Empty nest.

Well that us finished with the child rearing. With Amy married and safely back in Australia it was Joe's turn to leave today and we took him to York University! The same York that the lads caught the charter from to North Ronaldsay for the cracking male Cretzschmars Bunting thats taken up temporary residence. Fun and games were had by all with a certain well known twitcher throwing his weight around and trying to claim priority over any charter flight available. Unfortunately I was unable to join the fun and will have to wait for the next one to turn up!

Whatever time was available this weekend was spent birding locally in search of the elusive rare migrant. Visible migration is well underway with early morning watches, cup of tea in hand, producing good numbers of alba Wagtails and Meadow Pipits with smaller numbers of Yellowhammer, Grey Wagtail and Lesser Redpoll over the garden.

The LBO was very quiet with a solitary Wheatear and a Stonechat around the car park. A brief sea watch resulted in nothing but an unidentifiable and very distant auk.

Parkgates long staying Cuckoo finally seems to have disappeared and the bushes along the side of the golf course held nothing more than a few Chiffchaffs. Plenty of 'crests seem to be moving through and I had a possible Firecrest on call and seen in flight only as it shot though the garden early one morning.