25th August - A morning searching for migrants

My day started long before sunrise with a four mile dog walk around the roads and lanes of Merton and Thompson.  Tawny Owls were encountered at three localities, 2 calling males, and a bird seen flying across a road in front of me.
Today, I visited a number of local sites on my patch with a view to finding migrant birds.  The sites were high ground near North Pickenham, and a couple of locations along the Watton Brook Valley.

North Pickenham
My arrival on high ground near North Pickenham coincided with a small westerly movement of 3 Cormorants.
A particularly good area for finding migrant Warblers is at a large patch of Elders, Hawthorn, and Sallow around a natural spring, as well as a long hedgerow corridor. Watching this area produced the following migrants;  4+ Blackcap, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 4+ Whitethroats, several Chiffchaffs, and a Willow Warbler.  Numbers of Warblers were quite low this morning, however, large numbers of migrants will soon be passing through this rich staging post.

Whitethroat (juvenile).  Whitethroats, and other Warbler species can now be found in good numbers in berry-rich habitats, especially Elder and Bramble, where fruits will be consumed to provide energy for autumn migration.

Also seen was a Red Kite low over woodland, a couple of Song Thrushes, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinches, Linnets, Yellowhammers, and at least 5 Bullfinches (all juveniles).
This time of years has always produced young Bullfinches at this locality.  These youngsters are clearly different from their parents in that they lack the black cap of the adult bird.  They appear brown-grey with a black tail, however, as with the adult Bullfinch, youngsters have the familiar and diagnostic white rump.

Bullfinch - all age groups show the diagnostic white rump.

Watton Brook Valley
I stopped off at two sites along the valley, Little Cressingham and Threxton.  Checking the fences and posts for migrant Chat species did not produce, however, I am sure somewhere in the valley, there will be a lovely Whinchat, or two.
My first stop was at Little Cressingham, here, a single male Whitethroat was seen flying between rank vegetation in the valley, whilst a little further along, a Buzzard sat proudly on a fence post.
My arrival at Threxton produced at least 50 Swallows overhead, whilst a check of the valley at Threxton produced a fine female Blackcap consuming Elderberries.  Chiffchaffs were also seen and Goldcrest and Coal Tit were present.