Abbey Meadows

Abbey Meadows

Saturday 4 May 2013

Raptors and migrants

Over the past few days I've noticed an increase of migrants around. On Thursday morning a Cuckoo was calling from the Mitford road area and yesterday at Ulgham there appears to have been a mini influx of Whitethroats and Blackcaps with birds singing everywhere. On my way home from Widdrington yesterday a male Marsh Harrier was flying south over the pond behind Norwood farm between Widdrington station and Ulgham.
This morning I checked out all the ponds at the former opencast at Stobswood and when I was walking along the track between Ulgham park farm and East Stobswood a Hobby was flying south towards Ulgham park but changed direction and flew east toward Widdrington station. It looked fantastic in the morning light being lit up from beneath. I lost sight of it beyond Norwood farm. That is the third good raptor sighting in this area over the past few weeks with Red Kite a couple of weeks ago. A Garden warbler was singing in a small wood beside Ulgham park farm but it took me a while before I actually saw it sitting low in the cover of Bramble. While I was in the area I called in to East Chevington to see the Purple Heron. Nice bird when in the open but it did spend a lot of time slightly obscured in the Reeds. Grasshopper and Sedge warbler were singing nearby and a couple of Whimbrel flew overhead.

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