Williamson's Weekly Notes Sept 16 2009

He won't be there many days, even hours or minutes on his way to Africa in the autumn rush. But I had a super view of his cravat '“ the greyish-white feathers standing out on his throat, and also his chestnut crest.

While he was in view, a blackcap warbler was having a bath in the frying pan ten feet away on the lawn. His black cap made him obvious, and so did his wife's brown cap make her an easy ident as the two had a bath together.

Meanwhile, flitting about on the roof, catching cluster flies which were drowsily thinking about a nice long winter sleep behind my bedroom curtains with the queen wasp and the peacock butterfly, was spotted flycatcher. They are rare nowadays and you only seem to see them on migration. When I was a boy at school in Devon I used to find half a dozen of their nests in a morning, woven to the sides of beech trees in the ivy.

I have not seen a nest for 20 years, but I see the birds on migration on my roof. But what I'm hoping to see in my garden is a nightingale, like this one in the picture. So far, no luck. Where I do see them every September, is at the dewpond in Kingley Vale or the one on Harting Down.

Tuck yourself away in the bushes near to a downland pond and you will see Piccadilly bird-world in autumn. Keep a tally and you will be astounded at what's moving through the country as September passes. Everything comes down for a drink. The birds are travelling and they are thirsty.

One year I watched 800 house martins dipping in for drinks at Kingley Vale. Not this year because the pond is dry for almost the first time since I built it in 1976.

Ring ouzels, redstarts, pied flycatchers, robins flying out to France, many different warblers, hobbys looking for late dragonflies, even a moorhen have been seen on the pond in autumn. Some birds use it by night such as skylarks and meadow pipits.

I have seen 25 corn buntings around this pond, stonechats, whinchats and hordes of chaffinches with a brambling. Put water out on your lawn and you may see the autumn rush from the comfort of your own kitchen window too.

If its a dry time as often in autumn they will find it. Old frying pans are best because the water is not too deep and frightening. Water butts open at the top are the worst '“ the birds will quickly drown.