Today I decided to go for one of my long-overdue runs around the Patch this lunch-time to check out places such as the Trap Grounds and Burgess Field. There was not much to report at the former apart from the pair of Southern Hawkers still though they've now moved towards the "meadow" area. There were also a couple of juvenile Sparrowhawks squawking away in the trees. In Burgess Field there were only a few butterflies though I did manage to find the first Essex Skipper of the year there.
All the action was still on the floods which have been nicely topped up by the recent rain. Sadly there was no sign of the two Wood Sandpipers so it looks like they did depart as I'd feared yesterday. By way of compensation there was yet another TURNSTONE (the third in the last week or so) and this time I actually got to see it myself. This species is normally less than annual and rarer than Wood Sandpiper on the Meadow so we've had a really good autumn for them. Other waders were: 1 BLACK-TAILED GODWIT, 3 GREENSHANK, 3 REDSHANK, 8 RINGED PLOVER, 3 DUNLIN, half a dozen or so COMMON SANDPIPER and a few SNIPE.
In addition, in a visit this morning Gareth Blockley managed to find a MARSH TIT (a Patch Year Tick) in the vegetation by the railway at Aristotle Lane - a great find! I've personally yet to see Marsh Tit on the Patch though several others have seen them. He also had a juv. YELLOW WAGTAIL.
Meadow Turnstone (c) Jason Coppock
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