20/10/2018 Birling Gap and Shooters Bottom, East Sussex

20 October 2018
Birling Gap to Shooters Bottom, East Sussex
Sussex Ornithological Society SOS

Part of a group of 20, then 18,  who enjoyed a leisurely walk from Birling Gap to Shooters Bottom on a superb autumnal day with lots of sunshine, very little wind and excellent visibility. 

• Alas, there were very few birds around and our species count was only 29 - this at migration time at one of the south coast's hotspots.
• pick of the birds - 2 Golden Plover, a couple of Goldcrests and a diver, presumed to be a juvenile Black-throated type.  Mark Wright's excellent report is shown below.

20 Oct 2018

SOS Birling Gap to Shooters' Bottom

Seventeen joined me at Birling Gap on a beautiful autumnal morning, as we started we had already seen Rock Pipit, Stonechat (2 male), Pied Wagtail, House Sparrow and Jackdaw when a call of "diver" had us rush to peer out to sea and debate: juvenile Great Northern? Black-throated? I would probably settle for Black-throated Diver on the basis of size and shape and the "a crispy clean, almost auk-like black-and-white diver" described by Harris, Tucker and Vinicombe. Eventually disturbed by somebody entering the water it flew east and we also headed pathwise east toward the Plantation and added Corn Bunting, Kestrel, Magpie, and for some a distant Sparrowhawk, plus Skylark and a sprinkling of distant hirundine (probably juvenile Swallow). Near the Plantation there was a Blackcap (male), Willow Warbler, Robin, and Dunnock. Perhaps the most excitement was trying to spot the actors in the red sportscar and trying to get the SOS into the filming. I am not sure this made up for the, dare I say it, absence of Turdus torquatus at Shooters' Bottom, where a charm of Goldfinch, Chaffinch, bright Willow Warbler and a lowland Blackbird put in an appearance. Walking back past Hodcombe Farm we added Rook and then challenged some who claimed to have seen two Golden Plover "where are they then?" and so we all added Golden Plover to our list! Back in the Plantation we fared better than the outbound walk and added Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, and Blue Tit, despite the noise of overflying Jackdaw and finally beyond picked up two Buzzard. So most would have seen 30 species, not all expected, missed a certain migrant but may have spoke to somebody who had seen one earlier, plus one Clouded Yellow. Top marks to Heather who adventurously used Public Transport and thanks to everyone for their company. posted by Mark Wright on 21 Oct 2018 21:10

Pleasant but so quiet in the field.

Never mind, Brighton won at Newcastle and I'm off to Wembley tomorrow to see the NFL game between the LA Chargers play the Tennessee Titans.