The early morning sea watch from the hide was very quiet with nothing notable. Another watch this afternoon produced of note 3 Arctic Skuas, 1 Great Skua, a Fulmar, 30 Common Scoter and the usual comings and goings of Commic and Sandwich Terns with a few Gannets.
An 18.00-18.45 watch failed to produce a single bird of note.
A call this morning from SB about a possible Dowitcher sighting at Hayfield 3, was fortuitous in the fact that I was at the top of Dengemarsh Road and able to be on site in minutes. The bird had flown to the bottom of the field and landed out of sight, its identity not yet established. I was at the top of the field with BP scanning the bottom flood for the bird, but could only see a Greenshank that had flown there with the possible Dowitcher. A couple of Ravens flew over but did not flush it.
A few minutes later it flew back towards us landing c50mts away in the terrible light. As soon as I got my scope on the bird it was obviously a Dowitcher. I took some record images and made some phone calls, while BP chased after SB who was using a noisy mower near Springfield Bridge.
Unfortunately before anyone arrived the 2 local Peregrines flashed across the flood spooking it and the Greenshank and the both disappeared high west calling. Not being familiar with the calls of either Dowitcher species its identity was still not known to me. While waiting for BP to return a Bearded Tit entertained me. BP returned having listened to Dowitcher calls on SB phone, confirming it as Long-billed Dowitcher. As soon as I got home I listened to the calls on Xeno Canto which confirmed it for me.
A poor image of the Long-billed Dowitcher
Iberian Chiffchaff ???
At the observatory this morning DW caught a couple of Chiffchaffs in the Heligoland trap. One of which had the characteristics of Iberian Chiffchaff but unfortunately no song was heard. Other land migrants were non existent, though my first 4 Swifts of the year were over the causeway.
Iberian Chiffchaff???
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