Pagney 22/10/2026

     After yesterday's rain, the good weather meant a lot of birds were on the move - the classics of the season were in nice numbers:

Cormorant - 38

Red Kite - 19 

Woodpigeon - ~16,452

Stock Dove - 84

Woodlark - ~42

Skylark-  ~164

Chaffinch - ~231 (though I wasn't really paying attention to all the tiny dots in the distance so in reality there were many more)

Siskin - ~72

There were some HIGHLIGHTS today! Best being a Short-eared Owl which is my first here since April 2013 - it was bloody far away and so I damned well hope that day-migrating Long-eared Owls really aren't a thing. It disappeared behind a row of poplars so fingers crossed it will stay around and I can see it well one day! A male Merlin stopped for a few seconds and the biggest surprise of all was a young Cuckoo - really not what I was expecting in October! Three Teal and one Wigeon visited briefly. A single Crane flew around Sornay and a Zitting Cisticola was in Chenevrey with around 150 Goldfinches and one Water Rail.

Short-eared Owl - no, it's not small, it's far away.

Absolutely shocking to see a Cuckoo in October

Nice Merlin! Good bird!


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