Radde's Warbler - another "lifer"

Saturday 22nd October 2022

Beachy Head, Sussex

Martin and I spent a profitable couple of hours twitching the Radde's warbler on the south coast between Beachy Head and Eastbourne. 

As we arrived there were several birders already in attendance This is he habitat we found, with no bird showing.

We didn't have to wait long for the warbler to appear - just a few metres away.

• It only showed for a couple of seconds, but it was enough for us to get a good look through the binoculars. 

• That was the pattern for the next 2 hours - occasional sightings but always very brief.

Another comfortable twitch!

 Year total = 212       UK Life list total = 365

All pictures courtesy of Martin Jeffree

Radde's Warbler

• This species breeds across southern Siberia and the Russian Far East and winters in South-East Asia. 
• Though first recorded in Britain at North Cotes, Lincs, in 1898, there were no further records until the 1960s. Since then it has become an expected autumn visitor and today is recognised as a regular rarity, occurring in some numbers in some years; it was dropped from the British Birds Rarities Committee's list in 2005.
• Radde's occurs exclusively in late September, October and early November and is unknown outside this period. Records come largely from the east and south coasts although, unlike many Siberian species, there is no Northern Isles bias, with most occurring further south.
• This is a highly skulking species, extremely adept at hiding in thick cover. When seen, it is a sturdy, thickset Phylloscopus with a somewhat atypical structure which comprises a rather large head, a shortish rather tit-like bill, a large eye and a solid, broad, deep-bellied body. It has a short primary projection, a longish, slightly round-tipped tail and long, stout legs with large feet.
• Its plumage is a muted olive above, with a warm yellow-buff suffusion below, richest on the vent and undertail coverts. The face pattern comprises a long, strong supercilium, broad and buff in front of the eye – over rather weakly marked lores – and narrower and whiter behind. The legs are a strikingly bright pink.
• It is often silent, but a characteristic chet chet or wit wit may draw attention to its presence.

courtesy of bird guides

RSPB Pulborough Brooks

 

Sunday 16^th October 2022

RSPB Pulborough Brooks

Ashdown Bird Group

(10 members present)

Trip Report

 

We enjoyed another memorable trip today – this time to the RSPB reserve at Pulborough Brooks where we managed to record another very respectable species count of 55 even though we didn’t see any rarities or autumn migrant birds. The weather was in our favour with mild, dry conditions and excellent lighting.

 

 

We spent over an hour at the first viewing area, adjacent to the Visitor Centre, where we accounted for almost 50% of our final species count.

• It was lovely to see so many stonechats, flitting around the tops of the vegetation just ahead of us and clearly enjoying the conditions - there were at least 8 on show.

•  Just behind them, a charm of 20+ goldfinch provided the perfect backdrop as they flew around.
•  A lovely grey wagtail was spotted on the roof of the centre before it took flight.

 

We then moved down the hill towards Fattengates Courtyard along the Zig-zag path. 

• From the path we spotted some greenfinches, high in the trees to our right.  There were 3 initially but this grew to at least 6 as we continued to watch them.  
• 3 bullfinch, a female and 2 males, also decided to join in on the act shortly afterwards, looking absolutely gorgeous!

 

At Fattengates Courtyard the main interest was provided by the smaller passerines.

• A lovely coal tit flew backwards and forwards across the courtyard.
• There were plenty of house sparrows around.
•  Some of us even heard a goldcrest!
•  A nuthatch was also heard.

 

Next stop was the North Brooks, starting at Jupp’s view before we moved on to Nettley’s and the Hanger view.

• The usual ducks were present, principally teal, wigeon, shoveler and a few gadwall.
•  Lapwings were there in good numbers.
•  Alan and Maureen managed to find a treecreeper in the tree just below the viewing point.
• Geese comprised mainly Canadas, greylags and Egyptian - with the latter exceeding 50, by far the most that any of us had seen before in one group.

 

As we headed back towards the start, we called in at Winpenny and West Mead hides. 

• A single drake pintail, in moult, was a fine spot by Ian. 
•  5 black-tailed godwits flew in as we scanned the brooks.  
• Incredibly it took till just after midday before we saw our first mallards. 
• 4 species of raptor were around today including a couple of red kites, several kestrels, a buzzard and at least 2 marsh harriers.  

• Mark got a good look at a flyover winter thrush and identified it as a redwing.

 

Mushrooms were the order of the day, away from the birding, with the parasol mushroom catching the eye.

 

 

We had a late lunch back at the centre before 7 of us relocated to a site just north east of Amberley where we were unsuccessful in our attempts to spot a white-tailed eagle.  Around 4 pm, just as it started to rain, we decided to call it a day.

What a great outing – something for everybody.

Well done Martin !

 

Bob Hastings

23/10/2022

Bird pictures courtesy of Martin Jeffree, mushroom picture courtesy of Ian Hodgson

Species List

Name:		Name:
Blackbird	1	Kestrel	28
Black-headed Gull	2	Lapwing	29
Black-tailed Godwit	3	Long-tailed Tit	30
Blue Tit	4	Magpie	31
Bullfinch	5	Mallard	32
Buzzard	6	Marsh Harrier	33
Canada Goose	7	Meadow Pipit	34
Carrion Crow	8	Moorhen	35
Chaffinch	9	Mute Swan	36
Chiffchaff	10	Nuthatch	37
Coal Tit	11	Pheasant	38
Dunnock	12	Pied Wagtail	39
Egyptian Goose	13	Pintail	40
Gadwall	14	Raven	41
Goldcrest	15	Red Kite	42
Goldfinch	16	Redwing	43
Great Spotted Woodpecker	17	Robin	44
Great Tit	18	Rook	45
Green Woodpecker	19	Shoveler	46
Greenfinch	20	Skylark	47
Grey Heron	21	Starling	48
Grey Wagtail	22	Stock Dove	49
Greylag Goose	23	Stonechat	50
Herring Gull	24	Teal	51
House Sparrow	25	Treecreeper	52
Jackdaw	26	Wigeon	53
Jay	27	Woodpigeon	54
		Wren	55

 

 

Species count = 55

 

Red-backed Shrike at Medmerry RSPB, Chichester

A red-backed shrike has been present at Medmerry RSPB since the beginning of the month.  This afternoon, I finally decided to twitch this lovely bird.  Martin took up my offer to join me. 

• We literally jumped out of the car at the entrance to Earnley car park and started viewing the shrike!  It was showing beautifully in the bushes straight ahead of us.  It soon moved closer to us, much to the delight of Martin and a fellow photographer.  

It then took off and landed some 25 metres or so south of us, enabling me to park the car properly, before following on to see the bird in its new location.

• We soon found it again and enjoyed watching it closely for the next 30 minutes or so before leaving for home, to avoid the impending, rush hour.

Close views of a red-backed shrike are always welcome.  

An easy, but so enjoyable, twitch.

 Year total = 211

All pictures courtesy of Martin Jeffree