Thursday 31st December - 2015 ..a mixed year

A final round up for what has seemed like a pretty mixed year from all angles. The last two months run of unseasonally mild,  wet and windy weather has probably done little to raise anyone's festive spirits and feeling particularly sorry for those folk in the north of the country suffering from extreme flooding as a result.

From a birding year, the one trip to Botswana was a highlight, but my UK birding was limited to largely local visits and certainly became reduced after mid-summer when full-time working kicked in again... subject to health and time, there is always 2016.. and beyond... despite that still some good birds seen

I went to Blackdown on Tuesday, which temporarily looked like a calm gap in the weather, although within 30 minutes I was getting wet. I only managed 5 Redwing, 1 Stonechat and 4 Goldcrest.. there was more interest at home !!

Wishing all a great New Year and a fun 2016.

This was mid-morning on Blackdown this week - dark, wet and windy - and no birds

Male Bullfinch at home - they love the ripened berries of the Guelder Rose

Monday 21st December - pre-xmas update

Not a lot to report - Since the beginning of November I've failed completely in birding. given my busy work schedule during the week it would otherwise be limited to weekends but my list of excuses ranges from appalling weather (of the grey very wet and windy variety), a bronchial bug that laid me low for 3 weeks, and extended parenting duties (otherwise known as taxi services).

When the wind has lessened the bird activity at home has varied and only this recent weekend have I noticed a small increase in activity with small numbers of Goldfinch, Lesser Redpoll and Siskin joining Chaffinch and Greenfinch around the feeders and a smart male Brambling yesterday was the first seen this Winter at home.

Tawny Owls remain vocal on clear nights, a Marsh Tit is still a regular visitor and Nuthatch, Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tit are probably the more interesting of smaller passerines. Redwings are still around although in smaller numbers than November and the early small flocks of Fieldfare seem to have dispersed.

With the continuation of these Southerly winds with mild wet weather it doesn't really indicate much of a change , but a few days break over Christmas will be welcome !

Lesser Redpoll

male Brambling

Very smart detailed feather patterns - just showing white rump

I

Sunday 1st November - Fog !

The whole weekend was very Foggy !!- I could leave it at that. It cleared briefly Saturday afternoon and was actually quite mild and sunny for a time, but the entire day on Sunday just varied in terms of depth of Fog. So I did jobs at home and watched New Zealand win the Rugby World Cup. The only visible birds of note at home were 4  Bullfinch, 2 Marsh Tit, Several Redwing, 2 or 3 Goldcrest, a couple of Meadow Pipit flyovers. A building flock of c20 Siskin and 12 Goldfinch and 2 Sparrowhawk on Saturday. Plenty of Woodpigeons around but not yet the thousands of the last couple of years. Just as a point of note, I've recorded 83 species here at home since moving here 4 years ago - less than at Greyhound House where the total was 91 , although that was a 10 year period.

Saturday & Sunday 25th October - A Shrike weekend

Still remarkably mild but lots of cloud and pretty windy on Saturday, whilst Sunday was a perfect autumn day, very calm and bright. During the working week Dave Burgess had found a Great Grey Shrike on Blackdown. There had been a mini-influx of them and several sites in the South now held these birds but I was particularly keen to see the Blackdown shrike with it being so local.

Arriving at 7.30,  it was still very gloomy, 2 Redwings and a Lesser Redpoll had flown over and a handful of Goldcrest were calling, but I was struggling to see a bird of any description. It was shortly after 8am when I was down in the valley bottom that I saw the Great Grey Shrike distantly on top of one of the pines, virtually a silhouette. I walked onto the top path noting a couple of Dartford Warblers and met Dave and Jonathan who had the Shrike in the scope in a pine, it then favoured the top of a couple of shrubs half way up the valley slope and at one point caught what was probably a Pygmy Shrew and downed it in one - in an Owl-like fashion. A couple of Siskin and 4 Brambling flew over calling and 2 Fieldfare landed in one of the pines. The weather was worsening and rain beckoned so I headed home.

Sunday was similar but the weather much improved although I didn't quite take full advantage of the clocks going back and was on site before 7am (8am yesterdays time !) . I quickly found the Great Grey Shrike again in the same bush half way up the Western slope of the valley where it stayed for at least half an hour, other birds seen were 4 Redwing, 2 Brambling, 1 Firecrest and 3 Skylark. It was fairly quiet otherwise with the notable difference to last week being the clear-out of all the thrushes and no Stonechats left on site, although up to 4 Dartford Warblers were present.

At home later in the morning both GreyWagtail and Pied Wagtail were present plus 3 Crossbill flew South. The build up of Woodpigeons were notable with probably 200+ passing West in about 30 minutes - I imagine in about 10 days there maybe thousands seen if like previous years.



Devouring a Shrew on Saturday

Remaining equally distant on Sunday

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Dartford Warblers doing well here at the moment

Regular Kestrel

Sunday 18th October - Blackdown Fog

An update covering 2 weekends and 2 visits to Blackdown. On the 10th my early morning visit was pretty much thwarted by Fog. There was no forecast for it, and when I arrived it seemed confined to the lower valleys but by the time I'd walked from the car to the main path it was a pea-souper that only got worse by 10am rather than clearing.

I saw a measly 9 Meadow Pipit, 3 Redwing and 2 or 3 Dartford Warblers, but stood around for quite a while with Dave trying to talk the fog into lifting. We thought we heard a Ring Ouzel but that was as good as it got.
The following day at home the surprise were 8  Song Thrush flying in a Westerly direction with still a single Chiffchaff and Treecreeper with the commoner birds, a Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit flying over were noted . Then on Wednesday 14th I had an hour at home before going to the airport for work and in that time an estimated 150+ Redwing flew West in groups of 20+ along with 5 late Swallows and 2 House Martin.

My second attempt at Blackdown was this Sunday 18th. Fog was forecast in the area throughout the morning but I went anyway ...and guess what , it wasn't that bad, although it was rather gloomy to start. There were at least some birds to look at. A large Fieldfare flock dominated, my first of the Winter,  with ca75+ birds flying between the Rowans which still had a few remaining berries, most have already been stripped so I would think the remaining fruits have a life of a week at best with all the thrushes around. Amongst the Fieldfare were around 20 Redwing and 2 Ring Ouzel. At one point the same Rowan had 5 Brambling and 4 Bullfinch also feeding on the berries. In total I had at least 7 Brambling, all in flight together but I heard at least one other. 19 Meadow Pipit were counted, 4 Lesser Redpoll seen in flight and a Woodlark heard flying over were other highlights. Goldcrest could only be counted as plenty, and a couple of Chiffchaffs in the Tit flocks , but nothing more exciting despite a reasonable amount of scrutiny and of the larger variety 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 1 Raven and 2 Jays.

Continuing the theme at home I heard a Brambling calling from the Oaks but couldn't locate it, maybe a decent Winter for them is in prospect ?




Dawn looked promising - but then the fog came in

THe foggy dew made the cobwebs look spectacular

and then it became more foggy !

A week later you could see the birds - Ring Ouzel

Plenty of Wrens on the site

Only a few Rowan berries remain

A few Fieldfares with a Ring Ouzel

Mostly at the tops of the pines when not feeding



A tree full of Fieldfare

Saturday 3rd October - High Peaks

On Tuesday this week a juvenile Pallid Harrier had been reported from the South Downs at Burpham in almost identical circumstances to one at this exact site at the same time of year in 2011 , i.e. following a spell of easterly winds with an anticyclone stubbornly sitting over the continent and a harrier reported from this area firstly as a probable Montagu's then re-identified from pictures as the much rarer Pallid Harrier.

Wednesday 30th was my last day before back to full-time work in London, so I took the opportunity to visit the area, well I spent from about 8.30am to 1.30pm with not a whiff of the Harrier and limited compensation in numerous Red Kites, Buzzards, Ravens, Kestrel and a single Merlin. The gathered crowd concluded the bird to have moved on, only for another sighting around 5pm confirming that this bird was still present but far less predictable than it's 2011 relative.

Other than a spattering of Yellow-browed Warblers at various places on the south coast there seemed very little new on offer on Saturday, so I opted to start the morning at Blackdown then head to Burpham to try for the Harrier again. Arriving just before 7am there was a lingering mist over Blackdown, reducing visibility a little but it could have been a lot worse. Initially seeming quiet then a few Meadow Pipits were recorded, 18 in the 1.5 hours I was there, a Kestrel flew over early and 2 Dartford Warblers were in familiar places along with several Stonechats. I then heard a familiar high pitched thrush call as a party of 9 Redwings flew over, my first of these autumn arrivals. A couple of Jays, 2 Lesser Redpolls and 2 Pied Wagtails seemed transient birds. I then reached the area where the Ring Ouzels had been favouring and wasn't disappointed. At least 3 birds were seen although very flight and not in the least approachable, and associating with 7+ Mistle Thrushes and at lest 10 more Redwings and several Song Thrush. I didn't linger on site and headed off towards the South Downs parking at Canada Barn from the North Stoke end.

The mist here on the Downs was much thicker than at Blackdown, I walked up the tack from Canada Barn, seeing a Sparrowhawk, Blackcap and ca30 Linnets, I bumped into a group of birders walking towards me who had just had a Harrier they thought was probably a Pallid, fly briefly over a hedge and into the valley I'd just walked up, so re-tracing steps we scanned that valley (although the mist made it difficult), there wasn't actually a lot of Harrier habitat in that direction. Walking further north again we stopped at a gate which in theory overlooked the main valley which leads down to Burpham. The mist was being stubborn so visibility was poor until at least after 11am. A few Common Buzzards appeared then a couple of distant Red Kites. The large numbers of Skylarks were quite a spectacle and another Linnet flock had in excess of 100 birds all testimony to the great downland habitat here. A single Wheatear was in one of the fields and a covey of Grey Partridges were seen as I relocated to the track which holds the Dew Pond (which is now completely dried up) .

Standing with around 10 other birders at this point I picked up a Harrier in the distance which moved quickly across a ploughed field, it turned and vanished beneath a hillbrow in one of the many undulations but a couple of minutes later re-appeared in a nearer field where it's credentials were confirmed as the Pallid Harrier with deep plain orange underparts, a clear neck collar and pointed wings with a swift flight. It was then lost to view again  - The hedges here have been allowed to grow which means unless you are at least 7ft tall some views across fields become restricted.  Satisfied that this was probably going to be considered a good view of this bird and maybe having to wait several more hours before it re-appeared  I went home happy .... less said about the rugby the better !!!

A misty Blackdown at first light

The vast area and big undulations didn't make easy for finding a Harrier even when the mist cleared

..but it is fantastic Sussex downland habitat

Red Kite

Saturday 26th September - England v's Wales !!

Yes, the day ended up at Twickenham and oh what a shame about the result but he match was incredible and atmosphere electric.. so back to the birds.

I went for an early walk to Blackdown, arriving this time at 6.50am which was just after sunrise. This is potentially a good time of year for Ring Ouzels, but I have found in the past that very first thing is good for them as they can become more scattered and elusive later in the day .. if they are around at all. The very clear night skies did not bode well for migrants, but at least it was an amazingly clear morning and surprisingly without any mist.

The normal walk started of very quietly indeed, although 5 or 6 Goldcrests on the first part of the ridge to start with suggested an increase in the numbers had occurred since last week. Stonechats were also in good force with at least 10 birds in total and a couple of Dartford Warblers.

A Wheatear on the main path felt like a bit of a bonus as they are quite rare around here and a Woodlark was in full voice songflighting from the top of one of the pines. A few Meadow Pipits were moving I counted 16 in total, and 10 Swallows and 18 House Martins were early movers.in the day. 7 Crossbills, including 2 males, flew into one of the pines fed for around 15 minutes then appeared to fly South. There were lots of Mistle Thrushes, I estimated 15 birds, although constantly moving and occasionally dipping into a Rowan to feed, amongst these I saw a Ring Ouzel, initially stationary in a birch, before dropping quickly into a Rowan that was obscured in scrub before melting into the trees. It was a scruffy individual and probably a first year bird, but nice to hear the familiar  'chacking'. If the Rowan berries survive then the next couple of weeks should see more of these birds with the right weather.

2 more Woodlarks were seen on a path before flying off in a southerly direction so wasn't sure whether this was 2 different birds to the one seen earlier.

The views were glorious in bright sunshine, just wished the sporting result would have ended differently !.

View at dawn

Very little water is on the site, a couple of damp areas such as above never holds birds - maybe a drop in Snipe at the right time of year.

Scattered tall pines that all birds seem to love here

Views this morning were incredible

Woodlark in flight



Another Woodlark

Wheatear



A rather scruffy Ring Ouzel

They sit motionless for long periods

Twickenham before the excitement began !!

Wednesday 23rd Septmber - Kentish Trails

The weekend vanished and into a working week, where the project I've been working on is expected to materialise in to full-time in a couple of weeks, until then I have the odd day to fill.
Migrant birds have seemed a little thin on the ground for this time in September, although each time I went out of the house, hundreds of House Martins and Swallows were filling the sky, none more so than Sunday evening where the numbers must have been in the thousands stretching as far as the eye could see to the South. The numbers have been building as they await the call to migrate South to Africa and I would guess that in another week many would have left. This is wonderful spectacle at this time of year and although I'm sure it's the same in many places in Sussex these masses of hirundines seem happy here feeding over the treetops.

It was a surprise to hear news on Tuesday that an American Flycatcher had made landfall at Dungeness in Kent. One of the Empidonax family, 2 of which (Alder and Willow) were known collectively 'Traills Flycatcher' and 2 records of Alder Flycatcher had been recorded before (I saw one in Norfolk about 4 years ago) - There are about eleven bird species in this North American family that are considered so similar, that accurately identifying the exact species in the field is considered particularly challenging. However, as the day progressed the experts opinion, based on the viewing and good quality pictures, was that this bird was probably an Arcadian Flycatcher - The first ever recorded in Britain and only the second ever in Europe (the first one a dead specimen on the continent nearly 50 years ago).

After a mostly wet day on Tuesday, the bird had been seen going to roost into cover as the light faded. I'd been in London all day Tuesday, but not on Wednesday, so thought there was a decent chance the bird would still be there, as the need to feed up in situ after such a long sea crossing would be paramount and having listened to Gary's experience of excellent viewing including the bird landing on his camera bag, I had to at least try !. However, the skies had cleared overnight which always brings with it the potential for clear-out of grounded migrants.

I arrived early at sunrise and joined the 100 or so birders lined up around the vegetated garden of South View cottage on the edge of the 'desert' area at Dungeness. After 2 hours of waiting and no sign of the bird I joined others in a wider search of the area but to no avail. A brief report by one person who thought they may have seen it on a fence proved fruitless as each bush was scoured, but generally there were very few birds to be seen which indicated that there probably had been a clear-out of migrant birds with the overnight skies completely cloudless. So a resounding no-show for the flycatcher,

Regular groups of Meadow Pipits were arriving from the sea along with flyover Siskins, Linnets  a Grey Wagtail and a steady stream of Swallows . Nice to see was a Merlin which whizzed past the group of forlorn birders, a Sparrowhawk and later a Peregrine. Only a couple of Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs were in the bushes and a single Whinchat and a single Wheatear made up the remainder of migrant birds. A quick look at the sea produced several Gannets 2 Arctic Skuas, Sandwich and comic Terns and a group of what were possibly harbour porpoises.

Relocating late morning to the RSPB reserve (there was little of interest on the ARC pit). A Cattle Egret was in a cow field near the entrance track and a gathering roost of Lapwing and Golden Plover held a single Ruff.

At the back of the first pit 2 Great White Egrets were in the shallows and a 3rd bird flew towards Denge Marsh, making it a 3 Egret species day, which is still a rare occurrence for me in the UK. Only a Yellow Wagtail, Reed Warbler, Stonechat and Lesser Whitethroat were added as migrants on a walk around the reserve, but at least 5 Sparrowhawks were seen and a male Marsh Harrier over the track on the way out.

Headed home early afternoon, despite the disappointment of the Flycatcher performing an overnight vanishing act, Dungeness is always somewhere I enjoy visiting and always with something to see it was well worth the trip.

On the way to pick up Hannah from school, I saw a Barn Owl hunting over a field near Milland around 6.45pm, which is almost a first for me for this area.

Wheater

A distant Great White Egret

A view to the ARC pit from RSPB reserve

Dungeness Nuclear Power Station form the RSPB reserve

Friday 18th September - Selsey Peninsula

I decided to go to Selsey Bill first this morning. I hadn't been for a couple of months at least, and didn't have huge expectations with a forecast WNW light wind and it was quiet. 7 Common Scoter flew East, a few Terns were moving West with 32 Sandwich Terns and 18 Common Terns. A single Razorbill flew West and around a dozen Gannets were milling offshore. A Tree Pipit flew North and a steady stream of Meadow Pipits started to arrive from the South, my count of 47 probably vastly underestimated the numbers arriving. Also Swallows were arriving from the sea, perhaps unusually this time of year inbound rather than going in the other direction, again a count of 50 would have been low to the actual numbers. 2 Yellow Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail alos flew over, but it was pretty quiet up to 9am.
I drove to the Pagham visitor centre and walked through the bushes to the harbour and round to the ferry pool. The brambles and scrub were full of Blackcaps and Whitethroats, presumably soon to be departing south. A Redstart shot past and a Reed Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat also seen. A Greenshank was in the harbour in the low tide along with Redshank and Curlew and more Meadow Pipits and Swallows steramed through.  I was hoping to get a better view of the Phalarope on the Ferry pool and a chance of seeing the elusive Pectoral Sandpiper. Luckily the Grey Phalarope was actively feeding near to the road when I arrived , swimming, spinning on the water and then feeding on the mud and perforemed very well. I also managed a brief view of the Pectoral Sandpiper. It was just visible in the reeds, then ran out to the mud and ran back behind the reeds to disappear again. Other birds present were similar to the previous day with 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper , 3 Dumlin, 30 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Avocet. Several Yellow Wagtails were amongst the cows and a flock of  newly arrived Wigeon with a single Pintail flew into the harbour.

I went to Medmerry briefly, a pair of Garganey had been frequenting a reedy pool, but there was no sign when I was there. A couple of  Yellow Wagtails, Sand Martin, Buzzard, Yellowhammer and Linnets were the only additions as I stopped short of walking all the way to the pools.

Grey Phalarope

Thursday September 17th - After the Rain

There was a lot - Heavy monsoon-like downpours yesterday afternoon and throughout the night , but seemed to have cleared by the morning. I went to Blackdown first thing for a walk. It did feel that the birds may have either drowned or gone elsewhere, but eventually I caught up with a few. At least 8 Stonechat and a Dartford Warbler were keeping tabs on anything else that moved and 5 Mistle Thrush was a collective. 2 Kestrels were also hunting. 6 Meadow Pipits were the first of the autumn.

The migrant numbers had definitely reduced with 10 Chiffchaffs, a Whitethroat and at least 3 Redstart being the best.

Returning home and 3 more Meadow Pipits flew over the house, with a Grey Wagtail being the first I've seen for a while and 2 Ravens , or I should say The 2 Ravens with one still showing a missing primary that's distinctive and has been visible for a couple of years now.

A steady build up of Swallows and House Martins, probably at least 100 birds attracted a Hobby to drift over.

Autumn plumaged male Redstart

Stonechat

Hobby at home