SF

Some more Spottie Flies from the summer...

Bounce, bounce, boing!

OK, so they're not award winners, but as they're take on iso 1000 I don't think they're bad. Just imagine if it had a blue tail...

Common Redstart, Broom, 11th October 2010. Joint fourth latest record ever in Beds.

Buntin' huntin'

This Lapland Bunting was in Cornwall in October, not Bedfordshire

Its certainly been the autumn of the Lap Bunt, hasn't it. There are monster numbers all the way from Shetland down to Scilly. There have also been some excellent inland records too.

Bedfordshire, historically, has done exceptionally poorly for Lap Bunts. Until this year there were only two records - the first was a flyover at Brickhill on 15th October 1966, and the second at Southmills on 18th October 1991 - both only seen by their finders. So it would appear that October is your best chance to get one of these 'prrrret'ty buntings on your county list.

Obviously vismig offers potentially a great opportunity to nail one - they have a very distinctive flight call, and even the silouette is eye-catchingly different.

So, there we were (Mark Thomas, Matt Burgess, and I) stood on the Pinnacle on 8th October, in fairly foggy conditions, wondering why we'd bothered - when all of a sudden "prrrrrt...tew!" A LAP BUNT!

We listen for it to do it again but nothing. And because of the fog we never even saw it. And what's even worse, Matt didn't knowingly hear it either. Bum. A little Bitter-sweet. It was definitely a Lapland Bunting, but none of us saw it, and one of us didn't hear it - very frustrating! We're hoping for a repeat performance, in clearer weather.

Amazingly (or not so), Andy Grimsey had another one fly over Pegsdon Hills the next day. So there you have it - October - That's the time to find your own Lap Bunt in Bedfordshire. Easy.