Banstead Woods, 27th October 2017

I switched tactics slightly during the morning and chose slightly lower ground to vismig from, a compromise for the much wider view of the Chipstead Valley that the top of Hither Field provides. Joined by Geoff B and Ian M, by the end of the morning, some 14 Hawfinches had flown over and a Ring Ouzel made a brief appearance. Other bits included 12 Siskins, seven redpolls, 210 Fieldfares and singles of Peregrine, Red Kite, Grey Heron and Cormorant. There was an obvious push of migrant Lesser Black-backed Gulls, with 19 counted. Two high-flying Yellowhammers were clearly migrants and 75 Meadow Pipits, 130 Chaffinches, three Pied Wagtails and 375 migrant Starlings were also tallied as they passed over.