06:30-14:45. Bright day but chilly Mod-Fresh NE wind
Thought i'd try something different and walked out in the dark to Sharp Tor for dusk to do a vis mig watch. ( Sharp Tor is directly across the bottom of Starehole Valley from Bolt Head ) . On the way out heard a few Song Thrushes and a Redwing. Bit of passage from 07:10-09:00 namely 1 Snipe, 11 Skylarks, 140 Meadow Pipits, 1 Tree Pipit, 28 alba Wagtails, 300 House Martins ( almost all in one group ), 40 Swallows, 100 Chaffinches, 1 Brambling, 100 Goldfinches, 6 Greenfinches, 70 Linnets, 12 Siskins and 4 Crossbills ( together ). Elsewhere around East Soar / Starehole were Great Spotted Woodpecker, Whinchat, Redstart, 5 Ring Ouzels, 3 Wheatears, 8 Blackcaps, 8 Chiffchaffs, 2 Yellow-browed Warblers ( East Soar Willows ), 4 Goldcrests and 2 Lesser Redpolls overhead. Saw Vic Tucker and Mike Northey who said there were at least 2 more Yellow-broweds in Soar Mill Cove with 3 Ring Ouzels. Mike had also flushed a Quail by the track nr East Soar Farm but could not relocate it. Left them to it as I was pushed for time. Got a feeling something good is out there so hopefully they will find it.
On the way home decided to call into Hope Cove and have a quick walk around the woods behind the old Lifeboat House, took 20 minutes but two more Yellow-browed Warblers added to the count. Amazing how many of these are around, I was quite disguisted when there were none in the Tescos car park when I called in for milk on the way home !
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