randombirder

This autumn (so far) has been the quietest that I can remember. It is a season that is eagerly anticipated by birders with the mass movement of birds, post-breeding adults and newly fledged juveniles. Northern Hemisphere dispersal across North America, Europe and Asia generally take a north to south route spanning thousands of miles. One of the many miraculous aspects of the natural world that we witness every year. It is the east to west displacements that provide the anticipation of something rare dropping onto our shores. Much of this is to do with weather, not just around our geographical region but much more influenced on a global scale. El niño, Nor’Easter, Coriolis effects, the nuances and variations within weather patterns will never be fully understood particularly when considering avian vagrancy. We hit the end of September and with a huge ridge of high pressure sat across much of the UK extending out into the Atlantic and Continental Europe.  There has been a dearth of r

With the ongoing presence of this totally unexpected sighting of the rare Beluga Whale on the Thames near Gravesend, we headed down for a glimpse of this Arctic wanderer.  A juvenile, way off course, evidently detached from a family pod, these environs aren't untypical of the habitat preferred by this small cetacean. An extraordinary record.  Not the greatest views, but a few fleeting views as it rolled, and then moved away out of sight.

A quick trip over to the reservoirs where a possibly new Grey Phalarope  had once again made an appearance onto the south basin.  This time the weather is stunning, a crisp morning with blue skies and a radiant sun, a real contrast to Saturday and the weekend in general. The bird was closer in this time, and with the improved weather, the views were much more favorable.  A single Black Tern had lingered on while passerines included three Yellow Wagtail , plenty of Meadow Pipit , and a Skylark .  Around a 100 House Martin were feeding over the causeway that disappeared with a quarter of an hour of arriving. Two Goldeneye and four Wigeon  were also present.

A really great morning at the reservoirs before the rain set in.  The highlight today was the Grey Phalarope that never got anywhere near to taking a photograph but was fine through the scope as it fed busily three-quarters of the way out on the south basin. There was plenty around with four Black Tern , six Common Tern , two juvenile Ringed Plover , two Black-necked Grebe , three Goldeneye , and three Yellow Wagtail on the move. A truly outstanding sight were the huge numbers of House Martin , over a thousand, maybe two thousand, I haven't a clue, but lots, feeding low over the reservoir particularly on the south side.

It seems rather virtuous to have volunteered for a morning beach cleaning in Lancing, but this is where conservation has really entered into the consciousness of the general public.  As part of the Great British Beach Clean, volunteers from all over the country had made time to take part in this national event. It was a fun morning, the beach wasn't as polluted as I had feared but it was good to be involved.

There's been a fair scattering of Ortolan Bunting this autumn, particularly along the length of the south coast that have notoriously difficult to pin down.  Despite clear skies on Saturday morning, the Ortolan that was found the day before just beyond Portsdown Hill remained unexpectedly overnight. The bird flew in over our heads after a short wait and settled distantly on a large Hawthorn that it had been favouring, and remained there for much of the day.  My first sighting of this bird for the UK. Farlington Marsh down the road produced very little except for a Spotted Redshank on the lake, three Yellow Wagtail , and a Common Sandpiper .

Decided on something a little different today - an area of coastline I had never explored.  Having spent a lazy morning in Margate, eating and exploring some of the more quirky sights of this ecclectic seaside town, we made our way to Cliftonville. The habitat here looks good for passerines, particularly chats and so it was no surprise to find a minimum of seven whinchat  a couple of northern wheatear , and a common whitethroat  here. The Viking Trail meanders along the coastline with stunning views of the white cliffs lining the coast overlooking the sea.  The path does detour away from the coastal edge in places, routing around Joss Gap but then rejoins the path a little further on.  As Broadstairs edges closer, steps lead down onto the sandy beaches where a promenade sweeps past a number of gaudy beach huts. Broadstairs itself a lovely town, exuding a sense of class sadly seldom found in seaside towns.  Much like Margate, it has a creative e

The reservoir was like a millpond this morning.  With clear blue skies and the warm sunshine, the transformation was almost Grecian. A count of 13 Black Tern were feeding over the South Basin that was joined by a 1st-year Little Gull .  A Yellow Wagtail flew along the causeway.

A really productive day despite the Phalarope's short stay at the reservoir on Friday.  A particularly spirited arrival on site where the morning sun blazed across the open water. An initial count of 17 Black Tern then turned into 21.  By late morning more had arrived increasing to 31.  By midday this had risen again to 36 birds, frequently seen clustered together in a group as they rose up from the water only to return back down to continue their elegant undulating flight across the water. Black Tern Seven Common Swift were wheeling over the south basin with reasonable numbers of House Martin . A winter plumaged Black-necked Grebe drifted across the north basin.  There were five Common Sandpiper hugging the margins. An adult winter Sandwich Tern flew low over the causeway and continued on north.  Ten minutes later, two Turnstone flew a circuit around the reservoir and again failed to settle. A Hobby was seen flying slowly through toward the Eas