Month: September 2024

Since the Barred warbler on Monday each day this week has been a similar story; Moderate NE winds with Hirundines and Chiffchaffs dominating numbers, notable numbers of Meadow pipits and smaller still numbers of Wagtails (yellow, grey and alba) Crests and Whinchats etc. Ive noticed more Song thrushes, seen my first Redwing breifly and noticed a some very grey Robins.

Today – a little spike in activity with a slight change in Wind direction from NE to straight Easterly, which doesnt always work here. However it was the best day for hirundines yet this autumn with over 5,000, mostly Swallow North until midday or so when birds began flying South West – so hard to count! House martins around a third of the number and probably sub 100 Sand martin.

c500 Meadow Pipit, 6 Tree pipit, 10 Yellow Wag, my first Brambling and Siskins of the autumn, 5 Whinchat, 11 Wheatear, 2 Spotted Flycatcher in the wood, 3 Firecrest c90 Chiffchaff 2 Whitethroat, single lesser whitethroat a Reed warbler and 6 Reed Buntings plus a juv Cuckoo and juv Hobby.

Waders heard include Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher and Dunlin.

A wet day tomorrow and Yellow-broweds in Kent already, I’ll be out for certain!

The first day of light Northerlies after two days of SW airflow and the best day of the autumn so far for hirundines with c3500 along the cliffs early on. Very difficult to count as 100’s were out over the channel too so a conservative count of mostly House martin but 100’s of Sand matin and Swallow mixed in. In addition to a common Swift, Firecrest, 2 Tree pipits, 3 whinchat, a juv Cuckoo and the first Reed Bunting of the autumn over Fan bay.

The bird of the day however was found with a stroke of luck as I walked home along a path I very rarely use. Just above the harbour at the western end of Langdon cliffs I noticed some activity in a flowering Ivy, a Lesser whitethroat and Reed warbler were catching insects when I saw the back end of larger pale bird with marked under-tail coverts disappearing into the Ivy and Hawthorn cover. It clumsily moved about and sat just obscured but I could see well enough that it was a Barred warbler! Not an easy find on the mainland.

A moment later it was chasing/being chased by a Blackcap and suddenly hopped out onto the front of the bush and gave exellent views.

After this I saw it once again briefly but it didnt show again. Ive found a few on Shetland previously and seen a few down south but very happy to find one on the patch, another decent day here on light North winds.

Back from 10 days working in South Korea to a September chill in the air and a moderate NW wind. Yesterday’s walk up the cliff was fairly unremarkable beyond a Juv Cuckoo, Hobby, Yellow Wag & Tree pipit, a handful of willow warblers and c20 Chiffchiff the best thing however was over 1,000 House martins moving SW along the cliffs. Numbers of House Martin today were higher and an estimate of 1900 moved again SW with over 400 feeding along the undercliff a Langdon, with 2 Sand martin and perhaps 50 Swallow aswell as a common swift.

2 Spotted Flycathers between Langdon and Fan bay 3 Whinchat in the fennel field and more willow warblers than the previous day but the morning’s highlight flew up onto the top of a hawthorn in the bottom of fan bay – a Wryneck.

It flew to some of the isolated bushes on the eastern slope of Fan bay before diving into the grass – there are many anthills hidden in the long grass between Fan bay and the lighthouse.

A few locals came and connected with it which is unusual for anything I come across here!