Not the first time these two species have featured together in a day here before nor is the first time that the 21st of May has delivered a good day here. a 5am start for Light to moderate SSW winds with a fog mid channel first thing that cleared by 10am.
Nige Jarman rang me to let me know he’d just had a Bee eater low down heading SW from Bockhill, I waited on light house down for a few minutes for the imminent calls but nothing…30 minutes later I heard 10 or so Bee eater calls over the valley from a bird, by the sound of it moving west but just couldn’t get on it, it sounded quite high at this point. A Hobby flew in off at the light house at point blank, c100 hirundines and 20+ Swift also in off and straight inland rather than along the coast and 2 singing Reed warblers were noted.
I aimed to be watching for raptors over the harbour by 10 am and just before 11’o clock I picked up a Honey Buzzard over the water out to the SE of the harbour, it took a few minutes to come in high and fast due to the moderate carrying wind. Its trajectory was slightly too far NE for a direct hit and came in over Langdon hole, circled over the Coast guard and headed inland.
Other notables since my last post are a Turtle dove over the valley on the 19th, 3 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Shag from the Bay on the 20th.
PERDIX BIRDER 