Dear All,
There is an update of the First Dates as at the 10th Nov.

The 7th was another cold morning but no sign of rain still. Birds were
quiet and not much moving. There were a few Common Swifts flying with
larger numbers of Little and White-rumped. Eurasian Bee-eaters were in
the lowest numbers since the end of September, Warblers fell to just
three Willow and a Garden, and no Spotted Flycatchers. In the early
morning two Northern Wheatears flew towards NNP, and four Tree Pipits
were flying around the area.

In the afternoon there were two Black Storks arriving from the west
and heading towards NNP, and twenty minutes another following the same
route. Two Common Buzzards were flying around the area, the darker
bird may have been the one seen this morning.

It would seem that the birds that arrived earlier took off to continue
their migration, but the lack of rain meant that there have been no
replacements.

The 8th was continuing dry, light overcast and grew progressively
colder in the morning and heavier. A Eurasian Hobby flew S, there was
a good movement of Common Swifts going E, and as with a couple of days
ago one compact species specific low group of “Pallid” Swift, about
forty in number also E towards NNP. A few Eurasian Bee-eaters were
around.   Later in the afternoon there was one Black Stork heading
towards NNP, and a few Barn Swallows.
The paddock was barren for migrants, and just one Willow Warbler
present. Two Tree Pipits spent the afternoon feeding under the trees.

On the 9th it was again cool and overcast in the morning, but
brightened up to a warm day by late morning. The seasons first White
Storks (2) were making their way west along the valley in numerous
small circles that seemed to make little forward headway. The two
local resident Common Buzzards and the pale Booted Eagle also fed over
the valley. The days only falcon was not a migrant it was a Lanner but
I watched it through the telescope as it was carrying something. It
was a rat, which I did not think was part of the normal diet, but
incredibly it was picking at it whilst just circling, something else I
had not heard of.
There were very few Eurasian Bee-eaters, a few Barn Swallows which
seemed to be flying in random directions, but a Sand Martin was
definitely heading northwards. Warblers in the trees numbered four
Willow, two Blackcap and a Garden Warbler. The only Tree Pipits were
three flying over.

The 10th was spent in NNP for the whole day. The birds are detailed in
the report for the day, but the palearctics consisted of the
following. Black Stork (1), Black-winged Stilt (20), Black-tailed
Godwit (1), Ruff (2), Curlew Sandpiper (2), Little Stint (12), Common
Snipe (6), Green Sandpiper (7), Wood Sandpiper (50), Common Sandpiper
(6), Common Greenshank (1), Marsh Sandpiper (1), Common Ringed Plover
(1), White-winged Black Tern (8), “Ring-tailed Harrier” (1), Steppe
Eagle (3), Great Spotted Eagle (1), Eurasian Hobby (1), Common Cuckoo
(1), Eurasian Bee-eater (4), Isabelline Shrike (1), Turkestan Shrike
(1), Barn Swallow (several hundred), Willow Warbler (4), Garden
Warbler (3), Blackcap (1), Common Whitethroat (4), Nightingales
(numerous calling from cover but singles of Common and Sprosser seen),
Isabelline Wheatear (5), Northern Wheatear (1), Pied Wheatear (3),
Whinchat (6), Spotted Flycatcher (6), Yellow Wagtail (3), Tree Pipit
(1).

The morning of the 11th was cold and overcast, the sun finally
breaking through after mid-day when it got warm. After the 1mm of rain
the garden received yesterday, it has returned to dry and windy. There
was some visual migration, but most migrants just seem to be hanging
around in the area, and nothing apart from four Willow Warblers in the
trees, and complementary to yesterdays arrival in NNP, three
Nightingales in the hedge.
Early in the morning a female-type Pallid Harrier came into the
paddock for a brief while, and twenty minutes later an adult male
Pallid Harrier flew west up the valley. In the evening a Black Stork
seemed to be coming in to roost along the river. The dark and the red
Common Buzzards were in the area, but today there were two pale Booted
Eagles together, and one Eurasian Hobby in the evening was the only
falcon.
In the early morning a Common Cuckoo flew fairly high heading NE, and
the total of Eurasian Bee-eaters was only six today. Only ten Barn
Swallows were seen, but moving in any direction. Three Tree Pipits in
the morning were moving NE, so are not likely freshly arrived migrants
but some that have residing locally.
Today there was also some afrotropical movements which are worthy of
mention. The records are largely relating to birds going to roost. A
group of over fifteen Long-tailed Cormorants heading towards NNP was
the largest single flock ever seen here, a party of eleven
Yellow-billed Storks flying below eye-level down the valley east
towards NNP, beat the previous maximum of two and compliments the
obvious presence yesterday in NNP, a flock of seven Grey Crowned
Cranes in the evening flying below eye-level heading west along the
valley was interesting, it was the largest group seen here, but also
for the past few months the species has been virtually absent from the
area including all NNP. A smart Levaillant’s Cuckoo was present this
morning, and causing a stir amongst the small residents. In the
evening four African Black Swifts were just flying around the area for
over half-an-hour. Finally a swarm of about 150 Chestnut Weavers
appeared in the early morning, presumably coming from a roost, and a
few Red-billed Queleas were loosely associated with them.

Best for now
Brian