Redstart

ARC/Tower Pits - warm, dry and sunny,  N 2 - A much better day weather wise with quite a few passerines in the bushes around the car park and down to the pines first thing. Sylvia warblers were in the ascendancy with Blackcaps and Whitethroats the most abundant along with several Lesser Whitethroats and a Garden Warbler, plus Willow and Cetti`s Warblers and Chiffchaffs. At the pines a Redstart showed briefly, only my second of the autumn, and a small gathering of Blackbirds and Reed Buntings fed on sea buckthorn near Screen hide. Several Sparrowhawks, Kestrels, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers also noted, plus Yellow Wagtails and Mipits over.
  From Hanson hide the four Cattle Egrets were still present, plus two each of Snipe and Blackwit, 20 Golden Plovers and 50 Lapwings, Water Rail, Great White and Little Egrets, Garganey, Wigeon and Pintail. A Merlin flushed the waders briefly and loads of Sand Martins and Swallows hawked insects over the lake.
  A check of Lade pits around noon revealed little of note apart from a few more Sparrowhawks on the migration and a Clouded Yellow butterfly enjoying the warm sunshine.