Brown Hairstreaked off

The 14-day Uberpatch birding bonanza has started, although my use of the word 'bonanza' is definitely overkill and there are moments when the appearance of the word 'birding' is highly questionable. It's been that sort of start...

DAY 1 September 1st. Calm, overcast, rain during middle of day. Warm.

Local chalk downland was the order of the day, although I found myself walking much further than I intended, more in the desire to actually find some migrants rather than for the purposes of exercise. I clocked up 22.1km in the search - it really was a day of casting my eye across superb looking habitat and wondering why on earth there were no birds (mostly passerines) to look at. It was dire. Even though I was out in the field all day I only managed to find 28 warblers (which included a single Garden Warbler and two Lesser Whitethroats) and no chats. Hirundines were also hard to come by, with a couple of 20+ Swallow flocks hawking above horse paddocks. I visited Little Woodcote, Banstead Downs, Dungeon Hill and Canons Farm, clocking up a modest 47 species. Highlights, if they can be referred to as such, were a Little Owl, a Hobby (above), 12 Swifts and a Yellowhammer. It fell to a butterfly, this superb Brown hairstreak, to save the natural history day.

DAY 2 September 2nd. After a calm start a NE breeze picked up. Mainly cloudy and muggy. Warm.

More chalk downland, but this time that to be found alongside the world famous Epsom Downs racecourse. Better numbers for migrants, with two Wheatears, a Whinchat and 44 Chiffchaffs found. Most surprising of all was a flyover Tree Pipit, surprising in that I actually heard it call - it must have been low and close! An afternoon back garden skywatch (with numerous checks on the football scores) did not provide the hoped for Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier or Osprey - I had to make do with a few Common Buzzards. 13.6km walked. Cumulative species total raised to 53.

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