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.

All at Sea

A few hours spent sea watching from the fishing boats produced, 10+ Arctic Skuas, a steady stream of Gannets, a few Common and Sandwich Terns, 1+ Arctic Terns, 2 Common Scoter, 20+ Guillemots, 10+ Razorbills, 2 Mediterranean Gulls, a flock of 50+ Knot, 35+ Great-crested Grebes and a juv.Red-necked Grebe. Also a Merlin came in with some Mippits and a few Swallows and House Martins went out. On the beach the Yellow-legged Gull and Glaucous Gull.

The ARC was disappointing with 2 Dunlin and 10+ Snipe.

A poor heavily cropped record of a juv.Red-necked Grebe off shore

Autumn is back

I spent the morning on the reserve and at the ARC where the highlights were a very obliging Common Sandpiper infront of Makepiece, a Pectoral Sandpiper that suddenly appeared on an island at Dengemarsh from the hide and disappeared just as quickly, also there the Great White Egret which was being intimidated by 500+ Greylag Geese, also seen 18 Chiffchaff, 3 Northern Wheatears, 4+ Marsh Harriers, lots more Pintail around, the Goosander and 2 Kingfishers (Burrowes & ARC).

An hour at the fishing boats lunch time produced 1 Balearic Shearwater, 3 Arctic Skuas, 200+ Gannets, 40+ Comic Terns and Sandwich Terns, 20+ Guillemots, a Red-throated Diver off shore, a steady stream of Swallows moving out across the channel. On the beach Yellow-legged Gull, Glaucous Gull and 4 Wheatears.   

Sandhill Crane

I finally cracked and twitched the Sandhill Crane today a superb bird. Left home at 04.45 and was on site at 07.00 with the bird already showing distantly in the gloom. Fortunately better views were had later in the morning. The bird was calling constantly, probably realising it should not be on its own. Other birds seen on site were 20+ Crossbills, 6+ Northern Wheatears, 3 Little Egrets, numerous Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, 4+ Common Buzzards and a Marsh Harrier.

Thanks to Matt Eade for finding the Willow Emerald Damselfly.

Record shot of Willow Emerald Damselfly

Gulls

This afternoon at the ARC was still fairly quiet. A vocal Cetti's Warbler infront the Hanson hide and  Wigeon numbers are building up as are Shovelor and Teal, a single Garganey and Pintail were present, also a few Golden Plover and Dunlin, a few Swallows over and 2 Marsh harriers from the car park.

From the fishing boats the 2w Glaucous Gull was patrolling the beach as was the Yellow-legged Gull, 2 Arctic Skuas chasing a few Sandwich and Common Terns also a couple of Arctic Terns and few Guillemots and Gannets off shore. 

2w Glaucous Gull

2w Glaucous Gull

2w Glaucous Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

2w Glaucous Gull and Yellow-legged Gull on fishing boat 

A quiet wekend on the peninsular

Having plodded around The Point and the reserve yesterday in wall to wall sunshine with very little reward I tried Galloways, Dengemarsh Gully, the beach finishing in Hanson with the same result. Of note this weekend  4+ Arctic Skuas chasing the few remaining Terns over a flat calm sea, The Glaucous Gull still now with a tail, The Goosander on the ARC, Great White Egret and a few Beared Tits on Dengemarsh, a small numbers of Siskins high over the point with some Redpolls, a few House Martins and Swallows. In the bushes small numbers of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Common Whitethroats A few Northern Wheatears round The Moat, The Desert and the beach. Raptors seen were 1 Hobby Dengemarsh, 1 Peregrine, 4+Marsh Harriers, 2 Common Buzzards, up to 5 Sparrowhawks, 8+ Kestrels. Driving back home over Walland Marsh I came across a flock of 40+ Tree Sparrows and 2 more Common Buzzards.

 If the Sandhill Crane comes any nearer I might have to twitch it. 



Hot and Sunny

A plod around The Desert, The Moat and most of the trapping area was very productive. 45 Chiffchaffs, 21 Blackcaps, 3 Common Whitethroats, 6 Northern Wheatears, 5 Stonechats, 2 Pied Flycatchers buried in the sallows, 6 parties of Siskins over also 1 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Crossbills, 18 Skylarks, 29 Goldfinches, 14 Pied Wagtails, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 13 Swallows, 1 Golden Plover, 1 Merlin, 1 Hobby, 1 Marsh Harrier, 4 Sparrowhawks and a trickle of Meadow Pipits over.

On the sea 4+ Arctic Skuas, 5 Common Scoter, 1 Med Gull , a few Terns and Gannets.

At the ARC highlights 96 Golden Plover, 7 Knot, 4 Dunlin, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Sparrowhawk, the Goosander and 9 Chiffchaffs. 

Both birds did there best to avoidthe camera

Sun bathing

Very few migrants around The Point this morning 6 Chiffchaffs, 3 Wheatears, 1 Whinchat and few Siskins over. At the fishing boats a couple of hours enjoying the weather but very few birds at sea, just 2 Arctic Skuas ambushing the few Terns that were off shore, 2 singletons of Brent Geese W, 4+ Med Gulls, 1 Black Tern, 2 Sanderling W and a few Turnstones on the beach. At the ARC a Curlew Sandpiper at the South end and from Hanson due to disturbance from much needed vegetation clearance work in front of the screen hide just a few Lapwing, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Water Rail and 2 Cetti's Warblers. 

Bits and pieces and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Started with a plod from the old lighthouse, round the moat and through the southern part of the trapping area, back through the desert to the lighthouse. The highlights were 20 Crossbills in 2 parties of 3 & 17, several Siskins to high to see, 13 Chiffchaffs, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Whinchats, 2 Stonechats, 1 Northern Wheatear, 4 Sparrowhawks, 1 Peregrine and a few Mippits and Pied Wagtails.

Next stop the reserve and from Firth Hide 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Grey Plover, 10 Golden Plover, 2 Dunlin, 1 Common Snipe, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 more Chiffchaffs. At Christmas Dell 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Common Redstart, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Hobby, 1 Common Whitethroat and the Leucistic Grey Heron. At the back of Hookers a Grey Heron apparently swimming in the pool before flying off. In the fields at the back the Great White Egret, a flock of 500+ Linnets, a Blackcap and 4 Tree Sparrows in the bushes and 2 Ravens over. Also seen and heard around the reserve 5+ Marsh Harriers, 10+Cetti's Warblers, a Kingfisher and 30+ Swallows. A text from MH telling me of a B.B.Sandpiper at the ARC from Hanson, fortunately I was close by and was in the hide watching the Sandpiper in a a matter of minutes. As with all waders from Hanson it was quite distant but good enough views to see that it had a drooping wing like last weeks bird so probably the same. Also there a single Knot and the Goosander.  

The Goosander flying through the Greylags

Record image of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Part of a 500+ flock of Linnets

Princes Park

After visiting mum in West Sussex i called in on the very confiding Grey Phalarope at Princes Park Eastbourne on the way home this evening. Glorious sunshine all the way to Eastbourne, but the seafront was buried under a layer of sea fog which extended over Princes Park making photographing the Phalarope very difficult even with the flash gun.