Despite the forecast, the early morning was relatively birdable; the South Westerlies were fairly light and a sunny day unfolded as I walked up the cliff path from home. My journey to the South Foreland was cut short but a stroke of luck when raising my bins to look at movement in an isolated hawthorn at Langdon hole. I was confronted with great views of a Greenish warbler, feeding busily lowdown in the bush.
After a few seconds, the bird flitted to the opposite side of the cover and I moved round quickly to see it nicely in good light, often partially hidden but unhindered by my presence.
I had to leave it twice in order to get signal to put out the news, but upon returning it was still in the same spot.
It called only once during this time, after catching an insect, a standard Greenish type ‘tiz-ik’ and didn’t sing at all. Not really how I’ve imagined finding one here. Viewing the bird was really quite easy going and I was sure people would connect, Ian Searle arrived and promptly saw the bird but it became elusive for the next arrivals. I saw it again 25 minutes later in it’s original Hawthorn, but lost it whilst putting that news out and it wasn’t seen thereafter. The weather since then has been awful so perhaps its gone to ground, I will have a look later this evening.
PERDIX BIRDER 