23/07/2020 Birds of Prey

Thursday 23 July 2020

Shaun invited out me late morning to go looking for raptors in the area around his home.  Conditions were ideal with a light breeze with a bright, sunny outlook. We had immediate success, which was great, but it did mean the later stages were inevitably an anti-climax.

• The first birds we saw were not raptors at all but a superb, small family of mistle thrush, comprising parents and a juvenile.
• Just after this, a sparrowhawk flew overhead and not long after another 2 joined it.
• Several buzzards were seen.
• A hobby also graced us with its presence.
• Pride of place went to a honey buzzard that showed well high in the sky quite close to us.

We visited several other viewing points close by but we were unable to replicate anything like this.

• The best we got late on were 3 yellowhammers which we heard then saw high in the trees close to where we were standing.

Thanks for a great couple of hours birding Shaun.

16/07/2020 Dipped on Roseate Tern and still had a fabulous trip!

Thursday 16 July 2020
Church Norton, near Chichester, Sussex

I can't believe, at my age, that I was stood up by a bird in Church Norton yet still enjoyed my evening!  Let me explain.

The bird in question was a roseate tern which, after a reported mid afternoon sighting, spurred me on to make the journey down to Chichester to see it.  In the 75 minutes or so it took me to get there however, the bird flew out to sea again.  The advice from he local birders was to simply sit on the bench and wait for it's return on the high tide.


That was an easy thing to do.  It was such a gorgeous evening - sunny and very calm.

• There were at least 2 close whimbrels showing on the mud in front of me.
• A greenshank was patrolling along the edges of the nearest channel.
• A common sandpiper joined us later on just before the high tide.
• It was nice to see a pair of ringed plovers close by - and a chick.
• I lost count of the number of med gulls on show - most in lovely summer plumage still.
• The undoubted stars of the show however were the terns with lots of little terns, even more sandwich terns and the odd common tern on display.

As the tide came in I and 2 other local birders grew more and more confident about seeing the roseate tern but it was not to be and around 9 pm I decided to call it a day and head home.

It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had at Church Norton and one that kept me there even though BHAFC were on telly, playing a crucial Premier League match at Southampton.  Even an Albion goal could not stir me from my cracking birding position.  

Two days on and the roseate tern(s) have still not returned - only a small consolation!

12/07/2020 Oare Marshes for Lesser Yellowlegs and Bonaparte's Gull

Sunday 12 July 2020
Oare Marshes

I spent a very rewarding, late afternoon session, at Oare Marshes in the gorgeous July sunshine.  The target species was the ever-returning Bonaparte's gull.  High tide was due around 5 - 6 pm so I arrived around 4 pm hoping to see the bird on the strategically better viewing area of the east flood rather then on the mud by the River Swale. To add spice to the visit, a lesser yellowlegs had turned up on the reserve and I was hoping to see it too.

Neither bird was showing when I got there, although both had been seen earlier in the day.

• I did manage to see a couple of whimbrel with the godwits, about 50 metres from my viewing point on the road.
• A water rail was also showing well.

With nothing special happening I decided to walk anticlockwise around the reserve.

• From the opposite bank I could see a greenshank, my first of 2020.

When I got back to my starting position, both birds had reappeared.

• The lesser yellowlegs was closest, barely 30 metres away and showing really well as it foraged on the edge of the water.

courtesy of Rich Bonser and Twitter

• About 20 metres further away, the Bonaparte's gull was resting with the main godwit flock, beside a couple of shelduck. It was nice to see it still in summer plumage - my last couple of sightings here in previous years were much later, after the bird had gone into winter plumage.

courtesy of Mike Hook and Facebook

• On the way home I called in at Bough Beech where I found one of the green sandpipers Alan C had told me about at our Weir Wood working party group last Tuesday. 

Good to be out and about again after going back into lockdown. The recent spate of Covid 19 easing measures had unnerved Sue and I.