October 2011.

October is traditionally top migration month with bird movements generally south. South from higher altitudes for birds like Redwing and Fieldfare and south from here for our summer migrants. By now most of the movers south from here are on the move or gone. Early in the month about twenty swallows were flying south over Balham, heading back down to Africa.

Was there much movement over the common?
Robin.

10th October.
Of note were the abundant Goldcrests. There must have been a 'fall' overnight as these are the first I've seen here for over a year. I must have counted at least 15. There was still one singing Blackcap and a Chiffchaff.

15th
A few Goldcrests still but otherwise much as normal.

20th
An early frosty start with a brief look around the pond.
A Little grebe was on the pond, a first on the common for me.
Cormorant and a plane.

24th
A fair walk, a car burnt out by joy riders on the Triangle, the bird count wasn't bad, 32 species and there was a female Bullfinch at the far end of the Triangle. A rarity in these ere parts. Presumbaly, it was the same one that dropped in by the pond an hour later.
Female Bullfinch, shooting straight into the sun.

Robin.

A rat by the pond.

August and September.

August saw me back again in Libya. What was supposed to be a fairly relaxed assignment in the Jebel Nafusa became a full scale assault on Tripoli and the complete downfall of the regime. It was coming and we had an intense month. Not much time for birding.

Birds: Lesser crested tern, Little, Pallid, Alpine and Common swifts, Sardinian warbler, Bee-eaters, Hoopoes (abundant), Linnets, Raven, Spanish sparrow, Crested lark, Black wheatear, wheatear sp plural, Woodchat and Southern grey shrike (the most common bird in Tripoli, certainly the most visable).

The best bird for me was the Rufus-tailed bush robins at the hotel in Tatouine, Tunisia, where I overnighted on the way into Libya.
They were very confiding and joined the guests for breakfast.

Rufus bush robin, Tatouine, Tunisia.
Southern grey shrike, Tripoli zoo, Libya.

R&R in Cley (September).
A lazy week from the 12th September, sticking pretty much to the Cley, Salthouse and Blakeney patch.
Winds weren't great, though strong. Westerlys throughout which was surprisingly good for sea watching. Others saw much more than I, though I did see Arctic and Great skuas. Given how little effort I put in generally, (I ran out of steam after a couple of days) 90 species was fair. Best birds were Pied fly and Firecrest in Walsey Hills on the 18th, Hobby over the farmland behind Cley (19th) and a cracking Barn owl over the marshes one early morning. Others of note were Spoonbill, 000s of Black-tailed godwit, Pink footed goose, Curlew sand and Little stint.

Common Sandpiper, Cley.

Catch up, June and July.

Little tern, Benghazi, Libya.

Lesser crested tern at sunset. Benghazi, Libya.

For most of June and part of july, I was back in Libya again. We were based in Benghazi for the most part and didn't get out into the field much.

There was some consolation in the abundance of Lesser crested and Little terns around the port and the promenade. Though the smell of sewage around the port was off putting. Others of note were Southern grey shrike, Spanish sparrow, Crested lark and a Kentish plover on the beach, Hoopoes common.

Great spotted woodpecker, Tooting Bec Common. One of the six nests found.

For the rest of July I was on holiday in Tuscany...
A small species list but all quality: Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Sardinian, Fan-tailed and Melodious warblers, Black winged stilts, Alpine swift, Little and Cattle Egret amongst the more exotic.



Barn swallows in the rain...