Houghton-on-the-Hill 9 August 2025

 August through to November is my favourite time of the year for birding. In late summer the first departing summer migrants are on the move, and as August progresses migration picks up apace and then we enter September, the most pivotal month for bird migration with masses of departing summer migrants meeting the first incoming winter visitors from Scandinavia and Northern Europe.

9 August

I made my way to Houghton-on-the-Hill early morning, this is my favoured destination in late summer and autumn, its elevation allows for good visual migration as well as undoubtedly acting as a focal marker for migrating birds, its prominent hedgerows, natural spring, and possibly man-made features such as the ancient St Mary's Church have probably been used by migrating birds for millennia.

Whilst walking the hedgerows here I noted how heavy the Elderberry crop is this year, this soft fruit is very much favoured by migrating Warblers.

This was first visit to Houghton for this late summers/autumn migration and it was productive, my estimated counts were as follows:-

15+ Chiffchaff

10+ Blackcap

10+ Whitethroat

3 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Pied Flycatcher

Chiffchaffs were the first birds heard on this visit with lots of  "seeo" and "see" calls heard with some seen feeding upon Elderberries.

Several Whitethroats were both seen and heard, most of which were juvenile birds, and again, seen taking Elderberries.

Many Blackcaps were both seen and heard, of these, one was certainly a juvenile male, also adult males and at least 4 females seen with scoped views showing these as pristine birds.  Elderberries were eaten.

Blackcap (Juvenile)

At least 3 Lesser Whitethroats were seen in hedgerow habitats, for me these are incredibly smart looking birds in late summer/autumn, one such Lesser Whitethroat was scoped feeding upon Elderberries, this immaculate looking bird was very conspicuous with its dark grey head and strongly contrasting white throat and underparts.

Whilst watching these Warblers a distant Raven was calling, eventually, this bird passed low overhead in a southerly direction.

Approaching the church a flash of white passed before me, the bird alighted in a tree for a few seconds but long enough to see this was an exquisite Pied Flycatcher. 

Common species seen included 50+ Linnet, Song thrush, one Bullfinch, Goldfinch, and at least 2 singing Stock Doves.