Andy Appleton

🤔 Ladybird soup coming up maybe 🤷🏻‍♂️😀🤣

One was very vocal in the park this morning too. Smart birds for sure.

Redwings and Kingfisher among the 36 species in just under an hour at Dunorlan Park this morning.

Sunday afternoons:

Sandhill Crane, Suffolk - brilliant, 2011

Issy Wheatear, Kent, (1996)

4th for Britain American Buff-bellied Pipit, Salakee (900 observers that 1st day) - after Northern Oriole on ‘Agnes earlier

White’s Thrush, Spurn, 2004

Audouin’s Gull, Dungeness, 2014

I do see some birds.

The dipping days of October have provided 3 failed attempts at Black & White Warblers, no show Pechora at Filey, 1994 (Lancey ample compensation), no show Rose-breasted Grosbeak, no show Rufous-tailed Robin, no show White-rumped Swift, no show Taiga Flycatchers & no show Chestnut-sided Warbler!

😳🤣

Dipping in the first days of October:

Yellow-browed Bunting, Sandwich, 2022

Wilson’s Phal, Elmley, 2 days running, 1988 (Oriental Pratincole good consolation)

Citrine Wagtail, Swalecliffe, 2017 - still need this for Kent

Moltoni’s at Holkham, 2017

Parula, Portland, 1988

Green Wbr, Lundy, 2018

Grey Wagtail This bird flew in calling and landed in front of me yesterday afternoon.

Morning sky over the lake today.

Redpoll over Dunorlan Park calling this morning was my first of the season (my first here since February in fact).
36 species in an hour made up primarily of the usual suspects including Grey Wagtail.

That was a rather good moment for sure!

I don’t do flycatchers in that particular garden 😟

Fly Agaric. These were on Stanton Moor not far from where we stayed in Derbyshire last week.

Mycena pseudocorticola (Frosty Bonnet) near Ashford in the Water. Hopefully I have ID’d it correctly! #MushroomMonday

Tracey found an #orchid. A surprisingly ‘not gone over as much as expected’ Broad-leaved Helleborine in the gardens of Lyme Park

Always good to get a Dipper fix. This was in Monsal Dale (where, shortly after, I counted at least 16 Small Copper butterflies while waiting for a bus).

Birdy wallpaper was noted in the toilet @scarthinbooks.bsky.social (superb, see an earlier post) & Chatsworth House.

Memories: visiting ‘no signal’ Dove Dale 20 years later: the day of the Acadian Flycatcher 😕 + passing Beeley where I clawed back Dusky Thrush!

A great week in the Peak District.

Well done with the phalarope Martyn. That’s certainly a quality list.

Trapping Area - Dungeness

Dungeness Power Station

Dungeness

Spotted Flycatcher, Firecrest, Redpoll, Brambling in the Trapping Area

60 Siskin over

50+ Chiffchaffs and smaller numbers of Blackcap

Merlin hunting the Point

Thousands of hirundines moving South East out to sea this morning

#kentbirdmigrationday

13000 Swallows, 500 House Martins 2780 Meadow Pipits, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 50 Skylarks, 100 Siskins and 30 Reed Buntings moving south-east out to sea this morning. Passage still on going. #kentbirdmigrationday

#kentbirding
#bigkentmigrationwatch

Siskins heard and Swallows heading south over both Tunbridge Wells & Tonbridge (while searching in vain for a reports Yellow-browed Warbler) this morning. @kentishplover.bsky.social
#kentmigrationday

I raise you Spring

Great reward for your efforts mate, well done. 👍🏻

Hoopoe

Lesser Spot’

I’ve not seen Cyprus Warbler but believe that’s what this is despite the bill colour and shape - happy to be corrected.

A section of wallpaper in the toilet (toilet paper you might say).

Some unexpected birding in a bookshop toilet today 😀

Dunorlan

My short walk before work today included Kingfisher & Firecrest - another good start.

#TunbridgeWells

Siskin, Firecrest, Roe Deer and a Moorhen for every letter of the alphabet today #TunbridgeWells

Definitely white (and not to do with Scotland). Plenty of good orchids in Scotland however but we’ve not seen any of them in 2025 - primarily because we haven’t travelled that far north.

alba Lady Orchid

I quite liked this one.

Normal, but cool.

Oh, okay, across Britain and now I’m late!
I also couldn’t choose but what’s not to like about a Lady Orchid - it’s good in Kent and what a variety!
#WildflowerHour

Uncropped 😲🤣😀

A choice of birds to try to see in Kent today: 18 Glossy Ibis, Red-rumped Swallow, Red-backed Shrike, Red-footed Falcon, Black Guillemot, etc.

I decided to find my own birds instead but in a couple of miles of walking out from #TunbridgeWells this was the best I came across - they were distant!

🤷🏻‍♂️

40 species at Dunorlan Park was good first thing but nothing out of the ordinary. No sign of the Spotted Fly’ from yesterday.

Sand Martins at 2 sites noteworthy, Firecrest and Dartford Warbler were nice - as was the Peregrine over my road.

53 species locally today (+ scones, brownies, etc).

#KentBirding

Sometimes it feels like hard work Kirsty but there’s always stuff to see if we have a little time.

There are no orchids around though 🤔

My first local Spotted Flycatcher of the year today was ample reward for getting up and getting out.

My first autumnal Siskin of the year at Dunorlan Park this morning and whether it was a migrant or a more local disperser it was still good to see.

Along with pleasantries such as Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, Chiffchaffs, at least a couple of Blackcap and a shed load of titmice it was all okay.

You could be the author 🤔

Fair point, I will keep at it.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring, too!