Tuesday 1 September 2009

COMMON REDSTART on Ivinghoe

After visiting Startop's End, I then bashed around the Ivinghoe Hills quickly, highlight being a new COMMON REDSTART (directions below) on Ivinghoe Beacon. Good numbers of passage warblers, the first few Finch flocks and Mipits building up, otherwise the only other bird of note was 1 Northern Wheatear between the sheep pens and the car park on the fence.

The Redstart is on the South - East slope of the Beacon, if you walk from the S bend in the road diagonally across the sheep field ( on the obvious vehicle track ). When you reach the base of the slope the Redstart is in the bushes to the right ( East ) of the vehicle track that goes up to the ridge. I left it feeding happily in the first obvious large bush which is sort of mushroom shaped. Best to view this bush from say 40 metres, the bird will pop out now and again. The bird was calling a lot, particularly early on, for those not familiar its a ' huueet' call, not dissimilar to Chiffchaff/ Willow Warbler (Mike Wallen)

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