My last week on Soil Hill before leaving for East Anglia again, followed by five weeks in Ecuador. The summer lull might be upon us but the Hill remains as lively as ever on the days that I was able to visit. The weather was slightly windier than the previous weeks, with more rainfall that no doubt helped liven things up after this dry summer.
The week starts with an expected highlight, with a Grasshopper Warbler reeling on the 28th. It was only a matter of time after confirming the juveniles the previous week. The Blackcap in the North Slope Tree-line started singing again on the 2nd, with additional birds singing distantly from Ned Hill Track and Taylor Lane on the 3rd, three being my best count for this species here, excluding juveniles. Also on the 2nd, a group of four Sand Martin blogged over the NK Pond, after a rain shower. On the 3rd a Song Thrush was on the wires along Ned Hill Track, and on the 4th the first juvenile Peregrines of the year appeared. This is a normal time of year for Peregrines to appear on the Hill, as the local juveniles choose it as a happy hunting ground.
The undoubted highlight of the week was on the 2nd when a juvenile Little Grebe was on the NK Pond. I thought I might have seen one on the 28th as well but I was pressed for time and couldn’t wait for the bird to reappear once it disappeared behind the near bank of the pond. The last time I was Little Grebe on Soil Hill was in 2017 when I only wrote the species name in my notebook with no photos or description. Although I don’t doubt 2017 Daniel’s ability to identify Little Grebe, I had begun to wonder if it was a Moorhen or juvenile Mallard that I had not paid sufficient attention to. With that in mind, it was good to confirm the species again in 2022, complete with photo for the eBird checklist.
Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Little Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Cormorant, Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,
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