randombirder

There was a lot of activity today with marked passerine movement across the southern periphery of the Isle.  Hirundine movement was particularly noticeable. Highlights were nine Wheatear that included an aerial migrating group of seven - something I hadn't really seen before.  A minimum count of 15 Yellow Wagtail were typically flighty, the majority of which were juvenile birds.  Four Grey Wagtail flew along the coastal, showing more signs of movement.  A Peregrine shot past over the sea. I eventually made it to the area that had in previous days looked good for migrants to find the Redstart still present in the same area for its third day.  It had been joined by a single Spotted Flycatcher that was actively hunting insects along the line of scattered trees.  Five Common Whitethroat were also present there as were three Blackcap and a couple of Chiffchaff .  A total of seven Willow Warbler (below) were seen on the walk. This juvenile Common Bu...

 A different feel to today, the temperature had dropped somewhat on a cool breeze.  It was windy that made strolling around a little less comfortable as of the last couple of days. The male Common Redstart was still present in the same place as yesterday but there was a marked increase in Wheatear with a minimum of 15 counted along the coastal path.  A Whinchat  also sat up nicely along the fenceline. A few metres on, a Raven appeared, settling on the top of the cliff-face.   The far end of the coastal walk was where the vegetation had built up.  It looked good for passerines.  A warbler flew up from seaward side of the path into the scrub.  It was worth a look and from a brief agonising appearance looked like a Melodious Warbler but sadly I couldn't quite get the prolonged view I was hoping for. Later on in the day, a visit to Shanklin was generally quite underwhelming failing to realise that there were going to be hoards of people there....

Walked a few miles today, from St. Lawrence to St. Catherine's Point. The coastal path has in recent years fallen victim to coastal erosion, decimating the path through to St Catherine's point.  The route detours rather disappointingly back onto the road which left a feeling of bemusement thinking there must have been a better track to take. It was worth it - having lunch overlooking the sea on a sunny day. Migrants feeding up for the long journey south were sprinkled across the coastline.  My first Common Redstart of the year was found along a stretch of vegetation sheltered from the breeze.  A single Whinchat was flighty along the coast path and a total of eight Wheatear were seen on the walk to St. Catherine's.  A curious Grey Seal popped it's head above water. Two Yellow Wagtail were present by the coastal path.  Four Siskin flew over and a family of Stonechat were lively around the point. A funky male Common Lizard scuttled away in the warmth. An ev...

The Isle of Wight as a birding destination rarely registers on the radar.  It's location on the southern edge of the UK makes it a prime spot for migratory birds.  It's not a place I'd ever been birding so thought I'd give it a try.  No expectations - just head-off on some nice walks and see what I see. It is a fabulous place, away from the crowded town that is.  Settling in a modest chalet on the edge of St. Lawrence, the coastal path was a short five minute walk where inky seas and splendid coastal views beheld the few that ventured away from the riff-raff. So it started - morning walks, afternoon walks, evening walks, concentrating on my new 'local-patch' producing some nice common migrants and getting some fresh sea air into the lungs. Heading out from Portsmouth on a Wightlink ferry with the same sense anticipation as heading abroad.   The skies over the mainland were in a right old mood. It was a pedestrian start strolling along the coastal path with ...

An optimistic visit to Titchwell resulted in finding the reserve as quiet as I'd ever experienced it.  Always a pleasure to visit, the wader count was relatively low that seems to fluctuate day by day.  It was a blustery day that made observing the freshmarsh challenging.  The tide was also high so there was a fair scattering of waders on the reserve. Five Greenshank were new for the year and reasonable groups of Grey Plover and Black-tailed Godwit were making their way in off the north coastline.  On the freshmarsh, eleven Sanderling , two Little Ringed Plover , at least 25 Ruff and 15 Ringed Plover were all that wader migration could deliver today. Three Mediterranean Gull were present on the Freshmarsh.  Other sightings were of two Bearded Tit at the base of the reeds, and six Swift flying through. On the sea, six Little Tern were battling the breeze, nine Common Scoter flew west as did a female Red-breasted Merganser .

A really good morning at Broom in warm and humid conditions.  Thankfully the rain stayed away.   There was once again plenty of waders to go through with a new summer plumage Black-tailed Godwit on the scrapes with the two Ruff , five Common Sandpiper (two on GLW), two Green Sandpiper , four Little Ringed Plover and six Snipe . Heading to Peacocks which was generally quiet, the adjacent scrub and hedgerow held at least four first year Willow Warbler with one in brief song, a Lesser Whitethroat , a Common Whitethroat , and three Blackcap . Four Swift flew over, and there were good numbers of House Martin with at least 60 over the lake.  A Common Tern flew over as did small groups of Lapwing totalling around 80. A high flying Hobby headed north and a vocal family group of Sparrowhawk were located to the woodland behind GLW with both Kestrel and Buzzard seen on the walk round. There were also good numbers of Yellow Wagtail with at least 20 seen flying over....

Finally managed to drag myself down to Amwell for the Temminck's Stint that showed really well from the viewpoint representing my first for the county. Also on the reserve was a Little Ringed Plover , three Common Sandpiper , a Little Egret , and six Common Tern .

Another good evening at Broom with now two juvenile Ruff on the scrapes, a male and female. At least two Common Sandpiper were present, the usual four Little Ringed Plover and five Snipe. Wildfowl were a little more conspicuous with my first four Wigeon of the autumn, joining 12 Teal and three Shoveler. Four Little Egret were feeding in the shallow pools and at least 10 Yellow Wagtail were flighty along the margins. A Clouded Yellow butterfly was seen close to the viewpoint.

The last few weeks have flown by.  Surveying has been fun but tiring in this heat.  It's been standard fair apart from discovering two Hobby nest sites, observing six flyover Crossbill , and chancing upon my first Purple Hairstreak for quite a while. Wanderings round the local area have been few and far between but it always provides an outlet from home office days.  The scenery never stops being a source of joy. There's not been a lot around birdwise but a Marsh Harrier seen along the Wallington Road during a bike ride on the 3rd was my first for the local area. My first Wheatear of the autumn was present on the airfield on the 4th. Grey Partridge seem to have had a good year with plenty of youngsters around. Not managed many trips to Broom but there has been a bit of quality there over the last couple of weeks. A fresh juvenile Wood Sandpiper was present for a couple of days on the 2nd with a decent selection of common waders including three Common Sandpiper , t...

It felt fairly typical arising to misty cool weather conditions, far removed from the sweltering temperatures experienced down south.  With these temperatures, it felt that in no time the clouds would burn away quickly to reveal a warm and sunny day.  So by midday when the conditions hadn't changed, my hopes started to dwindle.  It was particularly cool out there with a stiff breeze tempering spirits. By the time the elusive vulture had been sighted, we had climbed up onto a ridge out of view from the ledge in which the Beardie had alighted.   It wasn't until around 3pm when we arrived at the Woodhead Reservoir car park to finally see this majestic creature soar unerringly over the ridge south of the Crowden.  It was being constantly harassed by a local Raven, the comparison in size indicating what a beast this bird is.  The weather had improved markedly and turned out to be reasonably warm. We watched it soar back and forth, disappearing over the ridge and...

This was a first visit to Ouse Fen RSPB a reasonable drive into the heart of Cambridgeshire.  It was a lovely warm morning with the walk starting at a small car park onto the defined paths that lead alongside reedbeds and areas of open water. Areas of mixed woodland and scrub revealed at least two Lesser Whitethroat and five Blackcap with a minimum of three Willow Warbler around the reserve.  A surprise Crossbill flew over shortly before a Bittern was seen flying languidly past before dropping down into the reeds. The reserve is punctuated by lakes and pools.  Following the Barleycroft Trail leads to unsurprisingly to Barleycroft Lake that held most of the interesting sightings. The highlight were at least three purring Turtle Dove with one individual perched high up on a willow.   The lake held a family group of five Little Egret , a single Oystercatcher , 14 Lapwing and two vocal Kingfisher .