Lutley Wedge 05/09/10 07.00am (12°c) 6/8 Broken high cloud (8/8 overcast with light rain later a.m) ESE 2-3

Ruddy Shelduck heading East Lutley Wedge 5/9/10

A Ruddy Shelduck flew over >E at 10.05am and was the first record for the local patch. 

(Ruddy Shelduck is in Category B on the British bird list, and is classed as a 'Scarce escapee or feral visitor and possible rare vagrant' in 'The New Birds of the West Midlands 2005'.) Whether todays flyover bird was a genuine wild vagrant or more likely a feral or escaped bird, i guess i'll never know, but interestingly the monthly distribution of sightings in the Midlands does show a peak in passage birds during late summer between July-September, tying in nicely with my sighting. The only other sign of visible migration this morning was 1 Yellow Wagtail >SW at 10.00am.
Visible migration 07.00-10.30am
1 Ruddy Shelduck >E
1 flava Wagtail >SW
1 alba Wagtail >SE
9 House Martin >S (130+ House Martin around Grange Farm)
6 Meadow Pipit (5 >ESE 1 >S)
8 Black-headed Gull >W
6 L.B.B Gull 


Also:-
16+ Swallow
1 Chiffchaff
1 Common Whitethroat
1 Raven >WSW
40+ Linnet
40 Greenfinch
150 Starling