A short visit was made to the Range coast near Stack Rocks and further west in the Frainslake Valley area this morning. Not too many birds of note, but a fairly late swift was interesting, flying high over the Frainslake Valley, heading east.
A garden warbler was seen briefly feeding on blackberries in a bramble patch near Brownslade Farm. A few whitethroats were feeding in the ragwort/bramble areas between Brownslade Farm and Frainslake millpond.
Flocks of linnets were moving around the seeding thistles and knapweed areas. The largest single flock being c. 200 near Stack Rocks. Plenty of goldfinches around too - e.g. a flock of 50+ noted in Frainslake valley.
A single whinchat was perching on ragwort stems on the fringes of a flock of 15 stonechats moving down the valley.
At Frainslake millpond, a little grebe (a fairly late breeding adult still in breeding plumage) was feeding a large and almost fledged single youngster! At least three water rails were calling from the yellow flag/rush fringes.Two/three sedge warblers were calling on the periphery of the millpond.
Apart from several juvenile ringed plovers, a whimbrel and a few oystercatchers, there were no other obvious waders on Frainslake or Bluckspool beaches and no large gulls either.
