Redpolls and a distant Shrike

Around The Lighthouse, The Desert and The Moat this morning 3 Goldcrest, 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Wheatears, 2 Black Redstarts, 3 Sparrowhawks, 35 Swallows moving through, overhead Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Siskins and Redpolls in small numbers. In the trapping area Redpolls were being caught including some more Meally's probably of Scandinavian origin rather than the cold grey eastern european birds.

Meally Redpoll

With birding at Dunge being slow and news that the Daurian Shrike at Cliffe was showing well I cracked and went to see it. The Shrike was more or less constantly on show for the 4 hours I was there, giving good scope views providing you zoomed it up to 40x and did not mind the heat haze. Also seen there 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Little egrets, 5 Swallows and a few finches over.

Daurian Shrike (The brown speck in the middle)

Meally Redpolls?

In the desert this morning very few birds grounded eg. 1 Goldcrest, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap 4 Meadow Pipits, 1 Redwing and 6 Pied Wagtails. Overhead 3 Sparrowhawks, 8 Swallows, Siskins, Redpolls and Goldfinches calling mostly to high to see, 3 Skylarks and 1 Brambling.
From obs mound more finches over with1 Yellow Wagtail, a Glossy Ibis in the distance over the ARC Pit.
In the nets at least 40 more Redpolls trapped some of them putative Meally Redpolls. None of which look like the classic frosty grey Meally.  

Bird 1 Meally?

Bird 1 Meally?

Bird 1 Meally?

Bird 1 Meally?

Bird 2 Meally?

Bird 2 Meally?



Bird 3 Meally? and Bird 2 Meally?

Bird 4 Lesser? and Bird 5 Meally?

Bird 6 Meally? and Bird 7 Meally?

Bird 6 Meally? and Bird 7 Meally?

Bird 7 Meally? and Bird 6 Meally?

When The East Wind Blows

The Sea was very quiet this morning with just 1 Bonxie, 1 Med gull and a few Terns and the 2w Glaucous Gull on the beach as usual. Vis mig was a little better with Goldfinches, Siskins, Redpolls, Tree Sparrows, Pipits and Pied Wagtails moving over the beach in small numbers. In the Lighthouse Garden a brief view of a Firecrest.
On arrival at the obs the Firecrest below had just been trapped and was released into The moat.

Firecrest

As the Firecrest was released a superb Pallas's Warbler was trapped and shown to the gathered birders and also an RSPB childrens group who appeared to be totally under whelmed by the rarity of the bird. 

 Also trapped this morning were 50+ Redpolls. Some of them were apparently Meally Redpolls with white streaked rumps and clean white under tail coverts and stronger wing bars. Had I seen these Meallys in the field I feel sure I would have dismissed them as Lesser Redpolls.

Meally Redpoll?

Meally Redpoll?

Lesser Redpoll

 After a text from Jake about the Isabelline Wheeatear at Crowlink this afternoon I dithered for half an hour before cracking and phoning my partner Sally asking her if she would like to go for a drive to Beachy Head, which fortunately she thought was a good idea. The Isabelline Wheatear showed well if a little to distant for photo's. But Mike Galtrey was in the right place at the right time and was duly rewarded with at least 1 cracker. Well done Mike! 

Hookers Little Auk

A small movement of Goldfinches and the Glaucous Gull at the point this morning but little else of note. On the reserve a Common Sandpiper on Burrowes with 3 Grey Plover, 2 Ring Plover and 13 Dunlin. On a pool at the back of Hookers Pit a Little Auk was a surprise. Whilst watching and photographing a Glossy Ibis flew towards Dengemarsh unfortunately straight into the sun so no pics, also there several Migrant Hawkers. Other birds of note on the reserve 2 Peregrines, 4+ Little Egrets, 3+ Marsh Harriers, 1 Bittern, the Great White Egret, 2 Brambling over, 5+ Cetti's Warblers, 2 Water Rail, 4 Stonechats 4 Chiffchaffs and 16 Swallows over.

On the ARC of note 200+ Golden Plover and 6 Snipe.

Pipit Dip

No sign of the Buff-bellied Pipit at Newhaven west beach this morning. Consolation in the form of a ring tailed Hen Harrier in off the sea, 40+ Curlew, 9+ Rock Pipits, 2 Wheatears and 5 Brent Geese on the sea.
A short stop at Beachy Head on the way home and at Chat Vale 30 Fieldfare and a Great Spotted woodpecker, with another 2 Fieldfare in the old trapping area.

Fieldfare, old trapping area, Beachy Head .

Chat Vale with Hodcombe and Belle Tout in the background

Tree Sparrows

Tree Sparrows Boulderwall Farm

The Tree Sparrows at Boulderwall Farm at the entrance to Dungeness RSPB are now very easy to see as they are using the feeder by the road at the front of the farm.
From the fishing boats this morning very quiet compared to recent days with just 2 Arctic Skuas, 4 Guillemots, 28 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Kittiwake, 6 Common Terns, 5 Sandwich Terns, 20+ Gannets, The Glaucous Gull, a Northern Wheatear, 4+ Lesser Redpoll over, 50+ each of Goldfinch and Linnet and 1 Raven.
At the ARC from Hanson 6 Snipe, 3 Dunlin, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 20 Golden Plover, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Bittern, 2 Water Rail, 2 Cetti's Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 50+ Swallows and House Martins, 2 Merlin, 2 Sparrowhawk, 2 Marsh Harriers and 1 of our American friends.

More Bonxies

Bonxie from my archive as todays were rubbish

From The Point today from 0815-1430 I recorded:

Great Skua:  100E

Arctic Skua : 16E

Sooty Shearwater: 1E

Shearwater sp: 3E (Probably Balearic)

Red-throated Diver: 6W

Brent Geese: 139W

Sheduck: 3W

Wigeon:  5W

Teal: 3W

Common Scoter: 18W

Kittiwake: 150+

Gannet:  700+

Common Tern: 30+

Sandwich Tern: 30+

Grey Plover: 3W

Linnets and Goldfinches: 1200W

Swallow: 150+W

House Martin: 30+

At the ARC from Hanson the Goosander, 1 Peregrine, 2 Marsh Harriers, 9 Snipe, 1 Dunlin and the usual widfowl. 

Bonxies

After yesterdays brilliant sea watch from The Point I did not have any real expectations for today. After a long lay in this morning I arrived at 10.15. DW and TG were already there and told me that once again c100 Great Skuas had already been seen along with a Sooty and Balearic Shearwater, a few Arctic Skuas and a few hundred Brent Geese.
My totals from 10.15-13.00 are as follows:
Balearic Shearwater: 1
Great Skua: 76
Arctic Skua: 25
Pomarine Skua: 2
Red-throated Diver: 3
Gannet: 400+
Brent Geese: 1781
Common Scoter: 115
Teal: 11
Wigeon: 78
Pintail: 3
Knot: 3
Dunlin: 12
Kittiwake: 54
Sandwich Tern: 36
Common Tern: 28
Arctic Tern: 2
2w Glaucous Gull: 1 in roost.
Yellow-legged Gull: 1 in roost
Siskins: Several heard not seen
Redpoll: Several heard not seen
Crossbill: 2+ Heard
Gold Finch: Several seen and heard
Rock Pipit: 3 Heard
Driving across Walland Marsh on my home there were 2 Common Cranes, 40+ Tree Sparrows and 2 Marsh Harriers.

Unexpected Passage

After watching the rugby this morning, enough said I went to the ARC. Walking the track to Hanson a couple of small flocks of Redwing passed over. From the empty hide only 3 Grey Plovers, 3 Dunlin, 8 Snipe, 7 Little Egrets and the Goosander. Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal numbers are still building. The track to the Water Tower held 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcaps and a large mixed Tit flock. Also 3 more small parties of Redwing flew over and 2 Marsh harriers were hunting.

With a north westerly blowing i was not expecting much on the sea as i drove down the concrete road to The Point. TG and DW were already watching and told me that 100 Bonxies had already passed.

I watched from c13.30-17.00when the passage appeared to die completely in that time i recorded:

Great Skua: 91

Arctic Skua: 31

Pomarine Skua: 1

Kittiwake: 194

Meditteranean Gull: 3

Balearic Shearwater: 1

Common Scoter: 16

Wigeon: 8

Teal: 3

Merlin: 1 in off

Marsh Harrier: 1 in off

Gannets : No count but numerous

Auk sp: No count but numerous

Common and Sandwich Tern: a few of each

Grey Seal:1

Harbour Porpoise: c10

A very good and most unexpected sea watch.





Brent Geese, Bonxie and Guillemot

Balearic Shearwater

Friday 07/10/2011 Cap Gris Nez

View from sea watching position

 We met at Greatstone with a North Westerly blowing to go to France for a days sea watching at Le Clipon at 03.00 to get the 04.20 ferry which was delayed till 05.40 a bad start. After a full engish on the ferry dawn started to break so we went up on deck to stare into the gloom, where we rewarded with a few Gannets, 6 Sooty Shearwaters, 2 Manx and 3 Balearic, 1 Red-throated Diver, 4 Bonxies and 1 Arctic Skua and as we docked a few Meditteranean Gulls.
After disembarking we quickly made our way to Le Clipon about 2 miles from site we were stopped by security who told us Le Clipon is now out of bounds unless you have special permission because of building a refinery there. Our second set back of the day!
A decision was quickly made to move on to Cap Gris Nez and as Tony and Chis had been there before by 09.00 they had got me and Paul threre.
After climbing down the grassy cliff below the view point(which was easy. Its climbing back up thats hard!) we were quickly being amazed by the number of birds passing and the quality of the ligh. While there we had totals of:
Bonxie: 171
Arctic Skua: 71
Pomarine Skua: 13
Long-tailed Skua: 9
Balearic Shearwater: 32
Manx Shearwater: 29
Sooty Shearwater: 22
Red-throated Diver: 9
Black-throated Diver 5
Gannets: 1000+
Little Gull: 31
Common Scoter: 725
Kittiwake: 55
Comic Terns: 200+
Sandwich Terns: 100+
Black Tern: 1
Auk sp: 500+
Grey Wagtail: 1
Dunlin: 8
Oystercatcher: 1
Brent Goose: 1
Medditteranean Gull: numerous
We know we missed loads birds that were just to close under the cliff, lots more that were just to far out to ID,  those that went passed while we being mesmerised ,staring through our scopes at the huge spoons on some of the Poms the quality of the light on summer plumaged Divers was awesome and the general spectacle of this tremendous passage.
A brilliant sea watch. Who knows what the totals would have been had we not lost the first 2 hours of light.

Juvenile Long-tailed Skua

Arctic Skua

Superb adult Pomarine Skuas still with spoons

Pomarine Skua

Balearic Shearwater

Tony, Chis and Paul

In the fields behind Cap Gris Nez we saw Hen Harrier, 2+Common Buzzards, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel 2 and 200+ Meditteranean Gulls. On the drive back to the port we added a Marsh Harrier and Lapwing and a Merlin which I missed.
Darkness was falling rapidly as the ferry left for home but we still managed to see :
Leach's Petrel 1 at the harbour entrance.
Bonxie: 18
Arctic Skua 6
Manx Shearwater: 2
Shag: 1 in the harbour.
A fantastic days birding in great company. A special thanks to Tony for organising the trip and doing all the driving.