I've had a good run of birds since mid-July on my Woodstock patch. Five or six Whinchats has been a great return. It seems to be a magnet for them. A rooftop Tree Pipit was a crazy bit of luck and a Common Redstart was a hoped for patch tick.
On the morning of 14th September I took in my usual walk of the fields north of Woodstock. What was clear was the large influx of Meadow Pipits. Easily three figures in this relatively small area. A couple of Kestrels kept them nervous and they would perch on the overhead wires to keep an eye on them.
As I watched the spectacle, I glimpsed a bird hop up onto the wall surrounding Field Barn Farm. I couldn't quite believe it when I saw it was a Black Redstart. It quickly dropped into the yard and I didn't see it again over the next 45 minutes before needing to head home. I managed a few shots during that first sighting. It remained for the rest of the day as others were able to see it.
Hoping it would hang around, I set out early the next day and it was still there. 3 Stonechats, a Whinchat and a Wheatear made it a cracking morning.
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| There are two Stonechats, two Reed Buntings and a Whinchat in this photo |
What quickly became clear was the redstart was using the entire site to feed. The warm weather in the first week of its stay meant there were plenty of airborne insects around for it to hunt. It would quite often be on the roof of the old farm house and adjacent buildings flycatching. It was also feeding from the low wall at the southern end of the site.
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| Here with the Wheatear. |
The better views were generally had from the northern end of the site when the redstart would often perch on the perimeter walls.
It had obviously taken a liking to the site and was making a good living. The weather took a turn for the worse with the huge amounts of rainfall at the beginning of its second week. The cooler and wetter weather reduced the number of airborne insects and caused it to feed more on the ground. This meant it became generally more elusive and out of view for longer periods. However, with patience, it would pop up eventually.
Naturally, spending a fair amount of time on patch brought about some other good birds and sights.
I was fortunate to get plenty of good views when it fed in and around the yard at the top of the site. It was often busy, flitting up and down onto the walls, and dipping every few seconds in its characteristic manner. But it would also sit still for minutes on end and have a preen before getting back to action.
Although it spent most of its time within the site itself, it did on occasion leave the sanctuary of the buildings and used the nearby track to feed. It would also join Stonechats and hunt flies and insects in the field away from the farm site. Despite giving me plenty of good views, it was clearly a shy bird and was quick to return to the farm and never allowed a close approach.
Two and a half weeks after its discovery I hadn't seen it on two consecutive mornings in its preferred spots around the farm. It seemed likely it had moved on. But then on 5th October, by sheer luck I saw it briefly in bushes about 500 metres from the farm, not somewhere I would have expected to see it, and at that point of my walk I wasn't looking for it. In fact it was in the same bush where I had seen a Common Redstart at the beginning of September. These bushes are generally good for tits and warblers and it seemed to be in loose association with a couple of Blackcaps. So it was still present in the area but clearly not limiting itself to the farm any longer. But that was my last sighting so it seems safe to say it has now moved on.
I've enjoyed having it so close to home and its been great to watch and learn its behaviours and capped off a great autumn on my local patch.
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