An Even Better Morning

Another early start and the venue today was Barbury Castle Country Park, in search of Quail that had been seen and heard here since 1st July. I arrived at 5:30am at the main car park Here and started to walk west towards the castle mound and it wasn't long before I could hear a Quail calling from just beyond the wood.

However with the wind coming from the northwest I began to realise that the Quail I could here was further on from where I thought it was. In fact by the time I'd got to the wood, I could hear two Quail with a male singing, which was encouraging, but the further west I went, the further away they appeared to be, until finally I found them in the field of Flax Here, beyond the castle grounds and over the Wroughton to Barbury Race course road.

I couldn't believe I heard them almost a mile away. But I did and here is a short sound track.

Apologies for the sound of the wind, but you can just about hear one bird.

A Quail calling from the field of Flax on the Wroughton to Barbury Race Course Road.

Other highlights from this morning were a Stonechat on the approach road to the castle from Overtown and on the Ridgeway track a very photogenic male Redstart.

This male Common Redstart posed for a few minutes before flying off.

Also around the Castle grounds lots of Corn Buntings, Meadow Pipits and several juvenile Common Whitethroats.

Here are a few images from this morning: 

Sunrise at about 5:30 this morning

Dawn breaks over the main car park at the Castle

Lots of Corn Bunting flying around.

Doesn't look real....

This bird is looking for somewhere to land.

Not the easiest of plants to land on but he made it.

This Corn Bunting has a beakful of seeds and doesn't seem to know what to do about them!

Here another bird soaks up the morning sun

What a lovely surprise it was to come across this male Common Redstart, who was also taking advantage of the warm morning sun.

This Meadow Pipit looks like its been dazzled, but the sun was so low behind me, I dont think it knew I was there.

A Marbled White also taking in the suns rays. My first of the year.

And here is a Six-spot Burnet Moth, Zygaena filipendulae feeding on a Field Scabious, Knautia arvensis

Bird Recorded: Pheasant, Red-Legged Partridge, 2 Quail, 4 Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, 2 Swift, Skylark, 5 Swallow, lots of Meadow Pipit, Dunnock, Robin, 1 male Stonechat, 1 male Common Redstart, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, 10+ Common Whitethroat (adults and juveniles), 1 Blackcap, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Coal Tit, 1 Great Tit, 1 Blue Tit, Wren, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, 1 Raven, Chaffinch, 10+ Linnet, 5 Goldfinch, Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer

Also: 4 Meadow Browns, 1 Marbled White, 3 Six-spot Burnet moths and 1 Ichneumon Wasp (Amblyteles armatorius)