Saturday 2 October 2004

2nd October 2004 Minsmere 7.00am – 3.00pm. Sunny with W3


Greylag Goose c.100
Canada Goose c.100 including a brown-breasted bird indicative of a Barnacle hybrid
Barnacle Goose c.100
Red-breasted Goose 1 adult with feral Barnacle and Canada Geese
Shoveler c.5
Wigeon c.5
Teal c.50
Marsh Harrier 1 prob 2yr male
Kestrel 1 Burgess Hill
Avocet c.5
Golden Plover 1
Dunlin c.12
Curlew Sandpiper 1 juv. buff wash across breast, scaly upperparts, long decurved tapering bill
Little Stint 1 a cold white individual somewhat recalling a Semi-p
Spotted Redshank c.5
Black-tailed Godwit c.8
Bar-tailed Godwit 1
Curlew c.10
Curlew 1 1st-w male Smaller and paler than accompanying Curlews. Bill short and tapering to a fine-point had fleshy-pink basal third to lower mandible. Pale supercilium set-off against dark loral stripe. Neck and upper breast had buff suffusion but more restricted than accompanying Curlews. On flanks had irregular black spots that sometimes formed two neat rows on white background. Legs bluish-grey but shorter than Curlew. Basal colour of tail white with many narrow black bars traversing it. White underwings. Upperside of outer primaries black with white shaft streaks tio outermost primaries. Lack of contrast between inner-wing coverts and secondaries. White rump extending a fair way up back.
Snipe c.5
Baird’s Sandpiper 1 juv. A small elongated Wader with scaly scalloped upperparts. Short slightly decurved black bill. Dark crown with whitish loral spot and a buffy narrow pale supercilium. Breast buff with diffuse streaking forming a pectoral band. Upperparts scaly due to broad whitish fringes to feathers with dark centers especially to scapulars. Long tertials and long primaries projecting. Black legs.
Reed Warbler 1
Yellow-browed Warbler 1 very bright individual with snowy white tips to primaries and tertials.
Bearded Tit c.10