More Honey Buzzards

Saturday 31 July 2021

Ashdown Forest

10.15 to 12.15

with Alastair C, Shaun, Martin and Rebecca from the Ashdown Forest Bird Group

5 of us went to a different part of the forest, another hotspot for Honey Buzzards, and we were rewarded with superb views of at least 2 birds during our 2 hour stay.  

• 2 of them were showing when we arrived, flying high in the sky in the distance.  We had ample time to set up our scopes and track them from there on.
• Another sighting of probably the same pair provided us with the photo opportunity we craved.  Alastair G, who couldn't be with us today, later confirmed our ID from the images we sent him. 

3 Honey Buzzards in the last 2 days!

More Nightjars

Friday 30th July 2021

Ashdown Forest

with Martin and Rebecca 

3 of us returned to the Ashdown Forest for some more Nightjar time.  We were not disappointed with 2 birds, one male and another giving us some splendid moments

A good year for Nightjars!

Red Letter Day for Raptors in the Ashdown Forest

Thursday 29th July 2021

Ashdown Forest

I set aside this week to look for Honey Buzzards in the Ashdown Forest   It's approaching prime time for seeing this species before they leave the country so I planned a series of visits to maximise my chances of finding one.  

• On Monday I saw a couple of Common Buzzards, a Kestrel and a couple of Red Kites but no Honey Buzzards.

Today, Martin and I agreed to meet up and we were joined by Ian.  Our very own maestro, Alastair G also asked to join us - what a coup!   Our chances of success thus went up massively!  The weather was almost perfect - dry and sunny with a mild breeze.

• The first significant raptor we came across was a juvenile Goshawk which Alastair spotted flying low over the field nearby.  It went into the wood just behind where we were standing but soon came out again and flew to its nest site down in the valley below.  Not long after it gave us spectacular views as it flew high in the sky above the nest.

courtesy of Martin Jeffree

• Red Kites were the most abundant of today's raptors with at least 4 seen flying in the valley to the SE of us.
• Hobbies were spotted at regular intervals too but they were all rather distant until one flew towards us and gave us spectacular views as it passed overhead.

courtesy of Martin Jeffree

• After over an hour of patient birding we found our target species - a cracking Honey Buzzard appeared behind us, heading away in an easterly direction.  Alastair and I enjoyed really good views of the bird but Ian and Martin weren't so lucky.  Thankfully they didn't have to wait long for a  second chance as another one - probably a different bird - popped up over the trees behind us and started "quivering" as part of its display, before flying away.
• Obviously there were plenty of Common Buzzards around and we also saw at least 2 Ravens flying close by.
• As well as the raptors we saw other bird species. including lots of Linnets, Goldfinches, a Whitethroat, a couple of Swallows and a House Martin.

When you get to see Goshawk, Hobby, Red Kite and Honey Buzzards in the space of two and a half hours you know your luck is in - and all on a site just 20 minutes from home!

Birding with the Hampshire Ornithological Society

Saturday 24th July 2021

Keyhaven, Hampshire

With the HOS

A couple of weeks ago I joined the Hampshire Ornithological Society (HOS.) and today was my first outing with them.  4 of us, including leader Ian Barratt, walked from Keyhaven Harbour along the Solent Way towards Lymington Bay going past Keyhaven Marshes and Pennington Marshes.  62 species were seen - quite astonishing really for this time of year.

Despite an awful weather forecast, it was dry from the start, got even better as we progressed until, eventually, we shed our wet weather clothing completely and enjoyed fine sunny conditions from then on.

• Three tern species were seen, Sandwich Terns, Common Terns and my favourite - Little Terns.  Little Terns thrive here and they set the tone for much of what you see flying around.   I was particularly gobsmacked watching their kamikaze dive into the water to catch fish.

This site is particularly good for waders, as you would expect with many lagoons and a lot of muddy areas.

• Black-tailed Godwits, looking great in summer plumage were everywhere as were Dunlin, Redshank, Lapwing and Curlew.
• A Little Ringed Plover and 3 Ringed Plovers proved challenging but once found gave us a lot of satisfaction.
• My favourite was a single Knot, admirably demonstrating why the Americans call it Red Knot.
• A couple of Common Sandpipers and 4 Greenshank also added to our challenge. 
• We got several views of a Great White Egret including a superb  front on view as the bird flew towards us as and landed on the waters of the lagoon.
• On the saltmarsh we saw Turnstone, Grey Plover and Oystercatcher.  I saw my first Sanderlings of the year at the waters edge.
• We heard, then saw, several Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings but no Sedge Warblers.  It was the first time I had ever witnessed the "phishing" technique used to draw Reed Warblers from the thick of the undergrowth to the top of the reeds where we could see them. - Ian managed to do this twice! 
• A Marsh Harrier  patrolled the area continuously

There were a few hirundines.

• At least 10 Swallows and a single Sand Martin were seen.

Looking out to sea we saw lots of birds too.

• Great Black-backed Gulls were evident as were Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls and huge numbers of Black-headed Gulls, all resting on the shoreline.
• We saw 5 cracking Mediterranean Gulls, mostly in flight but once on the ground where we could see the obvious ID features at close quarters.
• A big surprise for me was the sight of 35 Eiders in the bay.  I thought they were an east coast bird with only the odd individuals turning up on the south coast.  Apparently they are a resident group here.  The only downside to this was that they were in eclipse plumage so I need to return in the autumn/winter to see the fabulous drake Eider in all its splendour.   

Although the habitat was predominantly marshland and coastal we passed by a few hedge rows and trees enroute.

• There were several Greenfinches, Linnets, Goldfinches, House Sparrows around.
• Stonechats and a Whitethroat also generated some interest.
• A Raven and a Buzzard were the highest flying birds seen.

 

A really good trip to a superb location, with lots of birds, good company and a very good leader.

  

Bonaparte's Gull at Oare Marshes in Kent with the East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

 

Saturday 17^th July 2021

Oare Marshes Nature Reserve, Kent

East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

A visit to the north Kent coast to one of our most scenic sites is always a must with our members.  This superb reserve, situated on the outskirts of Faversham, overlooks the River Swale and has great views over the southern fringes the Isle of Sheppey.   

The walk itself was well worth the trip but the 12 of us enjoyed the added bonus of over 3 hours birding as we ambled around the site in the glorious morning sunshine.  We identified just over 30 species including a rare gull.

Our challenge today was to find a Bonaparte's Gull.   We deliberately brought forward this event by a month in the hope of seeing it in summer plumage for a change.  However, using the words of the Scottish bard himself - “The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft a-gley.” – we were very nearly caught out!  After spending the summer here every year for the last 8 years it looked as if something had gone wrong and it had not made it back this time. Thankfully, late yesterday evening came news of its arrival for a ninth year - just in the nick of time for us.  

• Alison soon picked out our target bird on the mud flats to the east of the car park. It was with the Black-headed Gulls - of course.   Distinguishing between them was relatively easy once you applied the following key ID criteria.  Bonaparte Gulls are smaller, with a black rather than a chocolate brown head, a jet black daintier beak with no red in it, more pronounced eye crescents and much deeper orange-red legs.  

courtesy of Alison Playle

courtesy of Alison Playle

Target achieved!

• Kathy and Patrick missed all of this.  They had set off to the west preferring to see a couple of Yellow Wagtails.  
• The most stunning birds seen today were the Black-tailed Godwits seen flying overhead as we headed towards Faversham Creek.  Alison's picture below captures the moment brilliantly.

courtesy of Alison Playle

• We heard and saw both Reed and Sedge Warbler.   The latter, as usual, was the one that came out in the open more and provided us with several minutes of entertainment.  It sang away brilliantly, occasionally taking flight before parachuting back down into the reeds.

courtesy of Alison Playle

• Little Grebes are at their loveliest at this time of year too and we saw a couple on the East Flood.  Unfortunately they were just out of range of our cameras.  The stunning picture below was taken earlier by a member of KOS and shows this bird in all its majesty. 

courtesy of the Kent Birding Facebook Group

• Surprisingly we did not hear or see any Bearded Tits.
• Alastair heard a Turtle Dove purring away near the cottages and could see a distant dove but could not get a telescope view before it flew off.  
• The only raptor we saw was a Buzzard. 

Butterflies and moths are abundant at this time of the year too!

•  We were lucky enough to see quite a few including Peacock, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Large Skipper Comma and Small White.  

By midday the going was getting tough in the sweltering heat and it was obvious we were not going to find many more species so, shortly afterwards, we decided to have lunch and call it a day.

A great day out!

Ashdown Forest Bird Group Outing to Pulborough Brooks

 

Here's a copy of the report I wrote for the Ashdown Forest Bird Group's latest trip.

Sunday 11th July 2021

RSPB Pulborough Brooks, Sussex

Ashdown Bird Group

(9 members present)

Trip Report

July is perhaps the hardest month in the birdwatching calendar.  Spring migration has finished, there is little bird movement and most birds have stopped singing.  So it was quite an achievement to record just over 50 bird species – well done everybody! 

At Pulborough Brooks you are guaranteed a good variety of birds and so it turned out for us:-

·         We saw several raptors including red kites, buzzards, a kestrel and a sparrowhawk.  Unusually, we did not see a peregrine.

·         There were a few sand martins flying around the brooks and a few swifts but no house martins or swallows.

·         Wetland birds included nesting lapwings, mallards with chicks and shelducks with chicks. A few of us caught sight of the common sandpiper as it flew left.  Ian managed to pick out a female mandarin with chicks in with a group of mallards.  2 black-tailed godwits showed off their summer plumage to good effect and 8 Egyptian geese were also seen.

·         As we walked in the woodland area we heard the unmissable sounds of the ubiquitous wrens, blackcaps and chiffchaffs.  A nuthatch was our best sighting, closely followed by the great-spotted woodpeckers.

·         The hedges gave us sightings of linnets, whitethroats and reed buntings. 

·         Bird of the day was a lesser whitethroat.  Martin picked out an unusual bird song before John recognised it and the ID was confirmed visually when Ian spotted the bird and pointed it out to us.

 

Butterflies also generated quite a bit of interest.

·         The marbled whites were numerous and were the highlight with meadow brown, small skipper, ringlet, red admiral and gatekeeper also seen, as was a lovely cinnabar caterpillar.  A white admiral flew through the car park at lunch time.

 

Flora and fauna also abound at Pulborough.

·         We saw several of the melanistic fallow deer which are well known at Pulborough Brooks, much darker than the usual ones.  A weasel, rabbits, squirrels and a whole host of beautiful wild flowers to add to the richness of our visit.

A very interesting and much appreciated trip!

Bob Hastings

Fabulous Nightjars!

Thursday 8th July 2021

Goat CP,  Ashdown Forest, Sussex

9 pm to 10 pm

Martin and I were invited to Alastair C's patch on the Ashdown Forest for another Nightjar session.  On the recent Nightjar survey he had spectacular views and we were hoping for a repeat performance tonight.  .

We met up at the Goat car park, just a stones throw from our favoured site at Hindleap.  We set off NW through a wooded area, towards Legsheath Farm and after 10 minutes or so we reached a clearing where we just stopped and waited......

• A mere 7 minutes after sunset we got our reward - a fabulous male flying low over the land and just a few metres away from us.  It continued to display with obvious white wing-flashes and tail corners.  We had no warning of its presence - no churring - but after a while we could hear the characteristic "coo-ick" as it flew by us. It went through the full repertoire before heading for the tall trees away to our left.
• It wasn't long before we got our second view - this time a female.
• Every 3-4 minutes we got further sightings - all good close encounters - and again no churring.
• Alastair spotted the bird in a nearby tree perched on a branch half way up the trunk but the best view came later when we saw it at the very top of the tallest trees on the edge of the clearing - a fabulous silhouette against the night sky! 

courtesy of Martin Jeffree

courtesy of Martin Jeffree

courtesy of Martin Jeffree

courtesy of Martin Jeffree

Half and hour of sheer delight - right up there with the best views from Hindleap and the Old Airstrip!

Pett Level with the Sussex Ornithological Society

Wednesday 30th June 2021

I joined Chris Barfield and 4 other members for four hours birding at Pett Level, taking in the lovely Pannel Valley reserve.  Norma's report is shown in full below.

All credit to Chris Barfield for providing two excellent days’ outings for members able to meet up again. On this, the second of the two days, a group of six people enjoyed a day full of birds, many young birds and a goodly variety of birds. The star of the day was Common Tern. Always in the air, many on the beach, lots of youngsters on the Pannel Valley scrape and a few displaying their skill at hovering, diving and catching small fish in the Royal Military Canal. The scrape had a large colony of breeding Black-headed Gulls whose chicks provided a rich illustration of developing plumage. A few Mediterranean Gulls were also in the colony. Shelduck, Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Pochard all had ducklings in tow. More than two hundred Lapwing on one field, one Black-tailed Godwit and two Avocet on the scrape, Oystercatchers made a few appearances whilst a diligent search of the beach at low tide eventually yielded a single Ringed Plover. Good views were had of perched Marsh Harrier and Buzzard and a fleeting view of a Hobby. Warblers were plentiful: Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap most of which were identified by song. Singing Reed Buntings were visible on many prominent perches. A four mile walk, a glorious assemblage of birds ( a total of over 60 species seen or heard) and a super day, thanks Chris. Photos courtesy of Kevin Midgley. posted by Norma Park (norma.park@btinternet.com) on 30 Jun 2021 22:19

My turn to see the Roller in Suffolk

Monday 28/06/2021

Icklingham, Suffolk

I just couldn't resist the chance to twitch the Roller in Suffolk - it had been there for several days and it was a "lifer" for me.  The lure was just too much so off I went after lunch, arriving at the site around 3.30 pm.  It turned out to be a very easy twitch with the bird in exactly the same place as was reported on RBA.

• It was perched on the telephone wires in a field adjacent to the A1101, about 250 metres away but showing really well in the scope.  
• Every now and then it dropped to the ground, presumably to gather food, before returning to the wires. 
• I got a few decent flight views but always over a small range.  Needless to say this is a very exotic bird with magnificent plumage as shown by the pictures shown below. 

courtesy of Craig Shaw and Twitter

courtesy of  Birdboyads and Twitter

courtesy of Belvide Birding  and Twitter

Have a look at my summary of the BBC review to understand why it caused such a "flutter".

• A rare visit by a European Roller has prompted hundreds of birdwatchers to flock to Suffolk.
• The colourful bird, mostly seen in Southern Europe, is thought by experts to have overshot its usual feeding grounds.
• The bird, first spotted in Lackford near Bury St Edmunds, is about the size of a crow and usually feeds on small lizards and beetles.
• Paul Stancliffe, from the British Trust for Ornithology based in Norfolk, said the bird "was very rare in Britain" and has only been spotted about five times in the UK in the past five years.