were flitting through and zipping past me, and then a Sedge Warbler flew up and showed briefly before diving into a thick hedge. A really exciting few minutes, and brilliant to feel that rush that a load of migrants gives me without fail. Absolutely fantastic.
About five minutes and several more Willow Warblers later, a soft tac deep in the bushes of The Dell revealed the presence of a Lesser Whitethroat, which soon showed itself after a quick phish. The rest of the west side of Beer Head wasn't as busy as this first part, but there were still a few more Willow Warblers, two Whitethroats, and at the very head my first Wheatear of the autumn. Then on my return to the car, right where the Pied Fly was earlier, my first Spotted Flycatcher of the autumn - an early one - showed really well.
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| The star bird - but not the best picture, messed up the exposure. Pied Flycatcher |
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| Flycatcher number two showed much better! Spotted Flycatcher |
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| Lesser Whitethroats always look amazing, but autumn juvs look so pristine |
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| A ground-feeding Common Whitethroat |
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| One of the many Willow Warblers |
The full totals for the 1.5 hours I spent up there were: 1 Wheatear, 1 Pied Fly, 1 Spotted Fly, 1 Sedge Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat, 22+ Willow Warbler and 4 Chiffchaff.
I suspect the actual number of Willow Warblers through Beer Head this morning was 50+, but I can only count what I saw. More Wheatears arrived later in the morning (per Clive) and this afternoon a Golden Plover (Mike B). Pleasingly a few other local birders managed to see the Pied Fly before it apparently appeared to head off north.
What a brilliant morning. Thank you Beer Head, I will be back...
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| A distinctive shape on the hill - my first Wheatear of autumn 2025 |
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