randombirder

The final day - or half a day - was spent at Culver Down, another wonderful chalk down south-east of the island.  There were a fair few migrants around here too with, at least five Spotted Flycatcher , five Redstart , a flyover Tree Pipit , a single Yellow Wagtail , three Wheatear , Raven , three Skylark , and a late Swift .

A fabulous day walking from Tennyson Down across to West High Down toward The Needles.  The weather was dreamy, glorious sunshine, light winds, absolutely stunning. A bumper half an hour observing an area of gorse and a few scattered trees revealed a Pied Flycatcher , Spotted Flycatcher , two Whinchat , and a single Redstart .  A real surprise was a juvenile Dartford Warbler . Four Yellow Wagtail and five Wheatear were seen along the fenceline further towards the point. Back at St. Lawrence, the Redstart was still present as were four Wheatear and four Yellow Wagtail .

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 ...