27/10/2014 Red-breasted Flycatcher at Beachy Head

Monday 27th October 2010
Beachy Head
Old Trapping Area

I was so relieved to see this lovely Red-breasted Flycatcher at noon today.  It arrived on the south coast on 22nd October the day my sister Joan went home and the day before our Norfolk trip so I thought I had missed my opportunity.  Thankfully it hung around until I got home so I got my first chance to see it today.





Red-breasted Flycatcher - male
SOS site

The views were terrific with bright sunshine and the bird not 10 metres away from the assembled birders.  This was yet another "lifer" for me and another step closer towards the magical figure of 300 UK species.



"The red-breasted flycatcher  breeds in eastern Europe and across central Asia and is migratory, wintering in south Asia. It is a regular passage migrant in western Europe."



"This little bird , who will eventually try to get to Asia, was an absolute pleasure to be around.  Fingers crossed he makes it."




Addition to UK 2014 List:
Red-breasted Flycatcher   (269)

Addition to UK Life List:
Red-breasted Flycatcher   (281)

Norfolk Trip two "lifers" and 100+ Species Count. Surf Scoter and Rough-legged Buzzard

Thursday 23rd October 2014 to Sunday 26/10/2014
North Norfolk Birding Trip
Paul and group (Andrew, Ian and Brenda, Christine, Alan, Paul and myself)

• We were based at the Chequers Inn at Thorham, just 5 minutes from Titchwell.  This proved to be good value for money with decent food and accommodation. 

• Conditions were not good for rare birds with the winds coming from the west rather than the north easterlies we needed.

Day 1  Thursday 23/10/14 Titchwell and Holkham.

The headline of the day was made by the male Surf Scoter seen in the afternoon at Holkham Bay.  After spending most of the morning and a good part of the afternoon at Titchwell we relocated to Holkham and followed the grapevine news to find the Surf Scoter showing well alongside a couple of Common Scoters some 50 metres away out at sea.  Although distant we could still make out the prominent white patch on the head and a hint of orange around the bill.  This was a lifetime first sighting for me and one that was made much easier by the relatively calm sea and excellent lighting. 

Male Surf Scoter
Library picture

 
The bird had arrived recently and, thankfully, it had stayed over until today.  Indeed it was still there when we left the following Sunday, this time having  being joined by a Velvet Scoter.


Earlier, at Titchwell we had seen lots and lots of birds, as you would expect.  Perhaps the pick of the bunch was the "ringtail" Hen Harrier which Paul saw flying west, parallel to the shore line before dropping down into the dunes; a first of the autumn for all of us.  Pink-footed Geese and Brent Geese dominated the scene in the skies, providing the magnificent backdrop that we came here to witness.  There were lots of waders to see including Ruff, Golden Plover and Godwit with a smattering of Avocet.  Surprisingly the sea watch did not produce the expected divers and ducks although we did see a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers and the odd Razorbill.  The most amusing event involved a Black-headed Gull trying to emulate a Tern ( or a Gannet!) by jumping into the air for a metre or so before plunging head first into the water in the narrow channel of water just in front of us.

We finished the day on the Holkham Nature Reserve looking over Burnham Overy from the sand dunes.  There were several Marsh Harriers, a couple of Buzzards and a Great White Egret showing well in the evening light.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped off on the A149 to look for Barn Owls but we were unlucky and just missed out.  We were also just too late to see the male Hen Harrier that had passed through, presumably on it's way to roost at Titchwell.  We compensated by watching the Little Egrets flying over to their evening roosting grounds - there must have been 20+ in the short while we were there.

A lovely first day with a couple of special birds showing well and a species count already into the high seventies.






Day 2  Friday 24/10/2014   Burnham Norton and Burnham Overy.

There were a couple of "star items" on day 2. 

• While we were walking inland to the beach at Burnham Norton a noisy flock of 13 Bearded Tits flew over us and landed in the reeds just a few metres to the west of us.   We spent a very pleasurable couple of minutes enjoying the show before they went on their way again.  
  
  
  This was the first time I had seen Bearded Tits flying in large groups which, apparently, often happens in the autumn. 

Bearded Tit flock
Library picture

• With the expected rain just about due we headed off in the afternoon to Burnham Overy where the Rough-legged Buzzard had been seen regularly over the past couple of days.  From the car park on the A149 we got a good, though distant, view of one as it hovered over the sand dunes ahead of us before coming down in the fields.  

  

  Rough-legged Buzzard flying
  Library picture

  We then made the long walk to the dunes - just as the rain started to come down.  After a while we observed the bird in the fields below us. 

  

  Rough-legged Buzzard  Perched
  Library picture

  We were then able to pick up on the main ID issues pale face and white tail etc.  Another fantastic sighting - another "lifer"!





Rough-legged Buzzard relocating
Library picture



We again were out of look with Barn Owl sightings on the way back to the hotel.

Another very productive day with the species count now approaching 100




Day 3  Saturday 25/10/2014   Cley, Salthouse and Stiffkey.

We had spent a lot of time since arriving on Thursday combing the beaches looking for Snow Buntings and Shore Larks with no luck at all.  Today was much the same this time after a long walk from Cley along the coastal path to Salthouse.  

• Just as we were getting downhearted we picked up a message on BirdGuides of a Grey Phalarope that was showing well on the roadside pool in Salthouse -  a mere 100 metres from us.  The views were superb with the bird no more than 30 metres away and very active.  

  

  Grey Phalarope
  Library picture

  Lighting conditions were really good for the photographers among us.

• Not long after we added Black Brant to our list of rare birds - it was among a flock of 50 or so Brent Geese quite close to us.  In the picture below you can see the tell-tale prominent white barring down the side.

Black Brant Goose
Library picture

• We spent the evening at Stiffkey where we were fortunate to see 2 Merlins as well as the usual Marsh Harriers.

Merlin
Library picture

Another very good day and after a slow start we saw some really special birds.




Final Day  Sunday 26th October 2014 Holme, Titchwell and Lynford Arboretum

We used the extra hour gained by the clocks going back to do a pre-breakfast walk by the sea at Holme.  There were lots of waders around as it was nearly high tide.  The highlight was the House Martin seen flying overhead and the Wheatear seen on the footpath ahead of us.
 
As there was not much happening at Titchwell we decided to move inland and go south to Lynford with the target bird being Hawfinch. Although we did not succeed in this we did manage to add several other woodland birds to our species list.

A rather quiet finish to our trip but we all left quite content with our experience.





Overall a tremendous trip with 110+ species seen and some excellent sites visited.  There was a marked absence of rare birds which we expected with the prevailing winds working against this.  Nevertheless we managed to find some and missed very little.


Additions to UK 2014 Year List:
Surf Scoter  (266)
Rough-legged Buzzard   (267)
Black Brant   (268)

Additions to UK Life List:
Surf Scoter  (279)
Rough-legged Buzzard   (280)

Trip species count = 112
Species List:
 Little Grebe
Great-crested Grebe
Gannet
Cormorant
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Greylag Goose
Pink -footed Goose
Brent Goose
Canada Goose   (10)
Egyptian Goose
Shelduck
Gadwall
Mallard
Teal
Wigeon
Pintail
Pochard
Shoveler
Tufted Duck   (20)
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Scoter
Buzzard
Marsh Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine
Pheasant
Red-legged Partridge   (30)
Grey Partridge
Coot
Moorhen
Avocet
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Lapwing
Knot   (40)
Sanderling
Dunlin
Ruff
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Snipe
Greenshank
Redshank
Spotted Redshank   (50)
Turnstone
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Razorbill
Collared Dove
Feral pigeon
Woodpigeon   (60)
Barn Owl
Tawny Owl
Green Woodpecker
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
House Martin
Meadow Pipit
Rock Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Dunnock   (70)
Wren
Robin
Wheatear
Stonechat
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush
Redwing
Cetti's Warbler
Chiffchaff
Goldcrest   (80)
Bearded Tit
Marsh Tit
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Jackdaw
Jay   (90)
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Rook
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Linnet
Siskin   (100)
Bullfinch
Reed Bunting
Yellow-legged Gull
Surf Scoter
Great-white Egret
Rough-legged Buzzard
Black Brant
Yellowhammer
Great Northern Diver
Red-throated Diver   (110)
Grey Phalarope
Mute Swan

19/10/2014 White-winged Black Tern at Rye and Ring Ouzels at Dungeness

Sunday 19th October 2014
Dungeness and Castle Water (Rye)
Paul and group

The plan was to make an early start at the fishing boats at Dungeness to do some seawatching, then look for Ring Ouzels in the trapping area before relocating to Rye to look for the White-winged Black Tern that had been there since Friday.

The strong winds raised expectations of a rewarding seawatch but the wind direction turned out to be almost parallel to the shore line making the spectacular experience less likely.  The highlight was the sight of a close Arctic Skua to complement the earlier long distant ones.  There were a good number of other birds seen but no vagrants or scarcities.

We found 9 Ring Ouzels in the trapping area after 2 attempts.  Our first sweep of the area was too far east and after consulting other birders we tried the more westerly route with huge success.  The views were really good with the birds seen flying and then perched in the trees about 50 metres away from us.  Word has it that the majority of the huge numbers of Ring Ouzel that have been seen on the south coast have probably come down from Scandinavia.

On the way back to the car we saw a female Black Redstart near the café which was a welcome bonus. 

Having been told that there was little activity on the reserve we decided to go to Rye to look for the White-winged Black Tern which was reported showing well at Castlewater.  On the car journey to Rye we still managed to see a couple of Great White Egrets loads of Golden Plover and many ducks etc, Paul even managing to see his first Merlin of 2014.

The Black Tern was showing well from the hide and also a little to the west, from the shingle waterfront.  This bird was a new species to me.  It had migrated from SE Europe and Asia and was aiming  to get to Africa but had obviously got lost - much to our advantage.  Although the tern was in moult the views were excellent with the flight providing a special treat.

 


White-winged Black Tern flying
Library picture

White-winged Black Tern on ground
Library picture

Have a look at the pictures below to see the same bird in breeding plumage.

White -winged Black Tern in breeding plumage
Library picture

Also seen at Castlewater were 3 splendid Little Stints, barely 30 metres way from the hide and several Marsh Harriers in the background.

We spent quite some time trying to find the Yellow-browed Warbler that had been heard but not seen in the wooded area close to Castlewater but we had no luck at all.  Maybe we will be more successful in Norfolk next weekend.





Today's species list:
Gannet
Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Arctic Skua
Great Black-backed Gull
Sandwich Tern
Common Scoter
Herring Gull
Kittiwake
Ring Ouzel   (10)
Blackbird
Magpie
Black Redstart
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Starling
Shoveler
Mallard
Coot
Great White Egret   (20)
Barnacle Goose
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Teal
Wigeon
Tufted Duck
Pintail
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose   (30)
Canada Goose
White-winged Black Tern
Little Stint
Marsh harrier
Kestrel
Robin
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Chiffchaff
Chaffinch   (40)
Linnet
Goldfinch
Meadow Pipit
House Sparrow
Goldcrest
Swallow




Pied Wagtail
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Pheasant   (50)
Gadwall
Wheatear
Common Gull


Today's Species Count = 53




Addition to 2014 UK List of birds:
White-winged Black Tern  ( 265)
Addition to UK Life List of birds:
White-winged Black Tern  ( 278)

16/10/2014 Ring Ouzels!

Thursday 16th October 2014
Whitbread Hollow  nr Beachy Head
Paul and group

The target bird today was the Ring Ouzel.  There have been so many sightings  along the south coast recently with 500+ at Dungeness on Tuesday that expectations were high when we set off from Whitbread Hollow at 08.00.

We soon encountered our first group when we saw 6 Ring Ouzels flying overhead.  Job done?  Not really because we really wanted really good views of them on the ground as well.  This happened when we moved a few metres further west where we got excellent views of the birds perches on the Yew trees and again as they moved around the area.  In all we reckoned there were a minimum of 12 birds on this site - the most Ring Ouzels I personally have ever seen in one place.




Ring Ouzels in flight
Library picture



Ring Ouzel in tree
Library picture



Ring Ouzel facing us
Library picture

It appears that Ring Ouzels were everywhere again today with all sites reporting lots of activity.  Their migration is well and truly in full swing.


There were also good numbers of Jay on site - at least 6 and probably more, Swallow, House Martin, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Stonechat.  The area was buzzing with birds.

I had to leave early to get to Euston Station for 14.30 but the group relocated to Shooters Bottom (Beachy Head) where they saw more Ring Ouzels and 2 Dartford Warblers.

What a cracking day!



Today's species list:
Sparrowhawk (x2)
Kestrel
Stonechat
Meadow Pipit
Chaffinch
Jay
Peregrine
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Blackbird   (10)
Chaffinch
Meadow Pipit
Chiffchaff
Greenfinch
Herring Gull
Oystercatcher
Blue Tit
Swallow
House Martin
Robin   (20)
Dunnock
Linnet
Magpie
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon

10/10/2014. A Tawny Pipit at Newhaven, Tidemills

Friday 10th October 2014
Tidemills, Newhaven

I received a call from Paul alerting me to the appearance of the rare Tawny Pipit at Tidemills.  Apparently it had been there since Monday.  After finishing shopping at Tunbridge Wells I dashed down and was rewarded with superb views.  

                         

Tawny Pipit
Library picture

It was another "lifer" for me.

Thanks Paul!

 

The Tawny Pipit was probably lost en-route from Europe or Asia to it's wintering grounds in NW Africa.




 

Addition to 2014 UK Bird List:  Tawny Pipit   (264)
Addition to Life List of UK Birds: Tawny Pipit (277)

06/102014. Groombridge Lagoons Water Rails

Monday 06 October 2014
Groombridge Lagoons
With Chris, Anne and Sue

We saw 2 Water Rails on one of the lagoons today and another 1 on a different lagoon later on, probably a different one, meaning that we could have up to 3 on our patch.

Teal numbers were the highest so far with at least 10 seen.

05/10/2014 Rye Harbour and Dungeness A Real Sunday Treat

Sunday 5th October 2014
Rye Harbour and Dungeness
Paul and group

Weather conditions today were superb with clear blue skies, no wind and temperatures that went to 21C at mid-day.  We spent the morning at Rye Harbour before moving on to Dungeness for the afternoon.



Rye Harbour
There were many birds showing today but with nothing extra special. 

• The highlight was probably the Kingfisher we saw from Denny's Hide which flew across the water in front of us and perched on the fence.

Species list:
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Brent Goose
Wigeon
Mallard
Shoveler
Teal
Little Grebe
Cormorant
Gannet   (10)
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Marsh Harrier
Kestrel
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Lapwing
Dunlin Knot   (20)
Turnstone
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Redshank
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Common Gull
Sandwich Tern   (30)
Woodpigeon
Skylark
Pied Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Rock Pipit
Robin
Stonechat
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Magpie   (40)
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Linnet
Kingfisher








Dungeness

Again lots of birds were seen and this time there were several interesting ones - even though none of them were year or life ticks.

• A Cattle Egret was showing well near Houseman's Farm near the herd of cows,of course!  It was perched on a post and it stayed like this for some time before flying towards us.  This was my second sighting this year.

• While we were watching the Cattle Egret we heard the characteristic sound of a Cetti's Warbler less than 10 metres away from us.  Lo and behold, after a few minutes, we actually saw it fly away from us.  Surprising but most welcome!

• A Little Stint was seen on one of the islands in front of Makepiece Hide.  It was moving around among the Lapwings and Dunlin. 

• From Denge Hide we got our first, of many, sightings of the Great White Egret standing by the side of the water about 50 metres away.  Later sightings included flight views.  A second bird was seen from the ARC Pit just before we finished for the day.

• A Glossy Ibis was also seen briefly from the hide and we had to wait another 20 minutes or so to get a good sighting from the viewing area 100 metres from the hide.

• We even had Bearded Tits showing in the reeds from the viewing area overlooking Denge Marsh.  We were alerted to their presence by their sound and soon after we saw them flying.  What a pity we couldn't get a good view of them in the reeds.

• Other interesting birds included Ruff, Black-necked Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Snipe, Tree Sparrow and Marsh Harrier.

Species List:
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Barnacle Goose
Shelduck
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Pintail
Shoveler
Mallard   (10)
Tufted Duck
Ruddy Duck
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Cormorant
Cattle Egret
Great White Egret
Little Egret
Grey Heron   (20)
Glossy Ibis
Marsh Harrier
Kestrel
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Little Stint   (30)
Dunlin
Ruff
Common Snipe
Black-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Redshank
Turnstone
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull  
Common Gull   (40)
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Robin
Stonechat
Cetti's Warbler   (50)
Chiffchaff
Bearded Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Starling
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch   (60)
Goldfinch





What a fabulous day out with loads of birds to see, lovely weather and good company!

01/10/2014 Climping Gap - not much going on here today!

Wednesday 1st October 2014
Climping Gap

This was supposed to be a group activity run by Paul but it was cancelled because of low uptake.  I had only visited this site once before so I decided to give it a go on my own.  Paul had targeted migratory birds so I had a focus.  Rain was falling as I arrived but it soon cleared up to give a bright, sunny morning.

There were a few migratory birds around, mainly Chiffchaffs and Meadow Pipits but not a great deal more.




Today's species list:
Chiffchaff
Linnet
Meadow Pipit
Skylark
Grey Heron
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon  (10)
Swallow
House Martin
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Sanderling
House Sparrow
Robin
Wren
Blackbird   (20)
Cormorant

Not many birds but I did have a good morning stroll on the coast! 

29/09/2014 Around Uckfield 2

Monday 29th September 2014
Home - Framfield - Buxted Park - Home
15.00 to 18.00


I tried another walk from home today going to the old laundry again but this time heading off towards Framfield to join the Wealden Way leading to the Buxted Park estate before returning home following the route by the River Uck.  Weatherwise it was another warm day with , thankfully, no rain.

• The Kingfisher was around again today but not on the stream  - it was on the pond.  No sign of the Mandarins on the pond, although I am sure they are still there. 

• On the way to Framfield I had a super view of the Buzzard.  It circled overhead, coming down quite low and making it's characteristic call.  What a well behaved bird - showing well, hanging around and making clear calls.  If only birding was always this easy!

• On the way out of Framfield a Jay flew by again offering super views.

• At Buxted Park, in the early evening, the main highlight were the geese flocks flying around.  There were 25+ Canada Geese and a couple of flocks of 15 - 20 Greylag Geese.  A flock of noisy Long-tailed Tits dropped in to liven up events before moving on.

Today's species list:
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Chiffchaff
Blackbird
Robin
Dunnock
Chaffinch
Wren
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove   (10)
Magpie
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Martin
Moorhen
Kestrel
Pheasant
Mallard
Mute Swan   (20)
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Long-tailed Tit
Green Woodpecker
Herring Gull
Buzzard
Jay
Coot
Kingfisher
House Sparrow   (30)


Another lovely afternoon walk providing much needed exercise and some good birding!

29/09/2014 Groombridge Lagoons

Monday 29th September 2014
Groombridge Lagoons


Friends Chis and Anne volunteered us to monitor this area on behalf of the Sussex Amphibian and Reptile Group (SARG) who manage the site on behalf of Southern Water.  With Alastair to help us when needed this seemed like a lovely project in an area with a couple of lagoons surrounded by bushes and small trees.  We agreed on a weekly visit for the first month and then a monthly visit thereafter.
 
Weather conditions today were warm but overcast. This was our third visit and like the previous two it was very pleasant a with a reasonable number of birds present.   There was nothing spectacular just a steady gathering of "normal" birds.  Pick of the bunch had to be the Water Rail seen today skulking in the bushes growing from the side of the lagoon.  Blackcaps seemed to be in 2 territories which bodes well for the future.  A small group of Sedge Warblers had lingered and showed well just ahead of us.






Species seen on this site today:

Species	Count 3
	29 September 14
	08.00 to 09.00
Blackbird	2
Blackcap	2
Blue Tit	6
Carrion Crow	2
Chaffinch	2
Chiffchaff	2
Coot	3
Dunnock	2
Goldfinch	0
Great Tit	2
Great-spotted Woodpecker	0
Heron	0
House Martin	0
Jackdaw	0
Little Grebe	1
Long-tailed Tit	6
Magpie	2
Mallard	8
Meadow Pipit	0
Moorhen	4
Pheasant	0
Robin	5
Sand Martins	0
Sedge Warbler	3
Song Thrush	0
Sparrowhawk	0
Starling	2
Swallows	6
Teal	3
Water Rail	1
Woodpigeon	1
Wren	2

This is going to be a cracking site!