More Quail Please

Today I was back at another site in Lincolnshire, where I'd previously found a male Montagu's Harrier in the spring. This time I was checking on breeding Barn Owls. Wading through chest/head high nettles and scrub to get to various breeding locations was not much fun however the plentiful moths, butterflies and dragon/damselflies were making the numerous stings and scratches 'OK'.

As we were walking through a grassy headland adjacent to a wheat field we flushed a tiny bird only feet from us - Quail! I don't know who was the most surprised us or it! The Quail flew up, flew round, over a hedge and dropped into another grassy area on the other side of a ditch. Not a very common sight - a bit more alive than the Quail I had 2 weeks ago in East Yorkshire that had come off second best after hitting a car.

Oystercatchers

Yesterday I had a new patch tick in the form of 4 Oystercatchers that were very vocal as they flew over, other than that not a lot else!

Recent Activities

Recent birding activities have been few and far between really, though I've been busy at work having great looks at several pairs of nesting Barn Owls, a couple of pairs of breeding Long-eared Owl and the odd Quail and Spotted Flycatcher in addition to 'nice' bits like Tree Sparrow, Corn Bunting etc.

Autumn passage has clearly started with post-breeding Golden Plover, Curlew and Lapwing all flocking up and arriving on several of my sites. A Dunlin this morning flying south through one of my sites on the Wolds was a bit of a surprise. Noticeable today was a passage of several hundred Swift all heading south.

I was pleased to get some looks of a grass snake today as well as some interesting dragonflies and am now looking forward to what the autumn will bring.