Up pops Upupa epops

 

York has an uncanny knack of attracting wandering Hoopoes and I have an uncanny knack of dipping them when they turn up. Some local birders even see them landing on the road in front of their cars (Adam Firth!) whilst local vicars spy them from the vicarage windows, probing for grubs on their manicured lawns. But not me! Hoopoes aren't the sort of birds you could ever expect to find inland; A spring overshoot on the south coast is a possibility with a bit of weather and luck, but inland they are very unpredictable in their occurrence. 

York's latest Upupa epops had popped up in a housing estate at Stamford Bridge just east of York at the weekend. To my immediate frustration, I was lounging in a punt on the River Cam in Cambridge, celebrating my wife's birthday and enjoying the unseasonally warm sunshine. This news put a little edge on proceedings, but I promised myself not to mention it until back in York, so as not to ruin the party. 

To my delight, the bird was still happily bouncing around the gardens this morning, so perhaps I would get a chance to twitch it after all. My Monday meetings ended ahead of schedule, so a late lunchtime twitch was in order, and 20 minutes later, I was prowling around the cul-de-sacs grilling the greenery like some botanical burglar. Fortunately, the natives were friendly and were delighted with their exotic visitor, telling me which gardens the bird was favouring. Despite the local gen, there was no sign of the Hoopoe, so I went for a wander; perhaps the bowling green or cricket pitch nearby were worth a look? After  a few minutes, five other excited birders suddenly appeared; moments earlier, they had seen the bird fly over towards the cricket pitch, conveniently where I was stationed, scanning the short turf. This did look a good spot for a feeding Hoopoe, but sadly the Hoopoe didn't agree and was nowhere to be seen. I left the others searching and went back round to the favoured location. 

 To my minor astonishment, at number 43, there was the Hoopoe, nonchalantly walking about on the lawn. I parked up next to it, dropped the window and watched it contentedly feeding on several leatherjackets. It eyed me suspiciously - perhaps it was the tunes - I turned the radio off!  I rang one of the birders and let him know that it had reappeared and then enjoyed the bird for a few minutes on my own before the (tiny) crowd arrived. The footsteps flushed the bird, but it flew, or rather flopped, as Hoopoes kind-of do, only a little way before pitching back down on to another likely-looking lawn. I had another few minutes enjoying this stunner, before work beckoned and I headed home.

Slight Return?

The sight of a stripy sprite bouncing around a coastal hedge or Sycamore has been so frequent as to become expected on the east coast in September, but in the last couple of years, Yellow-browed Warblers seem to have declined massively. Last year was my first blank year in about 30 years, without a single sighting of this lovely species, a stark contrast to recent years where I have recorded double figures in a day. There have been a range of theories for the change in fortune, including extensive wild fires in the Russian breeding grounds, poor survival in the new wintering areas or a lack of easterly winds in September. Whatever the cause, they have been noticeable by their absence and many folk have lamented the disappearane. So, it is with some relief that this autumn there has been a slight return to former numbers, with good counts all along the east coast in the last week or so. The vanguard didn't linger, but were soon outgunned by multiple arrivals chivvied by a keen easterly straight out of the Urals. These birds sparkled amid the bushes and trees, flitting around with Red-breasted Flycatchers and other drift migrants. On Friday, the winds continued, so I headed out to Flamborough to join in the fun. A poor choice led me to seawatch and despite promising conditions, little was moving, save a handful of Sooty and Manx Shearwaters and a few skuas. With news from the outer head of Little Bunting and Red-breasted Flycatchers, I bid farewell to Brett and headed off in search of passerines. Arriving at Old Fall Hedge and a gorgeous trio of Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart and Whinchat fed together, dropping on hapless insects in the stubble at the foot of the hedge. And from nowhere, a surprisingly noisy Yellow-browed Warbler started yelling from the top of a nearby Hawthorn. There may in fact have been two birds as the noise was pretty startling, though I only saw one at a time. Lovely. A Red-breasted Flycatcher was hunting in the sycamores of the plantation, rattling away, but I only managed brief views. To complete the set, a Pied Flycatcher zipped in and more oblingingly, sat on a branch for a few minutes. Song Thrushes were coming 'in off' and a couple of Yellow Wagtails flew over. The Little Bunting failed to reappear and time was getting on. It felt like there was going to be a big bird today or this weekend, but I would be away down south with the family, so I had to be content with my stripy and rather noisy sprite. 

 

York Birding Trip - Flamborough Head 8th September 2024

 

Today was our annual York Birding Flamborough field trip. We have had a good track record with these trips, having seen and found a few good birds in recent years. 

The drift had continued over the weekend, with more common and scarce migrants making landfall on the east coast, and with early morning mizzle and a light northeasterly wind, the conditions looked favourable for a good day out. 

Thick fog and warmth greeted us at the lighthouse; an early seawatch was immediately sidelined, so we headed off round the Old Fall loop. Both Spotted and Pied Flycatchers were showing in the murk at the Golf Course Willows, pretty much the first birds we laid eyes on; followed by hulking Garden Warblers, ever-so-pale and constantly tacking Lesser Whitethroats, flitting Willow Warblers and a few flyover Swallows. No sign of the recent Red-breasted Flycatcher to complete the trio, but early smiles on York birders' faces were good to see. The fog lifted a little as we headed down the Old Fall hedge and we found first three, then 13 Wheatears feeding in the stubble fields. A quiet bubbling song from the top of a thick Crab Apple was reminiscent of a June Garden Warbler, which seemed rediculous on a misty September morning, but our hunch was right when the seasonally maladjusted Syvia eventually revealed itself. More Lesser Whitethroats called unseen in the hedge as we approached the plantation. We split into three groups to cover the hotspot as carefully as possible. As with Friday, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers were the most obvious birds, showing well from the tops of the trees as they expertly picked passing flies out of the air. There was not as much activity as Friday, but we did notch up Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. A couple of Yellow Wagtails flitted and a fine Hobby cruised past over the cliffs causing alarm among the lingering House Martins. 

By the time we reached Motorway Hedge, the fog had rolled in again, announced by the Flamborough fog horn. As such, it was difficult to see much in the hedge itself and we moved on quickly. Again, our plan for a seawatch faded into the gloom and we opted for lunch instead. Bush-bashing seemed to be the best post-lunch option, so once refreshed, we drove round to South Landing. Aside from a few unseen calling Chiffchaffs, nothing much was happening in the ravine as we made our way to the beach, where we found so much fog that we couldn't see the sea! A few waders avoided marauding dogs and careless owners, including single Knot, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwit, with 16 Ringed Plovers for company. A few creaking Sandwich Terns flew past and then as if by some miracle, the fog dispersed revealing an azure sky and bright sunshine. The temperature lifted by several degrees, which was welcomed by all, until we began the steep ascent of the steps up to the cliff top. I reminisced about running up these a year ago, for the fantastic summer-plumage White-billed Diver ( I am still not sure how I got up that quickly!). 

The rest of the South Landing loop was fairly uneventful, though a close female Sparrowhawk and a trio of Spotted Flycatchers and a solitary Pied Flycatcher performed beautifully in the clearing near the whale bridge. Perhaps the best bird was a Nuthatch which we heard calling from the woods, my first at Flamborough. We also saw a Gold Spot moth and a Red-legged Shieldbug, adding a little entomological flavour.

Time was getting on and some of the group decided to head home. With the mist finally clearing, I was keen to go back to the outer head to see if anything had dropped in. Arriving at the lighthouse, we picked up Wheatear and Whinchat in the Gorse Field, followed by Stonechat and two Whitethroats in the Bay Brambles. With clear skies, it was refreshing to be able to see for a change! Bumping into Craig Thomas and John Beaumont, they told us they'd had a Greenish Warbler at the bottom of Motorway Hedge but sadly it has filtered off along the hedge along the bottom of the Gorse Field and disappeared. Arrgh! My hunch of returning here had been right, but it looked like we were half an hour too late for the best bird. 

Nevertheless, we were on site, so it was worth a wander along the hedge to see what else might have turned up. A couple of Lesser Whitethroats was all we could produce from the thick cover and with tired legs and eyes it was almost time to give up, when Jane Chapman mentioned to me there was a small, pale bird near the corner at the end of the hedge. This sounded promising, so we both quickly walked a little further on and began grilling the willows in earnest. Suddenly, a movement, and I locked on to a small green and off white phyllosc, flitting among the leaves. This looked like the Greenish! I grabbed a scope and the thin white wingbar and pale, off-white supercilium jumped out at me. It was the Greenish! The group quickly gathered and to our collective delight, the little sprite performed brilliantly, mostly on the near-edge of the bushes, moving quickly through the foliage, often pausing to look around right out in the open. This allowed everybody to get great views, most even locking on through the scope too. I managed a bit of phone-scoped effort through Rob and Jane's scope and a few distant pics. A new bird for some, and an exciting bird for all, the delight was clear in our little York group and this had been a fantastic finale to a great day at Flamborough Head. 

 

 

 

                            

That Petrel Emotion (part two)

A foggy start to my last Yorkshire Coast Nature pelagics out ot Staithes and a bumpy sea, but with such a lot of wildlife hopefully present, our optimism was high. By mid-morning the fog lifted and the first of the day's many Minke Whales blew close to the boat, before showing its arched black back and curved dorsal fin. Big smiles from all on board and for a moment queasy feelings caused by the big sea were forgotten. Big rafts of Sooty Shearwaters were just as impressive; I scoured everything that moved hard for something rarer, but it was not to be - at least not yet. 

 

Sooties

Our first trip of the day ended with a mysterious lone dolphin, which I missed, which some observers thought could have been a Risso's....

We had seen about 30 Minke Whales, Harbour Porpoises, lots of Grey Seals, c200 Sooty and c25 Manx Shearwaters, several Arctic and Great Skuas, a handful of Red-throated Divers, Common Scoters and three Whimbrels. Not a bad start! 

Minke Whale

Back into Staithes at 3.30pm, we quickly said our farewells to our clients before welcoming on the next group of sailors. Heading straight out to the most productive areas, we quickly bumped into the lone dolphin again. The first sighting looked promising to confirm the Risso's hunch; a slow-moving, large dolphin with tall fin, but with closer views, it was in fact a lone Bottlenose. The fin wasn't right, and the head was typically dark and obviously beaked. Sean and me were disappointed it hadn't been the much rarer Risso's but all aboard were delighted to see what was for many, their first dolphin!

 Bottlenose Dolphin

Soon, we were into the Minke Whales and much delight ensued. Sooty Shearwaters powered past, and large numbers of Fulmars fed around the floating corpse of a dead Minke. Activity definitely waned as early evening arrived, with many seabirds loafing on the sea, presumably digesting their meals. I continued to scan, and shortly before Sean announced we should head back to harbour, I picked up the unmistakable form of a Storm Petrel! The petrel was flitting along the water behind a raft of Fulmars and Sooty Shearwaters, being tiny in comparison. I shouted 'Storm Petrel!' and followed the bird desperately trying to see any sign of a covert bar (for Wilson's) or an underwing bar to confirm European. I couldn't really see either as the bird wasn't that close, but it's behaviour and wingshape definitely favoured the more-likely European. After a few minutes, it drifted off into the distance without coming any closer. I was elated; this isn't a particularly rare bird, but they are hard to see off the Yorkshire coast. It is the first I have seen in six years of doing these trips and only the third Sean has ever seen and only the second ever seen on YCN pelagics off Staithes. So this little petrel really was a great finale to what had been a great day's pelagic birding and whale-watching. 

 

That Petrel Emotion (part one)

I have a long-running issue with Fea's-type Petrels, as any reader of this blog will know. So as I drove towards Flamborough early on Friday morning, it was yet another blow (but no surprise) to hear I had missed yet another of these Pterodromas heading north oast the cape. A frustrating start to my day's birding! Thankfully, the bitter emotional blow was soon forgotten as a lively couple of hours on the cliffs proved fruitful enough, with plenty of Sooty and Manx Shearwaters powering north, along with several skuas, plenty of ducks, and a few unexpected treats, such as an early Pale-bellied Brent Goose.

The lure of drift migrants in the bushes soon had me heading round the Old Fall loop and it didn't disappoint, with plenty of common warblers and several Pied and Spotted Flycatchers putting on a show. The activity on the leeward side of Old Fall plantation was a feast, with birds flitting actively in the warm sunshine, snapping up insects left and right. Nothing rarer stirred despite a good grilling, and the bird of the day, a Red-breasted Flycatcher in the Golf Course Willows failed to show for me. So, I headed back to York happy, with emotions lifted by some fab east coast birding, despite the best efforts of that elusive petrel. 

 Top: The double - Spotted and Pied Flycatchers. Below: the triple, with added Lesser Whitethroat at the bottom.

 

Pelagic Humpback

Yesterday was my second day of leading Yorkshire Coast Nature seabird and whale pelagics this season. The sea was beautifully calm and mirror-like as we headed out from Staithes harbour at 6.30am. The  excitement of another day offshore easily overcame the challenge of a 4.30am start and we glided out of the harbour full of anticipation. Very soon, the first Minke Whale broke the glassy surface, and we were off to a good start. 

 Large numbers of Gannets thronged the horizon, so we continued out to sea. Sooty Shearwaters cruised past rediculously low over the sea, having to flap a fair deal due to the lack of breeze.

After we past the three mile mark, sightings of Minke Whales came thick and fast. The gang on board were delighted, with the smell of cabbage wafting through the air as the Stinky Minkes cleared their lungs before taking a deep breath. As always, I had explained that we keep a close eye out for whale 'blows' as that could indicate a different species; Minkes do blow but the vapour cloud is quite indistinct and quickly disperses. Over the years we have seen the occasional individual with a more prominent blow, but this seems the exception. Shortly, one of the clients said to me he had seen a whale blow on the horizon. This sounded interesting, so I stared hard into the distance. Nothing stirred beyond the ever-present Minkes. But then, a whale rolled. I missed the blow but saw the arch of the back, and it just screamed Humpback. Surely not! I announced that there might be a Humpback out here, but then it vanished. I began to doubt what I'd seen and suggested I had maybe just seen a Minke at a funny angle. A few tense minutes later, and a large blow came up 100 metres to starboard, followed by the roll of a Humpback; I yelled 'Humpback Whale!', cue pandemonium as we all grabbed our cameras and dived to the rail. Thirty seconds later, and the whale surfaced again and to our utter delight raisd the characteristic flukes high into the air, before slipping vertically back into the sea. Astonishing! 

OK, I have seen Humpback Whales quite a few times before, including off Flamborough Head, but I have always hoped to see one on a YCN pelagic. The Humpback was clearly feeding on the Herring, just like the Minkes, and slowly circled the area. Sean had cut the engine, and we gently drifted with the tide, watching this majestic whale with enormous grins on our faces. After about an hour, the whale, which we agreed was probably a juvenile, being similar in size to some of the bigger Minkes, decided to have a rest, and loafed on the surface, casually surfacing to breath every so often. After a few last pics, we left him of her in peace and continued our journey.

Whilst enjoying our last few sightings, our volunteer surveyor, Simon Ward mentioned he thought he had seen another Humpback a little further away. We all scanned in the required direction, but it didn't surface again. Amazingly, Simon was correct and his photos showed a second individual! 

As we meandered back to Staithes, two rather smart Caspian Gulls joined the throng of Gannets and Fulmars in our wake, whilst our tally of Sooty Shearwaters had reached over 20, Manx Shearwaters similar, with at least six Great and only one Arctic Skuas. 

Our tally of Minke Whales was at least 50, including a herd of over 25 which circled the boat as we first watched the Humpback. They had rather been eclipsed today, but we took time to appreciate our final sightings of these fantastic animals, all in the sight of Yorkshire cliffs. 

...

Back out in the afternoon, we had another fantastic trip, with at least 20 Minke Whales, though our Humpback friends were nowhere to be seen. Hopefully they will stick around while the feeding is good and more people will get to enjoy them.

Kick off

Today was my first day of the whale-watching season guiding for Yorkshire Coast Nature. Trips have been running for several weeks and have been a great success, so I was looking forward to joining in the fun. We had a cracking morning, with at least 23 Minke Whales, mostly between three and five miles out, feeding on spawning Herring. Two large feeding frenzies were discovered with the sea boiling with Grey Seals and Minke Whales, with hundreds of Gannets, Herring Gulls and Fulmars all joining in. There were lots of Sooty Shearwaters around today, with at least 30 recorded (we normally only see a couple at this time of year) plus a massive highlight in the form of a stonking Great Shearwater, which glided in with a squad of Sooties and landed on the water right next to the boat. It then showed brilliantly on the water and cruising around for fifteen minutes. Only a couple of Manxies were seen today, but we added a smart Caspian Gull, half a dozen Great and Arctic Skuas, lots of terns and a few waders. A wonderful way to kick off the season!

From top: Caspian Gull, Gannet and Sooty Shearwater, Great Shearwater x2, Great and Sooty Shearwaters, Minke Whale, Grey Seal.

The Big Dee

I twitched the Hudsonian Godwit at the Dee Estuary on Friday. It had been seen a week earlier roosting at Burton Mere Wetlands, before disappearing and then being refound at the high tide roost on the Dee Estuary off Flint, Wales a few days later.

Right on the edge of my two hour twitch limit, and with a day off, the pull of this mega Yank wader was strong. Hudsonian Godwits are not common anywhere and this is only about the sixth ever in the UK, with the first being seen at Blacktoft Sands in the early 80s. Ever since then, it has been high on my list of vagrant waders to see, but I have never been anywhere near one... until now!

I arrived at Flint and made my way to a ridge at the top of the saltmarsh. This was a good vantage pooint from which to view the waders as they came into roost. With the tide coming in, me and a handful of other birders scoured the growing Black-tailed Godwit flock carefully. The saltmarsh fringe obscured many of the birds and apart from one interesting candidate (which I later dismissed), the Hudwit remained elusive. A few claims were made, but I saw nothing convincing, and I think a little desperation was creeping in to some birders. The bird was probably there somewhere, just out of view.

At a little after 2pm, the tide peaked and the immense Blackwit flock moved a few hundred metres onto the saltmarsh proper, giving more unobstructed views. The godwits gathered in a packed line, spread out along the grass, many obscured by other birds, or by the grass itself. We all scoped the flock hard for 45 minutes and our best efforts failed to pick out the smaller Hudsonian. A little desperation set in, and I began to wonder when the tide would drop and the godwits would disperse, ending our chances. 

Needle in a haystack
 

Fortunately, a hunting Peregrine came to the rescue, flushing the flock, which erupted skywards over the estuary. I switched from scope to bins, knowing this could be our moment, and sure enough as the Blackwit flock turned as one flashing silvery white underwings, my eye locked on to the odd one out - the black bird in among the white. This was the Hudsonian Godwit, helpfully sporting contrasting sooty underwings. It stood out very conspicuously. I yelled out its appearance and the other birders latched on to it quickly too. Superb!

Pic by JWN Andrews

After a while, the flock landed, looking jittery, for the hungry falcon was still at large, trying her luck further down the expanses of the big Dee Estuary. Shortly, she returned and the flock flushed again, revealing, as if by magic, our American visitor.  Again the flock settled back on to the saltmarsh after a minute or so and we all grilled the flock to no avail. After the third flight and subsequent return, I picked up the Hudwit sleeping on the near edge of the flock. There was no doubt; a strong white loral stripe above a dark lore, blackish feathers on the mantle and dark burgundy barring on the belly. He was also noticeably smaller than the Blackwits, perhaps 10-15%. After watching him for a few minutes, he woke up and wandered casually into the flock, where he melted into the larger Blackwits and vanished. It was time to go so with a big successful twitch smile on my face, I ploughed back east through the Friday afternoon traffic. 

Corfu August 2024: Hot Island Birding

Had a week at the north end of Corfu with the family in mid-August. It was very hot, but the north end is surprisingly green with plenty of trees (a mix of olive groves, Holm Oaks etc) under which you can find a bit of shade. With temperatures approaching 40C, birding was restricted to early mornings only. Only one new bird, Western Rock Nuthatch, four of which were seen bouncing about on the boulders on the slope just down from the monastery at the summit of Mount Pantokrater (pic below). 

 

 A few notable southeastern European birds, including Eastern Olivaceous and Eastern Subalpine Warblers and Lesser Grey Shrikes, but my biggest highlight was the several hundred Alpine Swifts tearing noisily around the rooftops in Corfu (Kerkira) Old Town, one evening, which was fantastic. The noise from these birds was incredible and at dusk a kettle of perhaps 500 birds gathered in a swirling cloud over the city. This made up for the melancholy I felt for missing my two Swiftlings fledge back home, which would have happened around the 12th. The best site I found was Souvara Pond near the northeastern tip of the island. 

 

This held a few breeding and passage waders and was surrounded by reedbeds containing Great Reed and Cetti's Warblers. The surrounding olive groves and scrub contained plenty of warblers, Nightingales and shrikes and was enjoyable birding. I would love to revisit this area in the spring, as I suspect it is heaving with migrants and singing summer visitors. Maybe next year!

 

Mega Alpine Swifts!

Second Chance

Two weeks ago, I dipped the Finningley Black-winged Pratincole on the day England made it through to the Euro quarter finals. The bird had flown off twenty minutes before we arrived and wasn't seen again for five days. 

I hadn't had chance to try to see the bird since, until today, when on my return journey from Birdfair, I realised I'd be passing pretty close to the site. Birdfair was fab, with the day spent working on the Yorkshire Coast Nature stand, meeting old friends and making new ones, spending too much on new books and generally having a good laugh. Finningley was only 15 minutes out of the way so not long after leaving the A1 at Blyth, we arrived at Croft Road. Smiling birders were departing, which is always a good sign, and they shared the good news that the Pratincole was showing well, despite the cold, drizzly July weather. Sure enough, a few minutes later and we were watching this elegant bird walking around among a flock of Lapwings, loafing on a bund in the small lake. 

 

Black-winged Pratincole, Finningley, South Yorkshire 14/07/24

The bird was much darker, slate grey-brown above, than Collared Pratincole, with a shorter tail (not projecting beyond folded wings), long legs and dark mask being the most distinctive features, with only a small amount of red on the bill base. As usual, a really cool-looking bird and pleasing to see one in Yorkshire, my only other British sighting being in Norfolk way back in 2009.

 

Despite the poor weather, the bird seemed to grab a few insects off the flowering Ragwort, by jumping up, neck outstretched. The Lapwing flock was flushed a couple of times and the Pratincole flew round with them, looking very smart in flight, with black underwings, and a short white, dark-edged forked tail. We watched the bird for an hour before heading home. 

England are playing tonight in the Euro final, against Spain.This is our second chance to win the cup, so fingers crossed. As with this Pratincole, second chances do sometimes work out!

 

Wheldrake Spooner

Adam Firth found a juvenile Spoonbill at Bank Island first thing Friday morning. I had the afternoon off, so headed up there to see if it was still around. It wasnt, having flown off south before I arrived. As there isn't a lot of suitable Spoonbill habitat in the LDV at this time of year, I thought it could have dropped in at the pool on Wheldrake Ings. Or completely gone! Anyway, I headed down there and sure enough it was roosting at the back of the pool, occasionally waking up to preen. A bird of the year, this may well have come from the small breeding colony at Fairburn Ings, in West Yorkshire. Also present, three Green Sandpipers, heralding the autumn (!), a Hobby catching dragonflies and three broods of Shovelers. 

Another Good Tern

On a busy Saturday, my only chance of twitching the Finningley Black-winged Pratincole was when England men were playing in their Euro 'last 16' football match. I decided I could listen to the match on the radio, and see if I could get this really rare wader on my Yorkshire list. The bird was present right on the border between South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire but had been seen several times on the Yorkshire side of the border, so it was worth a go. Pratincoles are cracking birds too, and I have only seen one Black-winged before, in Norfolk, years ago. Unfortunately, this bird flew off into Nottinghamshire and disappeared completely, 20 minutes before James and Barry Byatt and myself arrived, so we dipped. 

A striking Caspian Tern was not a bad consolation and showed beautifully, loafing on the scrape amid the gulls and waders, and also flying about, calling like a deranged Heron. It headed off high into Yorkshire at one point, but dropped back in later on. 

Almost as good was an unexpected Turtle Dove that flew along the leafy hedgerow on the south side of the gravel workings. Other birds on the gravel workings included Greenshank, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, two fine Black-necked Grebes and a singing Corn Bunting. The pratincole vanished until being refound in the same spot five days later (yesterday). And England won, getting through to the quarter finals. 

 

 

 

Showy Marsh

A recent visit to see a Marsh Warbler was a success with the bird giving great views despite the wind, singing from the top of an Elder bush. As usual, a frenetic song, threaded with mimicry, with the songs and calls of Great Tit, Blackbird, Swallow, Common Tern, Quail and Bee-eater all delivered with great skill.  There were undoubtedly other calls in there that I didn't recognise, perhaps of birds heard on the bird's migration or during the winter in Africa. 

Typically, a dull grey-brown Acro, with contrasty tertials and nice pale primary tips. A well-marked head-pattern with distinct pale supercilum extending well past the eye, with an obvious dark eye-stripe and a white throat.