Monday 04/11/2019

A bright start to the day that quickly deteriorated into a very wet day, as very heavy slow moving showers came along the English Channel drenching the peninsular. 

Blackcap at the observatory early morning

A walk around The Point before the rain set in saw singles Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest around the observatory and the same in the lighthouse garden. In the new Lighthouse area, a Brown Hare, 6 Skylarks, just 2 Meadow Pipits, 5 Stonechats, 6 Black Redstarts, still lots of Robins around and of course the obliging Shorelark

Several Rainbows today as the showers passed allowing very brief periods of sunshine

3rd calendar year Yellow-legged Gull at the Fish Shack roost

 The Shorelark paddling

As the weather was so poor I spent much time today in the car around the fishing boats area, looking for Gulls and out to sea. For most of the time I had the Shorelark to myself, I wasn't going to take any more pictures of it, but as it was feeding more or less within touching distance I could resist.  

A short video of the Shorelark feeding around the ever growing puddles in the rain today

 A Yellow-browed Warbler was found by the Long Pits by DW, another was in the garden of AJG to add to Hume's Warbler, Continental Coal Tit, Serin and and numerous Firecrests in the last 12 months alone!

 I have no idea where this Herring Gull at the puddles was ringed, definitely not a BTO scheme

Red-throated Diver from Dennis's picnic area late afternoon and not a lot else

Sunday 03/11/2019

 Juvenile Pomarine Skua giving a Cormorant a fright

07.00-10.00 with AJG, CP, RW et al
Brent Goose: 2W   8E
Egyptian Goose: 10E  over the boats
Common Scoter: 44W       16E
Velvet Scoter: 2W
Red-breasted Merganser: 1E
Red-throated Diver: 11W    2E
Great-crested Grebe: 35 o/s
Gannet: 268W
Cormorant: 734 minimum came out of Lade Bay
Turnstone: 2 on beach
Great Skua: 2W
Pomarine Skua: 1W juvenile
Arctic Skua: 1W
Kittiwake: 39W
Little Gull: 8W
Black-headed Gull: 377W
Mediterranean Gull: 39W
Common Gull: 56W
Sandwich Tern: 15W   7E
Guillemot: 2W
Razorbill: 483W
Auk sp: 524W
Grey Wagtail: 1 out
Alba Wagtail: 3 out
Meadow Pipit: 3 in
Skylark: 1 around
Shorelark: 1 still present
Goldfinch: 20E
Grey Seal: 1
Harbour Porpoise: 2

1 of 2 Velvet Scoter past this morning

 This Goldfinch kept me company while I had breakfast

Goldcrests and a few Firecrests could be found just about anywhere on the peninsular, even in small patches of Broome out by the converter station where there was also a Dartford Warbler, one of at least 4 around the peninsular, also at least 6 Black Redstarts by the converter.. Not sure how many Ravens were around today as I seemed to see them at every stop, but the power station pair do forage all over the peninsular. 2 Short-eared Owls were reported today along with 2 late Wheatears, 4 Swallows and a House Martin.

1 of several Stonechats near the converter station

Late afternoon the Black-necked Grebe was still on Scotney from the double bends, 7 Marsh Harriers came to roost as well as 1,000s of Starlings.

Saturday 02/11/2019

As I pulled up at the fishing boats this morning the Shorelark was still feeding around the puddles in the early morning sunshine.

 Juvenile Gannet

30 minutes sea watching produced just a few each of Gannets, Auks and Kittiwakes, also 2 Turnstones were feeding on the high tide line. The weather quickly deteriorated as the wind increased to gale force, so it was time for breakfast and to watch the rugby, though with hindsight I'd rather have gotten a soaking sea watching.

 This afternoon the regular German ringed Caspian Gull was roosting at the puddles

1 of several Great-crested Grebes that flew around The Point

An hours sea watch in the company of SO & OL saw very little apart from Cormorants, a few Gannets and Great-crested Grebes. An adult Yellow-legged Gull was in the beach roost. Maybe the storm will deliver the birds to morrow.

Friday 01/11/2019

A thoroughly damp dreary day with a southerly wind that promised much but delivered little!

A soggy Shorelark first thing this morning

2 Pintail and 5 Wigeon past the fishing boats in the morning gloom

07.40-09.20 from the fishing boats with CP & RO
Brent Goose: 8E
Wigeon: 7W
Pintail: 3W
Common Scoter: 14E     4W
Red-breasted Merganser: 4W
Red-throated Diver: 1W
Great-crested Grebe: 9 o/s
Gannet: 89E   44W
Cormorant: c200 around
Arctic Skua: 1 o/s. Dark phase
Kittiwake: 5W    3o/s
Mediterranean Gull: 3W
Sandwich Tern: 21W
Guillemot: 3W   1 o/s
Razorbill: 137W    16 o/s
Auk sp: 21W   18E
Harbour Porpoise: 1

 1 of 2 male Black Redstarts in Dengemarsh Gully

Late morning in Dengemarsh Gully 2 Black Redstarts were showing well at the very bottom, in the Gorse many Goldcrests but I only saw singles each of Chiffchaff, Firecrest and Blackcap and no rare Wheatears.

Viewing Dengemarsh from the shelter of the car 3 Cattle Egrets gave distant flight views, 2 Great White Egrets flew over the lake and 2 Marsh Harriers were patrolling the reed beds.

Early afternoon at Scotney saw all the usual feral Geese, despite careful scrutiny I was unable to find any wild Grey Geese among them.

14.00-15.00 from the fishing boats:
Common Scoter: 8E     1W
Red-throated diver: 1 o/s
Gannet: 104W     18E
Cormorant: 143 from Lade Bay
Dunlin: 25W
Great Skua: 1E
Kittiwake: 7W
Little Gull: 4W
Black-headed Gull: 114W
Common Gull: 18W
Sandwich Tern; 15W
Guillemot: 2W
Razorbill: 14W
Auk sp: 5W    4E
Swallow: 1 out
The Shorelark was still present when I left at 15.00.

It's not a smudge but a leucistic Starling in this truly awful image of a tiny part of a swirling mass of a minimum of 50,000 birds at there roost this evening.

Shorelark Again!

Shorelark

I spent most of the day on and around the beach much of it in the company of the superb Shorelark which with patience is a real star. A short video of this little beauty preening can be seen HERE it also calls as 2 Skylarks fly overhead.

First thing this morning the Shorelark was in the company of a partial albino Pied Wagtail, I was too slow off the mark to get an image but I believe James got one. While I was on the beach 720 Goldfinch flew East, as did a Greenfinch and 4 Swallows, late this afternoon a Great Spotted Woodpecker alighted briefly on Mr T before disappearing east along the beach past the sea containers.
Around the new lighthouse area at least 3 Firecrests and 9 Goldcrests in the Broome, but no sign of any of the hoped for scarce Wheatear or Pipit. 2 More Firecrests and 2 Black Redstarts in the Station Gorse with at least 10 more Goldcrests in there and the Brittania Broome,

Good to see a few a Gulls over the small boil at The Patch

On the way to The Patch there were a minimum of 4 Black Redstarts, 2 Robins and 2 Wrens feeding along the wall. Many Gulls at The Patch but I found nothing unusual.

1st cal year male Black Redstart by the wall 

Robin among the sea containers

A walk along the beach this afternoon up to the Lifeboat Station still looking for a Wheatear or Pipit found just a Robin, maybe the big one will be there tomorrow for me.

Looking out to sea produced

Brent Goose: 14W

Shelduck: 3W

Red-breasted Merganser: 2W

Great-crested Grebe: 7 o/s

Gannet: c30 o/s

Cormorant: c100 o/s

Kittiwake: 9W

Little Gull: 1 o/s

Black-headed Gull: 93E in 30 minutes

Mediterranean Gull: 2 o/s

Common Gull: 18 o/s

Razorbill: 3W

Grey Seal: 1

Mid afternoon another Swallow flying around the old lighthouse, 4 Chiffchaffs and 2 Goldcrests.

Late afternoon back at the fishing boats the Shorelark was still performing.

Lesser Whitethroat (halimodendri) and a Shorelark!

 Early this morning after doing some domestic stuff I checked my phone and found several missed calls and texts, all regarding a Lesser Whitethroat that had been trapped in the Heligoland at the observatory. I unhurriedly made my way to the observatory thinking I'd missed the bird and arrived just as the bird was about too be released, so many thanks are due to David and Jacques for allowing me to take some quick images before they released the bird back into The Moat where it quickly disappeared into the thick cover of Blackthorn. I believe the bird shed a couple of feathers whilst being extracted from the catching box, so hopefully DNA sample will prove its ID conclusively.

 Lesser Whitethroat (halimodendri)?

  Lesser Whitethroat (halimodendri)?

  Lesser Whitethroat (halimodendri)?

 Lesser Whitethroat (halimodendri)?

I joined Jacques and Richard on a wander around the trapping area mid morning, where a few Firecrests, Goldcrests and Long-tailed Tits were mainly heard by the others, as I struggle to hear them these days, very little else of note was seen or heard.

Shorelark at the puddles today

Late morning I received another call from Jacques telling me had relocated yesterdays Shorelark back at the fishing Boat puddles. I was quickly on site along with most of the other locals. I stayed at the puddles for the rest of the afternoon using my car as a hide, I was eventually rewarded with superb views of the Shorelark

 Late afternoon as the last of the visitors was leaving Jacques deployed a couple of baited traps, within minutes the Shorelark trapped itself. It was quickly processed and released at the same spot. When I left at dusk it was still happily scratching around the puddles picking up seemingly microscopic seeds.

While I was at the puddles the yellow ringed Caspian Gull put in an appearance, a few Brent Geese flew east and a few Mediterranean Gulls and Kittiwakes were offshore. I heard of no news from the reserve today or anywhere else on the peninsular.

Tuesday 29/10/2019

07.30-09.30 from the sea watch hide with GS & AJG who kindly collated the numbers:
Brent Goose: 2,632W     43E
Snow Goose: 1W presumably a feral bird
Shelduck: 5W     26E
Gadwall: 2W
Wigeon: 144W    26E
Teal: 10W
Shoveler: 13W
Common Scoter: 154W
Red-breasted Merganser: 12W     1E
Red-throated Diver: 6W
Great-crested Grebe: 6 o/s
Gannet 84 around
Great Skua: 1E
Kittiwake: 14W    10 o/s
Mediterranean Gull: 4 o/s
Sandwich Tern: 3W
Razorbill: 16W
Auk Sp: 70 down
Skylark: 9 in
Starling: 53 in
Parking by the lighthouse there were 2 Firecrests flitting around in the gloom on the sheltered side of the garden.

 While having breakfast late morning the regular male Sparrowhawk came on to the fence in the hope of another Goldfinch.

The rear end of a Stone Curlew, honest!

John Young found a Stone Curlew on the shingle between the Water Tower and the concrete mirrors an excellent find, unfortunately it was very flighty and I never saw it on the ground, though Colin Turley managed some excellent digiscope images, after I had left to see the Shorelark found by David Walker at the fishing boats puddles which was another disaster. I parked beside Davids car and saw the Shorelark c10mts in front of me, I lifted my binoculars to look at it, just as a fisherman drove round the corner flushing the bird and all I could do was to watch it fly off into the distance out of sight! Time for another sea watch.

13.25-14.25 from the fishing boats:
Brent Goose: 165W
Common Scoter: 3E
Great-crested Grebe: 6 o/s
Gannet: c40 feeding off shore
Great Skua: 1E
Kittiwake: c30 feeding off shore
Little Gull: 4 feeding off shore
Razorbill: 2W
Auk sp: 133W
Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 2