I’ve taken my foot off the gas partially since the Cisticola and have been focusing my energies inland looking, somewhat successfully, for Honey Buzzards. I dont mention it much on this blog but looking at and for HBs in Kent and Sussex has been enormously rewarding. last week I had my best views yet of a male that I came across last year in a previously unknown territory, returning in May this year and being characteristically secretive recently he showed nicely after 2 hour wait in a clearing. I call him ‘the meaningful male’ and though we saw some very strong evidence of breeding last year we were unable to 100% confirm breeding so fingers crossed for this season.
My walks along the cliffs have been seldom but I have seen at least one Cuckoo each visit, with 6 seen since coming back from Basel (shows how little ive been up there!) All adults so far and all accidentally disturbed whilst feeding on the ground, numbers of Swifts range from 0-700, maybe some big numbers in the next week or so. Friday the 1st of July I had a flock of c40 black tailed Godwit, a green sandpiper, curlew and lapwing over the patch whilst a Whimbrel called from the bottom of the cliffs on the 3rd, autumn is underway.
Below a bird growing its tail back, abit of a shock when I first saw it.
Juvenile Kestrel below, several pairs along the cliffs have produced young, still waiting for one pair, perhaps not this year.
PERDIX BIRDER 