PLODDINGBIRDER

Sunday 23 August 2020

Sunday 23/08/2020

Bar-tailed Godwits and a Whimbrel passing the fishing boats this afternoon

05.40-07.40 & 14.00-15.45 with RW, CP, JH, PH, LH and AJG who kindly kept the log:

Common Scoter: 1W

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Fulmar: 1W

Gannet: 82W

Cormorant: 16 o/s

Whimbrel: 1W

Bar-tailed Godwit: 3W

Turnstone: 1E

Knot: 1W

Dunlin: 1E

Arctic Skua: 2W

Kittiwake: 6W

Little Tern: 8W

Sandwich Tern: 373W

Common Tern: 150W

Swift:2 out

Sand Martin: 8 out

Swallow: 2 out

Grey Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 2+

Whimbrel passing the fishing boats this afternoon

Knot passing the fishing boats this afternoon

On The ARC the Glossy Ibis still present along with a Wood Sandpiper, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Common Sandpipers, 4 Dunlin, 2 LRPs, a Ringed Plover, 19 Golden Plover, 2 Garganey, a Little Gull, 2 Great White Egrets, also the Black-necked Grebe reported today. This morning the lake was covered with 100s of Sand Martins. The only report I have heard from Burrowes is of 2 Black Terns still being present, but with no proper access the paucity of reports is understandable.

Felixstowe ringed juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull DV.DR at the fishing boats yesterday

Friday 21 August 2020

A day spent mainly sea watching!

Balearic Shearwaters

05.45-1830 with AJG, CP, DW, JH, MH. CB, DS, PH, LH, SO et al Many thanks to all present.

Common Scoter: 9E 1W

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Fulmar: 12W

Manx Shearwater: 1W

Balearic Shearwater: 46W

Sooty Shearwater: 1W

Gannet: 270W

Cormorant: 34 o/s

Turnstone: 1W

Arctic Skua: 2W 1E

Kittiwake: 62W

Yellow-legged Gull: 1 juvenile on beach

Little Tern: 15W

Sandwich Tern: 738W

Common Tern: 434W

Black Tern: 6W

Swift: 5S

Sand Martin: 14S

Swallow: 62S

Yellow Wagtail: 1S

Grey Seal: 2

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

10 of a flock of 12 Balearic Shearwaters today past the fishing boats

Thursday 20 August 2020

Thursday 20/08/2020

Balearic Shearwaters passing the fishing boats this morning

06:00-08:45 from the fishing boats with CP. DW and AJG who kindly kept the log:

Common Scoter: 9E

Fulmar: 2E

Balearic Shearwater: 20W

Gannet: 222W

Cormorant: present n/c

Ringed Plover: 1E

Oystercatcher: 1W

Whimbrel: 2W

Great Skua: 2W 2 down

Arctic Skua: 3W

Kittiwake: 29W

G B B Gull: 18W

Sandwich Tern: 114W

Common Tern: 41W

Little Tern: 6W

Grey Seal: 5+

Harbour Porpoise: 4+

Balearic Shearwaters passing the fishing boats this morning

Lesser Whitethroat at Galloways

A beautiful walk around Galloways this morning but very little avian interest.

No problem social distancing on the beach at Galloways with Fairlight in the distance

The old APC on the Green Wall at Galloways looking west towards Rye

Pied Flycatcher and Redstart bushes at Galloways. Just 2 Robins in them today

Great White Egret with a Jack Pike at Springfield Bridge

Arctic Skua past the fishing boats this afternoon

13.00-15.15 with DS, BC, AJG & DW,

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Balearic Shearwater: 7W

Gannet: 70W

Great Skua: 1W

Arctic Skua: 4W 1E

Kittiwake: 2W

Common Tern: 27W

Sandwich Tern: 42W

Swallow: 7S

An afternoon and evening visit to the ARC saw the Glossy Ibis, 7 Common Sandpipers, 2 LRPs, c50 Golden Plover and the usual Egrets and wildfowl.

Wednesday 19 August 2020

Wednesday 19/08/2020

05.45-08.45 from the wishing boats with CP, RW & AJG who kindly kept the log:

Teal: 6W

Common Scoter: 18E 2W

Great-crested Grebe: 1 o/s

Fulmar: 4W

Manx Shearwater: 1W

Balearic Shearwater: 4W

Gannet: 166W

Cormorant: 17W

Arctic Skua: 3W

Kittiwake: 12W

Sandwich Tern: 169W

Common Tern: 26W

Sand Martin: 4S

Swallow: 27S

Yellow Wagtail: 8S

Grey Wagtail:1 heard only

Grey Seal: 1

Common Seal: 1

Harbour Porpoise: 6+

Glossy Ibis still on the ARC today

At the ARC today a Black-necked Grebe, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 10 Common Sandpipers, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Ringed Plovers, 50+ Golden Plovers, 100+ Lapwings, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 1 Ruff, 4 Common Snipe, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Redshanks, 2+ Great White Egrets, 100s of Sand Martins hawking over the lake, 18 Swifts through and the Glossy Ibis.

Early afternoon CP braved the rain and had a rewarding watch from the fishing boats and kindly sent me his log:

12.30-15.30

Great-crested Grebe: 2 o/s

Fulmar: 1W

Balearic Shearwater: 6W @13.55

Gannet: 28W

Cormorant: present: n/c

Oystercatcher: 2W 3E

Arctic Skua: 1W

Kittiwake: 5W

Little Tern: 2W

Sandwich Tern: 158W

Common Tern: 131W

Black Tern: 1W

Swift 2 out

Sand Martin 4 out

I haven't heard any news from the reserve today, I doubt many people went today because of the weather and lack of shelter.

4+ Hummingbird Hawkmoths were feeding in my garden yesterday

Monday 17 August 2020

Monday 17/08/2020

06.00-07.30 from the fishing boats the numbers were kindly supplied by AJG:

Gannet: 191W

Dunlin: 2W

Arctic Skua: 1W

Kittiwake: 11 down

Common Tern: 81W

Sandwich Tern: 8W

Little Tern: 2W

Sand Martin c30S

While AJG was having an uninspiring sea watch at the fishing boats, I had an equally uninspiring wander down to The Patch and Converter Station. Apart from 6 Wheatears and a couple of Hummingbird Hawkmoths around the perimeter wall, the only other highlight was Belgian Lesser Black-backed Gull K.TOH on roofs behind the hide.

Belgian Herring Gull K.TOH on the portacabin roof behind The Patch hide

Common Redstarts in The Desert

A walk around The Desert found 2 Common Redstarts, a Pied Flycatcher and good numbers of Stonechats, also numerous Common Whitethroats and a few Lesser Whitethroats.

Glossy Ibis on the Tern raft seen from the car in a quick stop on the causeway late morning

Juvenile Caspian Gull moulting to 1w

Mid afternoon at the fishing boats a Juvenile Caspian gull that is moulting into 1w plumage put in a brief appearance. Also there a juvenile Herring Gull that had swallowed hooks and line left on the beach by careless anglers, consigning it to a lingering painful death. c12 Harbour Porpoises were off shore.

Juvenile Caspian Gull moulting to 1w

Harbour Porpoises from the fishing boats this afternoon

Juvenile Herring Gull that has swallowed hooks and line discarded or accidentally left by anglers

Whinchat at Galloways this evening was the highlight of my walk around there this evening.

The ranges opening times this week show that Galloways and The Midrips are open all week

Sunday 16 August 2020

Sunday 16/08/2020

Ringed Plovers. The birds in the image below headed off high towards France

Early this morning CP picked me up and we drove the couple of miles to Jury's Gap where we spent a couple of hours on the Green Wall of The Midrips and Wicks. The pools are drying out rapidly and look perfect for waders. Unfortunately the only waders were 20 Avocet, a few Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Oystercatchers, a Greenshank, a Redshank and a Common Sandpiper. A Pied Flycatcher flew along the Green Wall and 2 Wheatears were present, a Hobby was also noted. A party of 19 Ringed Plovers and a Dunlin flew out high towards France and 15 Ringed Plovers were feeding on the beach.

Avocets

Wheatear

Common Redstart

When we left The Midrips we walked the track from Jury's gap to the working pits where we found 4 of each of Common and Green Sandpiper. In the small group of bushes we found a Common Redstart, Pied flycatchers, Willow Warblers, Lesser and Common Whitethroats, Whinchat and Wheatear, It was an excellent and very relaxing stroll, the only other person we saw was a lady out on her horse.

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap. I will never tire of seeing these delightful birds.

Pied Flycatcher near Jury's Gap

Pied Flycatcher photo bombing a Common Redstart

Lesser Whitethroat

This afternoon at the fishing boats with AJG and RW the sea watch was grim, singles of Black Tern, Fulmar and Arctic Skua, 2 Oystercatchers and 10 Common Scoter were note. The few Gannets, Common and Sandwich Terns were just feeding off shore, thank goodness we had the Gulls to entertain us. We watched the lifeboat go out to another rib full of immigrants about a mile out, whom they took on board as it looked like the rib was sinking. They then headed off towards Dover .