Ortolan buntings and two other new migrants

This morning on the walk to work I passed a wryneck walking on the access road and two common whitethroat on the lawn of the small farm. I only see this brazen behaviour in the very early morning when few people are about.

However I was more taken by a single bunting sitting out on the top of the ridge surrounding the pool.

juvenile ortolan bunting

It proved a bit of an identification problem until I looked through google images and matched it against very young ortolan bunting.

another view of an ortolan bunting

I became very comfortable with this identification when I returned  in the late afternoon to find a flock of five more easily recognisable ortolan bunting near the water's edge of the same pool. 

ortolan bunting and a crested lark

This bunting passes through in very large numbers in spring and I believe less so in autumn. 

grey wagtail

While watching the pool I noticed all last week's yellow wagtail have moved on but  there were still two grey wagtail which can winter in the Riyadh area. 

spotted flycatcher

The spotted flycatcher count was high tonight with four seen. Two came together at one moment in what looked like an aerial duel.

woodchat shrike

I saw two woodchat shrike and a skulking first winter red-backed shrike on the farm. 

At least one each of Isabelline wheatear and desert wheatear were present.

wryneck turning its neck

Apart from the ortolan bunting, there were other two new birds for this autumn around this evening. One was a whinchat which I find to be a more common migrant in spring than previous observers have stated.  I wait to conclude if this is true in autumn as well.

The second one was most annoying. As I walked round, I flushed a medium sized bird which flew off hard and fast at about 3 metres off the ground in the manner of a game bird. My best guess was either a sand partridge or a corn crake. It flew off directly into the sun and sadly I lost where it landed some 30 metres from where it took off. I recall only a silhouette, an orange beak glistering in the sun and dangling legs.  It will have to stay unidentified.