Meally's and Merlins

Plodding around The Point and The Desert was hard work with few grounded birds. Overhead 3+ Merlins, a few Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails, 100+ Goldfinches, 20+Linnets, Indeterminate numbers of Redpolls and Siskins as most were to high to see. Over the trapping area a mixed of 100+ Redpoll and Siskins some of which were being caught in the nets and once again good numbers of Meally's were trapped and ringed showing some of the variations in this species.

The ARC was very quiet with the islands virtually devoid of birds with the highlight in the car park 10+ Tree Sparrows.

At Scotney the feral Barnacle and Emperor Goose flock is back and 3+ Marsh Harriers were round the wind mills also another Merlin was hunting the range.

Out on Walland Marsh 2 more Marsh Harriers yet another Merlin and 20+ Tree Sparrows round the feeders.

A Slow Day

From The Point first thing this morning the sea was very quiet with just a few Gannets off shore. Over the beach a few each of Redpoll,Siskin, Linnet, Chaffinch and Goldfinch, also a Merlin caught a passerine over the beach and the Yellow-legged Gull and Glaucous Gull were in there usual haunts.

Round The Trapping area and The Desert a few more Finches over, also 6+ Chiffchaff, 5 Goldcrest, 1 Skylark, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 3 Green Woodpeckers and 2 Sparrowhawks.

After receiving news from the ARC that the Penduline Tit was showing I made my way there and was lucky enough to get a very brief view of it, although it did show well again after I left. Other birds seen around the ARC were the usual wild fowl, 4+ Water Rail (heard), 60+Golden Plover, 1 Little Stint, 50+ Lapwing, 2+ Common Buzzarsd, 3+ Marsh Harriers, 3 Sparrowhawks, 1 Merlin, 1 Peregine, 2 Chiffchaff, 6 Goldcrest, a Flock of c100 Fieldfare, 4 Redwing and 2 each of Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers. A Grass Snake was basking by the path at the Water Tower.

   

And then it was gone!

08.15-10.00 from The Point this morning saw  24 Brent Geese, 5 Red-throated divers, 7 Common Scoter, 1 Arctic Tern, 2 Sandwich Terns, 3 Razorbills, 4 Guillemots, 6 Auk sp, 1 Kittiwake, 1 Med Gull, 42 Great-crested Grebes, 2 Swallows and  the 2w Glaucous Gull which flew half way to France before coming back. On the beach 2 Merlins, 1 Yellow-legged Gull and a couple of Siskins and a Redpoll over.

On the reserve 7 Dunlin, 1 Little Stint, 2 Swallows, 5 Cetti's Warblers, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 4+ Marsh Harriers, 1 Bittern, the Great White Egret and another Merlin.

This afternoon a Yellow-browed Warbler was found on the sheltered side of some Sallows on the edge of The Desert. I was lucky enough to be very near by as it showed briefly a couple of times in a few minutes then presumably disappearing into the forest of Sallows which were being battered by the strong wind.

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.