Metropolitan migration

Well, I last wrote that there had been an increase in the number of migrating Song Thrushes and, two days ago, the migration counters in The Hague logged a staggering 14,657 of them going past!  I spotted a small group of Redwings, my first of the winter, going over on my way to the supermarket and also heard a migrating Brambling, another first of the season.  Yesterday morning, therefore, I decided to see if the thrush throngs were also passing over the centre of Brussels and spent an hour and a half counting the migration on my balcony, tallying 184 birds of at least 15 species.  Just as I started, I noticed two Great Egrets disappearing in the distance, no doubt following the canal, but the best bird of the morning was a single Woodlark which passed directly overhead, calling twice as it went.  I saw small numbers of both Song Thrush and Redwing but the majority were Chaffinches and distant things I just couldnt identify, including a very dark-looking bunting which may well have been Little, plus two possible Ring Ouzels.  Both Great Egret and Woodlark were new for my balcony list and, this morning, during another count with roughly the same amount of birds, I also added Lapwing, as a flock of 18 passed high overhead.  That makes 59 species seen from my balcony in the three years I've been in this apartment, and almost 400 individuals of at least 20 species going past in a total of just three hours this weekend.  That you can see so much migration in the built-up area of Brussels, whereas a lot of species often skirt around major cities, is amazing and just gives an idea of the amount of birds passing over at this time of the year.  Look up!