Whinchats and Wood Warbler

I wasn't on patch for most of yesterday, but a last ditch mooch around was enough to bump into my first Whinchat of the year - three of them in fact.  They were showing really well in a small sheep paddock between Axmouth and Rousdon, such stunning and charismatic little birds...

Male number one

The other male and a female

Same two but head on

Today I have also not been around for most of it, due to work.  Thankfully though the Wood Warbler that was found along the road near Lower Bruckland Ponds mid morning remained in situ, and at 7:30pm was still trilling away. This represents my third for the patch, with previous records being Beer Head 8th August 2006 and Private woodland near Colyton on 29th April 2013 - so a proper good local scarce.  The light wasn't great when I got to see it, but that didn't stop me trying...

Such clean white underparts - and yellow like no other yellow!

Seems to be an unusually good spring for migrant Wood Warblers on the south coast this year, despite their vast reduction in numbers on their breeding grounds. 

The Woods Come Good!

I've been doing a monthly woodland bird survey near Colyton for about eight years now - and over the years I've learnt it does throw up the odd surprise. The best bird to date being a Yellow-browed Warbler on 30th October 2007, but I've also had Pied and Spotted Flies, Hobby, Firecrest and several Crossbills here.  It's by far the most reliable and best place on patch for Woodcock too, with double figure winter counts not unusual. So far this year it hasn't given me any bonus surprise year ticks, well, until this morning...

Wood Warbler is a ridiculously rare bird on patch.  The last record was of an autumn bird on Beer Head on 7-8th August 2006 - Gav found it on the 7th, and he, Ian M and I saw it the following day. Before this, I think there's only been two or three records.  I was more than half way round the survey this morning when I thought I heard the distant song of Wood Warbler - this set me off in a sprint! Luckily for me it only had to be a short sprint as I soon found myself looking at an absolute BEAUT of a Wood Warbler....

BOOM!

It then moved into larger more dense trees, and became elusive. It never stopped singing though, even giving several bouts of 'tu tu tu'.  After asking permission from the wood owner, I sent a text out and am pleased to say at least two other locals got it. Hopefully Karen has got some 'proper' pictures of it.

I did take this video too, but as you can see it hasn't turned out too well...

Oh yes, something I didn't mention in my previous post was that the Monties was my 249th bird for the patch. I only found this out when I updated my Bubo list.  Now I wonder what 250 is going to be....

Right - I must go, I've just shown Jess her fourth species of wild Owl in the UK and she's jumping off the walls!  It was a Tawny by the way, and sat up nicely for a couple of minutes in a tree in front of the car.