It's hard work finding migrants there compared with spring. It's on average 10C hotter than in April so its not unexpected that many migrants are hiding in the shade.
One exception over the past few days was this common whitethroat which I caught in bright sunlight because the ground next to it was being watered.
common whitethoart
What has been surprising is how few migrants I have seen coming out of the shade and taking drinks. The farm's gardens are watered on some sort of rotation in the early morning and late afternoon just as I am walking through. Patiently watching the areas being watered hasn't brought me so many good results with the common whitethroat excepted.
second view of common whitethroat
Looking deep in the bushes and trees has brought better dividends. This way I spied my first wryneck at the farm this autumn. You may recall they were common during the spring. As in spring, this one stayed a few days.
wryneck
This evening I saw a thrush nightingale in the deep shade. This is another bird which was seen in spring at the farm too.
thrush nightingale
Even a spotted flycatcher was using a perch under the shade of a large tree to launch his forays into the air.
spotted flycatcher
The heavy influx of immature shrikes observed one or two weeks ago has subsided. Only one young woodchat shrike remains and he has been around for over a week now.
cattle egret
As well as migrants, I have seen two other birds this last week which not so common on the way to work. A cattle egret was attracted to the temporary pool on Thursday and a kestrel was briefly seen this evening.
kestrel
The passage should be hotting up this month just as the temperatures are expected to cool down. Both factors should make the walk more enjoyable.
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