SUNDAY 19th October- Martin Grant

Hi Jon I have been to Wall Farm today, not much to report except 6 female
Shoveler, only one short of the record count of 7 on 6th March 1999. Pete followed me in the hide, after a walk around the east fields, and he had the pair of Stonechats.

(At the Sugar Beet Factory were 4 Golden Plover, 5 Green Sandpiper, 30 Snipe, a Redshank, 200 Fieldfare, a Grey Wagtail, 3 Shoveler and 300 Teal)

Monday 20th

Tuesday 21st -

Wed 22nd -Martin Grant

Hi Jon I have been to Wall Farm today Wednesday 22nd October, not much to report except the 6 female Shoveler still present, 6 Teal, no waders on the mud only 5 Pied Wagtail, the 2 Tawney Owl still roosting in the Horsechestnut Tree not for long it is fast loosing its leaves. Other birds a Jay, Kestrel, Buzzard also a few Redwing and Fieldfare flying over. All for now Martin

Thursday 23rd-

Friday 24th - Jon Lloyd

Merlin - 8 Shoveler, 6 Moorhen, 30 Linnet, 400 Starling, 3 Teal, Fieldfare, Robin, Reed Bunting, 3 Pied Wagtail, Heron

Saturday 25th - Jon Lloyd

Fantastic morning (see photographs in the landscape part of gallery) bright blue sky but heavey black clouds and sharp frost created a fantastic feast for the photographer!

Plenty of Redwings and several large 50+flocks of Fieldfares. A large troup of Long Tailed Tits in the hedge by the farm drive. In amongst them Blue and Great and a single Goldcrest.

The 8 female Shoveler were still on the pools. The water levels are the lowest I can remember but still no waders. Six Moorhen, a few Teal, a Heron but no Snipe.

The distant skys were full of large flocks of Woodpigeon several hundred in a flock. Its always a good sign when they start wheeling and diving into near by hedge. The Peregrine seemd to be playing with them this morning diving here and there at birds and even trying to take one off over head power cables.

There little Owls in the two usual areas of the farm and the three Pied Wagtails that have been around for a few days are still about.

I met Steve France in the moning and he described the activity of Merlin he had seen last weekend. The bird was flying quite high and in flight mimicked a song bird or wood pecker in flight before pursing in earnest the Sklark it was chasing. At one point it went round and round a tree before eventually siezing its quarry.

I didnt know Merlins did this!

Out on the wider Wealdmoors I found a large flock of lapwing, just under 100 and a small flock of Golden Plover. The Starling numbers in the late afternoon began to grow as large flocks drifted across the sky and some feeding in the short grass of pastures and some in recently tilled fresh brown fields.