A tale of two seasons

20th August 15              morning                 mid section

mostly cloudy,mild,  15-17°c,  1018mb,  SSE 4-S 8 mph.

A family of chiffchaff in the Shrike Bushes is possibly the last sign of summer and the breeding season for our migrants and a lonely swift heading south west over the Barleyfield is definitely on its way to Africa. A frustrating time of year for us birders when many of our breeding birds have left us but we are still anticipating the arrival of birds travelling south and stopping over in the valley to rest and feed before moving on. 

Buzzard	1 ad  SE over	1 moulting ad flew SE over Barleyfield,
Black Headed Gull	7	Compton Field
Swift	1 >> S over	Barleyfield
Green Woodpecker	calls	Barleyfield
House Martin	c10 over	feeding high over Barleyfield
Pied Wagtail	2	Compton Field
Robin	1 singing	The Paddock
Whitethroat	4	Hanging Grds
Blackcap	3	mid section
Chiffchaff	3 ( 2 juv )	Shrike Bushes
Jay	1	1 flew E across rail tr into Hanging Grds,
Chaffinch	3+	Graiseley Reedbed
Greenfinch	1	Meadow View
Bullfinch	4 ( 2 imm )	Barleyfield
Peacock	1	Barleyfield
Meadow Brown	few	Barleyfield
White sp	few	Barleyfield