Back to reality.....NOT!

I finally managed to pick up my bins and get back to Druridge tonight, three days after arriving back from a fantastic trip to Kenya. After a foreign birding trip, especially to sunnier climes, I struggle to find the motivation to get back down to the patch to look at wrens and dunnocks in the pouring rain and lashing winds.

Tonight though, a flyer from work and it was great to be back on the patch, cos it was alive with birds! A mini-fall no-less.

I thought it might have been better, when I first arrived, there were two redstarts and three spotted flycatchers on the plantation fence - canny start, I thought to myself, this bodes well!

More redstarts and spotflys in the plantation, I was joined by Dave Elliott, we got caught in a torrential downpour near the entrance, once it passed we worked the bushes, heading north. A couple more redstarts and some chiffchaffs as well as redwings and song thrushes before the bird of the afternoon came through.

A small group of swallows flew south alarm calling, we looked up to see a juvenile hobby after them, superb! It banked around a bit then flew off towards the hamlet, tailing the swallows. My first patch hobby for about 5 years, discounting my 'probable' four weeks ago. It's very late for hobby, I thought the one I had four weeks ago was late!

We continued up to north end, seeing not much more as birds started to roost, four bramblings and a few more thrushes in the whitebeams behind the pond. A 'different' warbler gave brief views of bits of it, before disappearing into the bushes for good - time to head back.

Back at the car, getting me wellies off, just about dark, about 1000 pink-footed geese flew north, my first of the autumn.

Not exactly Kenya standards of birding and no megas, but the hobby and witnessing migration was good enough for me, it was good to be back on the patch.

Here's a few photo's of Kenya....

Missus Lion

Top Mammal - Porcupine

Not all Mammals - check out the oxpecker!

Rosy-patched Bush-Shrike

Secretary Bird

Birds of the trip - Sokoke Scops Owl