Lade raptors

Lade - 0700hrs  - cold, sunny, n 2 - With overnight temperatures in single figures it really felt as though autumn was upon us. A surprise in the garden mv from Saturday night was a second hatch Yellow-tail, while a Dark Bush-cricket was on the cottage wall this afternoon.
A circuit of the local patch this morning delivered something of a raptor fest with the seasons first Merlin putting in a dramatic appearance over the Desert as it chased a Mipit high into the sky, but without success, while two Marsh Harriers, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard followed through the morning. Several groups of hirundines came and went, plus two each of Grey and Yellow Wagtails, 50 Mipits and a pair of Ravens. There was no sign of any chats or warblers apart from a single Chiffchaff in the willow swamp, where a Kingfisher showed well.

                               Dark Bush-cricket, Lade

                                Ravens, Lade

                                Yellow-tail, Lade

ARC - 1400hrs - Called it at Hanson hide where there was no change from recent days with two Great White Egrets, three Black-necked Grebes, four Ruff and two Blackwits the highlights amongst 150 Golden Plovers, Lapwings and common wildfowl. A juv Marsh Harrier flew over and a distant Buzzard went inland on the walk back to the car park where a gang of Tree Sparrows were active.