23rd Aug 2015: Spotted Flycatchers and Little Gull

There was not a lot going on at Grimsbury this morning, in fact I hadn't seen anything of note until I was at the Borrow Pit in the Upper Cherwell Valley. The two Whinchat and the Wheatear were still present. The Whinchats are definitely not confiding birds but good views can be had with a bit of patience. There were at least five Yellow Wagtails near the pool but moved from there to the pasture over the canal. Around five Swallows went over south whilst I was there, but there may have been more moving as I only looked up for them when I heard one.

On the way back along the river a large flock of tits and warblers had Chiffchaff, Willow Tit, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap and Goldcrest. The biggest surprise was that there was a Willow Tit with them. I assume this is the same one that was present earlier in the year but if it is, where has it been for three months?

Back at reservoir there were two Spotted Flycatchers in the big hedge through the cattle field. They were flycatching (funny enough...) from the bare cattle grazed branches around the pollarded willows.


Afternoon Update:

A quick visit this afternoon after some rain to see if anything had dropped in was actually fortuitous for a change. A juvenile Little Gull was present and seemed fairly settled but frustratingly as soon as I had sent the news out to a few people, it flew up from the water higher and higher and left high to the west. A Swift flew through south and as I tracked it the Little Gull flew back in. News out again... Mike turned up just as I was leaving but unfortunately the gull had left in the time between me leaving and him getting to the reservoir.