Several visits to the Wildspace in the last 2 days. The migration window remains well and truly open and earl morning and afternoon trips have revealed migrants cascading in and very vocal. The hirundines are well and truly back and Chiff and Blackcap song syncopate and ramble mellifluously from most scrub and tangle. Yellow Wagtail, Whitethroat and Sedge Warbler are staking their claim while White Wagtail, Common Sandpiper and Willow Warbler have popped in on their way North. The pair of Garganey are still present on the settling beds tucked up and almost invisible in the back corner, spending most of their time roosting as they are habitually night feeders. Marsh Harriers are getting on with it and there's plenty of activity within the reedbed with Herons nest building still, and Cetti's Warbler bursting forth. There's still time for a Bittern to start hoofing out a thump or two but for the near future it seems that Bearded Tit has failed to sustain itself as a breeder.
So with all this going on what should we hope for?
The back fields look great for Plover and Wagtails so a Dotterel or continental Flava would certainly make someone's day, Osprey are undoubtedly passing through unnoticed so one of them would be very nice too. Pied Flycatchers and Redstart also move through unobtrusively in very small numbers and it would be one of these that would be most realistic contenders to really brighten a birding session this week.
All good fun in the most wonderful time of the year.
