Carterton/Alvescot
25 Chiffchaff: The muckheap stopped yielding birds c7 days+ ago. However, mid am today a local hedgerow was full of birds. Excluding house sparrows, most were chiffchaffs. The chiffs, with other migrant species were hedge hopping east. I counted min 25 doing so over c50 minutes when it stopped. No real returning traffic. 2 or 3 chiffs lingered. 18:12.
3 Lesser Whitethroat: 2 were seen to head east along hedge. I other lingered. 18:12.
Whitethroat: Went east with other species. 18:12.
Willow Warbler: Only 1 of this species, it also moved east. 18:12.
2 Blackcap: m n f. Seen lingering before disappearing. Didn’t confirm they moved on. 18:12.
9 Yellowhammer: A flock appeared amidst the bustle of movers. Numbers then varied from 1 to 5 so unsure what they were doing. 18:12.
Corn Bunting: Bird of morning. Appeared briefly. Don’t know where it went. 18:12.
Stonechat: m. Appeared when yellowhammers did. It lingered. 18:12.
18 Skylark: 2 flocks east when activity at its highest. Unbelievably, my first at this site though it’s on edge of farmland. 18:12.

Mick Cunningham