Eastbourne - American robin
A superb day down in Eastbourne in glorious weather, clear blue skies and light winds making it feel most spring-like. It was a long drive down but on arrival, a decent crowd had assembled at the end of the cul-de-sac, overlooked by residential dwellings - not the kind of backdrop I'm particularly comfortable with while looking for rare birds. The American robin was initially seen foraging in the small field at the end of the road swiftly disappearing into the gardens behind the row of houses - it wasn't long until it was seen perched up in a cotoneaster laden with berries - and plenty of it to sustain this stunning nearctic thrush. My day was greatly enhanced in once again bumping into David Bradshaw and with his brother Ian, we jumped in the car and headed down to the coast road where in another residential area, the hume's warbler was typically spritely dodging in and out of the tree canopy allowing brief but acceptable views. The final destination reeked of pure deca