My first Redwing of the season, a little overdue, was heard over my garden this morning but with clear skies and a strong breeze it was no surprise that my attempt at vismig otherwise fell a bit flat, with four Pied/White Wagtails, five Meadow Pipits and three Goldfinches moving. A Goldcrest and a Coal Tit were calling next door and a Common Gull overhead was a fairly uncommon sight from the patio.
I took Ingrid to Widewater so she could go for a dog-walk with a friend from Brighton and I went off to look for birds for half an hour. A Kingfisher alighted for a few minutes on a little boat at the back of someone's house, and a fine adult female Sparrowhawk was doing the rounds of the waterside gardens while a Kestrel hovered nearby. Two Teal, five Mute Swans and five Little Egrets were on the water and the beach had a Turnstone. I also noted a Grey Wagtail, four Linnets, a House Martin and six Meadow Pipits.
With the windy conditions, a long to-do list and man-flu recovery still underway, I'd otherwise written off the day for birding but it was a busy day on the pager and I wondered whether I should have got out and done something purposeful for the first few hours of the morning. In the afternoon, loads of Ring Ouzel reports came through from Sussex and I figured there simply had to be some at Cissbury Ring, so went for a quick look. All small birds seen were diving straight into deep cover but grilling the yew trees revealed two Mistle Thrushes. Deflated, I headed back to the car - though I was cheered on the way by bumping into Nick and Claire - I figured they'd find some ouzels shortly after I went, and of course they did! All I noted otherwise was a couple of Kestrels and Blackcaps, and a Goldcrest.
