Again there were good numbers of migrants though of a slightly different species mix, an elusive male Redstart and a probable female nearby headed the bill and were part of a general second wave arrival of this species across southern and central England.
Even better was a flock of 18 (12 male) Wheatears in the adjacent kale (actually an oil seed rape) field. In a fairly tight group they spent most of the twenty minutes or so that I watched them resting in the shelter of the Kale leaves and did not feed, clearly very tired migrants. I even flushed one from underfoot on a long grassy track - very coastal....At least 11 of the birds which I managed to view well looked to be of the race leucorhoa and were doubtless brought in by yesterdays low pressure system. I wonder how many groups like this were in crop fields across the country.
Otherwise: 4 Chiffchaffs, 6 Whitethroats, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Willow Warblers, 11 Reed Buntings, 4 Yellowhammers and a steady trickle of Swallows through north, a laggard Redwing also flew north.
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| Female Wheatear race leucorhoa |
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| Male Whitethroat |
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