Back home after a week away. Spring has marched forward in that little time and the flowering Blackthorn is starting to go over in places. Moderate Southerlies with cloud and a patch first for me as I climbed the cliff – a singing Cetti’s warbler where the A2 crosses the cliff path, which could be heard even from the western end of Foxhill down. Little else between there and Light house down where a Water pipit flew up channel.
Single figures of Yellow Wagtails over and just shy of 20 Swallows but the (unexpected) highlight of the morning was a 2nd calander year Goshawk which I picked up over the Lighthouse and Top wood.
In active flight almost entirely at first, it showed some interest in chasing corvids but carried on generally North and was lost to view.
My second here after an adult male last March. Im disappointed not to have seen where it appeared from – following the coast or indeed in off the sea but there you go. 2 Marsh Harriers Flew out to Sea in a NE direction during the morning.
Before going away (on the 10th) I had a Little–ringed Plover fly down channel (barely annual here) and a Short eared Owl flew in over the cliffs at the lighthouse, the same or another flew out to sea and disappeared shortly after.
Several stark omissions to the list of birds I’ve seen up here so far this spring, hopefully that will change in the coming week as I will be birding most days till mid june now.
PERDIX BIRDER 