Another migrant COMMON REDSTART

Just got back home from a walk around the Mundens Estate/Otterspool area, my first visit to my old local patch in nearly 2 years and what a great walk it turned out to be! Easily the highlight was a female type COMMON REDSTART which looking in my old records for the estate is only the 2nd record following a male reported to me in May 1990. Its only my 3rd in Herts following a male at Jersey Farm and the Batford bird last year.

The entrance gate to the estate is a swing gate to the right of the big black metal gates at approx TQ 123 987 adjacent to the A41. Go through the gate and walk for c.1 mile eventually walking over a set of cattle grids. Carry on and once you have reached another set of cattle grids next to an open wooden gate and a metal sign pointing to Aldenham, cross the grid and walk a few yards up the tarmac path and view the hedge line on the left with the cut grass field. It was favouring half way down occasionally perching on the barbed wire fence. TQ 131 999.

I managed a couple of very poor record shots digibinned using my girlfriends head as a rest!! These will be on my blog asap ianbennellsbirdingblog.blogspot.com (Ian Bennell, 13 September)