Report from 05 to 08 October 2022

This week brought us the first Water Pipits of the fall and an influx of Common Redstarts. The Pied Flycatchers have largely passed through, and the few Willow Warblers left are massively outnumbered by the Chiffchaffs. The latter are associating with Great, Blue, and Long-tailed Tits in large, mixed-species foraging flocks, a typical winter behaviour. The Starling roost at La Cassinazza is not active every night, but when it is, their mass departure at dawn is a hurried affair, much less elaborate than their arrival in the evening: they wake up at first light and begin a lively chattering; soon thereafter, with a loud rush of wing noise, they fly off as one and head out without further ado.
The waterbird checklist for this week looks much like last weeks’, both in species and in numbers.

As for me, I’m off on holiday and these reports will resume in a few weeks.

The Robins are quite in evidence this week. Having recently arrived on their wintering grounds, they are busy establishing territories, singing, challenging and chasing one another.