randombirder

Generally slim pickings locally but putting in a bit more effort is probably required. Rewards such as this female type common redstart along the track south of Weston Hills makes it all worthwhile.

Dropped in at Reculver in between A28 breeding bird surveys just to see what was around. In the past, this site has provided me with desert wheatear and baird's sandpiper so it was worth a look. Not walking very far from the car park on a warm but windy late afternoon, a few common migrants were feeding close to the path. A couple of scruffy juvenile whinchat , wheatear , and a male stonechat made for pleasant walk along the seaward track.

A really interesting bird that caused much debate without really reaching a conclusion as to the ID of a ringtail harrier sp. that ranged across the Wallington fields over the course of a few days. Strategically setting myself up halfway along the Wallington Road that gave me a decent 360 degree vista, it took at least an hour's wait before the harrier cruised past at a reasonable distance. I got to view it for a couple of minutes, looking rangy in flight, long-winged and long-tailed, narrow wings that immediately had me thinking Monty's. Structural differences between hen, Montagu's and pallid are subtle within ringtails, sometimes flight appearances can give you a feel for any one of these species. Coloration of this bird admittedly had a bit of pallid about it, but I remain undecided, birders with more experience were leaning more towards hen. Just couldn't get a feel for this, but we'll leave it just there as one of those that have evaded us all.