Thursday 24th October - Birds in the working week

... well not really just that I am able at the minute to make last minute decisions about not going to the office as we're still waiting for the sale of the business to go through, affording me a little more time.

I had a morning to spare and the rather windy prospects didn't hold much for passerines so I headed for the sea and even though bright and clear was lacking in seabirds, just Common Scoter (3) and Brent Geese (2) and Med Gulls (8) and a single Wigeon was a particularly poor showing. There was a small movement of passerines with Meadow pipits (72) all heading South along with Pied Wagtails (8 ) a late Yellow Wagtail  and Linnets (15). There was then a Northerly movement of Skylark (42) and Siskin (6) and a single Sparrowhawk. I briefly called in at Church Norton where a flyover Brambling and Redpoll and Chiffchaff were the only interest, I started to head back but
at the last minute diverted to the North Wall.

A Kingfisher was by the Sluice with a nearby Cetti's Warbler and Reed Bunting (3),. The breach pool held squealing Water Rail, several Black-tailed Godwit and then a Glossy Ibis flew in and landed at the back of the pool. Apparently it had been there earlier and had flown off and presumed departed the area and within 5 minutes it was off again, this time fairly purposefully South. The harbour near White's creek held a good number of Wigeon and a few Pintail with a flock of Golden Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, and Grey Plover. A single Rock Pipit  was near the footpath and late Swallows (3) and House Martins (2) were hawking over the creek.

Black-tailed Godwit

Glossy Ibis in flight

Last seen heading south

Friday 18th October - Delivery day

Following the building work at home, the next task is to try and get the garden looking like a garden, with the back of the house largely having been mud and rubble. So I arranged to get a couple of garden beds properly dug, an area re-turfed, and eventually moving the chicken pen to the orchard so the back garden has a bit more light and a better flow. Today was delivery day for manure, soil and turf but a problem is our post-code doesn't get drivers to the house, and we always need to be around to guide delivery drivers in when the inevitable call comes saying 'I'm lost'. At least by the end of the day everything had successfully arrived,. I'd sorted out work so I could do any at home and I had a couple of slots where I could get out of the house. It was very misty first thing and I stood in the garden waiting for delivery number 1 and notched up a fair old bird list both flyovers and in situ.

lots of Redwing (97) in various loose flocks.
Song Thrush (7)
Fieldfare (4)
Blackbird (2)
Pied Wagtail (4)
Nuthatch
Wren
Chaffinch (7)
Jackdaw
Meadow Pipit (5)
Swallow (1)
Siskin (4)
Linnet (4)
Black-headed Gull (2)
Raven (2)
Goldfinch (7)
Greenfinch (5)
Firecrest (1) - in the same Holly
Collared Dove
Great-Spotted Woodpecker
Stock Dove (5)

After delivery 1, I headed up to Blackdown, as the mist seemed to have cleared at home, but annoyingly Blackdown was still covered in thick rolling fog. There were plenty of birds calling, particularly Redwing and Fieldfare although it was difficult to see more than about 30ft in front,  I could also hear the call of Bramblings, Chaffinches, Goldcrest and Siskin. I headed down one of the more sheltered valleys but it was still quite foggy. A Bullfinch called then at least one Brambling, then a call, which took a while to register, but it was a Yellow-browed Warbler !, the problem was the call was coming from a clump of young birch half way up the slope shrouded in mist. It then called again (a continuous series of notes) but I waited for around 20 minutes but no sighting and no more calling and I had to start heading back for the next delivery- how frustrating !.  A single Crossbill chupped away and flew around the tops of several pines then in a noisy bird flock, I made out at least 15 Brambling feeding in a Rowan  with more calling.

After delivery 2, with the weather brightening up I went to Ambersham. I met Colin and Mich (Selsey regulars) as I got out of the car, they that said they had had no luck looking for yesterdays shrike. I hadn't walked far down the path when I found the Great Grey Shrike distantly at the top of a small pine. I called out to Colin and Mich who managed to to get on the bird through the scope before it took flight again. I headed off along the path where there was a Stonechat and 2 Dartford Warblers. The shrike then flew across the path and was visible through a gap in some pines not too far away. The next 20 minutes were spent watching the shrike as it hunted, successfully catching what looked like a large bumblebee, before it flew more distantly.

After calling in at home again, I headed back to Blackdown, to see if I could relocate the calling YBW, but no luck and other than around 50 Fieldfare there was very little else on offer.

Stonechat

Great Grey Shrike

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Eventually gave good views

Sunday October 13th - Wash out

There had been so many thrushes reported all over the South yesterday that I was determined to have a look locally first thing- the weather looked less than promising and was only predicted to get worse later. So by 7.30am I was at Blackdown, but unlike Friday where the wind was the problem I could hardly see a thing due to the low cloud and drizzle. Plenty of Redwings were calling along with Goldcrest, Siskin, Chiffchaff and Meadow Pipits. After hearing the call of a Brambling I eventually managed to see one through the murk in a sheltered valley along with a single Fieldfare. It then started to rain heavily, which it did for the rest of the day, so I headed home.

Saturday October 12th - Winds , rain and normal weather

On Thursday there had been a mass movement of Redwings into the country with coastal sights reporting counts of 40,000+. I saw over 100 pass over the garden late Thursday evening, with the thrushes dispersing inland and the first 2 Fieldfare of the year.

Unusually I had a couple of hours on Friday free as we were expecting a delivery which I needed to be at home for, so I had a quick trip up to Blackdown, it was dry but the wind was atrocious, a force 6 or 7 northerly, which made me think the visit would largely be a mistake, the first few hundred yards just involved the Oak trees throwing there mass of acorns at me. I did however see 4 Crossbill (albeit in flight and very quick !) a few Redwing, Meadow Pipit and Siskin, a single male Stonechat, a Buzzard and the same Raven I saw at home last week (based on the same missing secondary on it's left wing), returning home the Firecrest I saw lat week was again glimpsed in the hedge outside the back door.

Saturday looked a better day with at last a change in the winds but in a few hours the prediction swung from an extremely promising strong South Easterly to a less strong and less promising North easterly, but my mind was already made up that I was coast bound.

Early rain passed and the wind actually died down but there was a fair movement. Med Gulls (9) lingered offshore and 5 Sandwich Terns passed through with a westerly passage of Brent Geese with over 300 passing through in small family groups. A close Arctic Skua and 5 Razorbill flew past and Common Scoter Shoveler and Teal were the only duck and Swallows (8), House Martins (2) and a Wheatear were the only outbound migrants.

Meadow Pipits were constantly passing over and several groups of Linnets flew in from the sea, then a Brambling flew over calling and the best bird being an inbound Short-Eared Owl, flying in off the sea and maintaining a steady height as it progressed inland,. I called in at Pagham on the way home where a Kingfisher and 5 Blackcaps were the only real interest.

Elsewhere a huge movement of Ring Ouzels had been recorded with peak counts of over 200 birds at single coastal sights in East Sussex and Kent but none in the West but there had been up to 20 on Blackdown which was a bit annoying, but they weren't there in yesterdays wind !

Standing on Blackdown looking south - Woolbeding is the dark green middle peak just right of centre - just to prove you can see one from the other - the house is in between, somewhere over the first ridge of trees.

6th October - Dog fest

A bright morning with a westerly breeze had me debating where to go. I didn't feel like the sea would be productive but I definitely wanted to be coastal. Many reports of Yellow-browed Warblers during the last few days had me hopeful of catching up with one, although the area of coast I favour had  none, they had all been in East Sussex or just over the Hampshire border.

I decided to go to West Wittering, which I really like as habitat , but the dogs are the problem. Even though I was fairly early the car park was filling with dog walkers, barking, stick throwing, dog pooh and an atmosphere of 'my dog's bigger than yours...'

Even though the tamarisks in the car park held a least 10 Chiffchaffs, I decided to give the dunes on East head a miss and walk towards Elanore. A steady stream of Meadow pipits were heading west, and the scrub held more Chiffchaffs, the occasional Blackcap (4) and lots of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes, but nothing more unusual. 

On Snowhill Marsh the juvenile Spoonbill, was right on the far pool and spent the majority of the morning asleep (and it was looking directly into the sun). A Greenshank was with the Black-tailed Godwits and a single Snipe. A small flock of Golden Plover flew out towards the mudflats with the Brent Geese, Dunlin , Bar-tailed Godwit,  Ringed Plover and Curlew. 

A nice male Wheatear was in the scrub and many more Chiffchaff were seen, totalling at least 50 during the morning. A Stonechat and Yellowhammer were at the edge of the fields near the car park and these fields contained over 100 Pied Wagtail with just 1 Yellow Wagtail and over 50 Meadow Pipits. No sign of anything more interesting and a dog ran out onto the mudlflats and chased the Brent Geese away, with the owner just looking on oblivious - unbelievable,  so I headed home.

Male Wheatear

view over East Head and towards Hayling Island

A few Brents 

Raven at home

5th October - Woolbeding

Again stayed local this morning and went to Woolbeding Common, which is another fairly high peak at just over 200m but not quite as high as Blackdown at 280m (I live pretty equi-distant between the two and can just see both from the house), but still with a sharp wooded north escarpment and a more gently sloping southerly aspect, which was historically proper heath and common with much gorse and heather, but appears a little abandoned and losing it's historic habitat, slowly reverting to woodland with much Birch colonisation. However, it is National Trust owned and it was good to see some active management with a large area fenced off with electric fence and a small herd of grazing cattle, which will do much for restoring the area to proper heath.

It was cloudy and still and actually quite warm and humid, but this did little for bird activity. Chiffchaff (6), Swallow (7),  Meadow Pipit (3), Green Woodpecker, Yellowhammer (2), Redwing (9), Mistle Thrush (6)
 were the best of a small number of species recorded, although I'm sure I heard a brief song of distant Woodlark, but as soon as the ears were alerted it abruptly stopped. A lot of Fungi had burst through and I'm still not up to naming them but they looked good !.

I did slightly better at home later as a Red Kite drifted West and a Firecrest was a holly next to the house.

Woolbeding

Puffball about to blow

Whitebeam