Author: Jamie Partridge

Last night LP and I drove up to Bempton cliffs RSPB, slept in the car park and were watching the Black-Browed Albatross after an hour or so of fog first thing. It was incredible, a once in a lifetime experience seeing it fly about the cliffs and we both throughly enjoyed it.

Whilst we were swooning over it gracefully gliding back and forth Rich Bonser was on the patch bush bashing and turned up a showy Melodious warbler!Just beneath the radar station.

It seems to have pleased the crowds and a good few people saw it, unfortunately I was a little late returning from Yorkshire and got caught in a rain shower whilst looking for it so gave up. The place was crawling with birds though, the best of which were 2 Pied flycatcher, a Spotted flycatcher and good numbers of common warblers.

In the days preceding Ive had smaller numbers of Willow wabrlers and the same 2 Common Redstarts up on foxhill down, 2 Wheatear and up to 8 Black Redstart (all juvs)

Well done Rich, hopefully ill catch up with the Melodious tomorrow.

The South westerly airflow continues and passerine migration seems pretty slow. 6 Willow, a Garden warbler and increasing numbers of juv Black Redstart (7ish) where all to remark at in the bushes up top first thing.

Numbers of Gulls have been moving westward along the cliff tops, some in long lines others in small groups but pretty consistently throughout the mornings. Today the noticeable number of Lesser black backs were punctuated by a large male juvenile Caspian Gull and 2 juv Yellow legged gulls.

Ive been hoping to see Caspian Gull in this scenario this month so there’s a target hit! The first calendar year YLG below is beginning to get that tawny look many do mid august, lots of scapulars replaced.

As I type this a Great green bush cricket can be heard stridulating from my garden!

SSW winds at a just about bearable strength this morning and a walk around the entirety of the patch in the company of old friend Laurence P .

c18 Willow Warbler were counted across the whole site as were 4 Wheatear, 5 Yellow wagtail, a juv Black Redstart, 2 possibly 3 Spotted Flycatchers in the valley were my first of the autumn, as was a Coal tit, c50 Swallows west, a much smaller number of House martin and Swift too in the same direction. Local Bullfinches were active and visable and a Nightingale (presumably different to friday’s bird) was heard croaking and whistling from the bomb crater on Foxhill down where we spent an hour or so looking for migrant Raptors in vain. Decent numbers of Adult and juvenile Corn buntings are to be seen currently in the un-harvested barley fields around reach road. Common and Lesser Whitethroat also well represented and I don’t really think local breeders have left/started moving yet, still some very scruffy adults about.

Also noted were singles of Hummingbird Hawk Moth and Jersey Tiger.

A brief but relevant interlude; on the 11th of August I arrived at calais after a week ‘working’ in Marseille (great birds here of course, lots of Western sub alps, Bonnellis warblers, Alpine and Pallid swifts… all that stuff, lovely). I wanted to spend some time birding just other side of the channel before my return.

Forêt de Guines was the chosen site, recommended to me by Martin Casemore as a good site for Honey Buzzard. I initially intended to do some headland birding too but in the end I settled for just watching the Honey B’s from a vantage point in the woods.

Its hard to say how many individuals I saw but a conservative estimate would be 8 in the woods itself and during the quiet period of the day, where none of the local birds were seen above the woods, I picked up 6 HBs moving together from far to the north to far the the west , very high up they looked like they were migrating.

Also during this time I had a few Hawfinch fly over, 2 Marsh harrier, a juv Marsh warbler in the willow herb infested clearing I stood in plus Short toed treecreeper, Marsh tits etc etc.

The local HBs re surfaced right on cue at 2.30 and there was much wing clapping and calling, Great birds and the mad thing is that on a clear day you can see this woodland from the patch. I love the continent.

Back home after over a week away working in the south of France, a slightly blustery SW met me as I walked up the cliff but there were some birds to look at, in the western end of the patch at least.

A Cuckoo, 3 Redstart and 14 Willow warblers were in bushes between the top of the cliff path and the radar station. A Nighingale flew from bush to bush in Langdon hole itself, It showed for a second and proceeded to croak and whislte for a while.

c60 Swallow and a small flock of sand martins were also noted. Good to be back

Some strong winds, plumbing nightmares and family visits have kept me from the headland recently but I’m pleased to report that Autumn’s trickle of migrants continues to trickle with the arrival of Willow Warblers since the 29th for me.

Several Cuckoo seen by others, up to 4 Yellow Wagtails today and Wheatears in 1s and 2s on each visit. A BBQ with friends near the harbour on the evening of the 24th was punctuated by a Great White Egret flying in from far out to sea to the south and almost over our heads, continuing towards Aycliffe, no photographs but looked impressive as it defended itself from mobbing gulls with brielfy outstretched neck .

A second trip out during the day today saw a steady stream of gulls coming in along the cliffs from the East, the best of which were 2 juvenile Yellow–Legged Gulls. I’d like to pick up a juvenile Caspian Gull in that situation in the coming weeks.

In Butterfly news Small Blues seem to be making an appearance in good numbers around the cliff top closest to the lighthouse. Im still seeing a Dark Green fritillary between my garden and the cliff path, Clouded yellows can be seen in small numbers near the farm, Chalkhill Blues everywhere and a Brown Argus today, some pics below.

Its August tomorrow, and although Im away in France with work for the first 10 days I look very much forward to long warm birdy days.

My first early morning’s birding for a few days. Warm South Easterlies continue and my search for the first ‘real’ southbound migrant passerine was rewarded with an early Juvenile Common Redstart near the Radar station.

The bird hasn’t completed is post juvenile moult and really looks like juvs you see on breeding grounds of which I was under the impression were non existstent in Kent. 2 Reed Warblers and a Garden Warbler were in bushes nearby, 2 Yellow Wagtails flew over West as did around 35 Swallows, 18 of which appeared to have roosted in trees near the car park overnight. A juvenile Marsh Harrier flew north at great height over the Port of Dover.

The Local YellowHammer population has done well in terms of breeding numbers but Im yet to see a Juvenile Corn Bunting despite the good numbers of adults and singing birds throughout the year, I may not be looking hard enough at them but I’ve picked them up easily enough here in the past.

A days work up in London gave me a chance to pop in on one of my old Gull spots; Erith pier which held 2 smart Juv Yellow–Legged Gulls among the throng of tatty larids.

Another late start ended well down here; A North Westerly wind met me as I made for the highest point on Foxhill down and not soon after, at 8.38 am, I picked up a large bird coming my way. As soon as it was in the bins I could see it was the Black Stork that has been seen in a few sites recently in East Kent.

Im pretty sure its a browner headed bird than Rich B and I had in early June which was an immaculate adult. Could this be the bird that was in the west country at that time? Some forensics are probably necessary to be sure.

The bird basically flew past me at some distance East to West, I put the news out and Ian R connected with it near Folkestone but not before It spent some time above the port of Dover and the town itself, gaining and loosing height and at one point I thought it was heading out to sea but eventually carried on in a westerly direction.

In other news my first Yellow Wagtail since may flew west as did c30 Swallows over the course of the morning, Colin J had a Cuckoo at the lighthouse, and i’d forgotten to mention that Mark and Lucy L have had a pair of Turtle Doves visiting their feeders on lighthouse down recently. As I got back to the house, a Whimbrel flew high and west calling.

Also of note; I had a smart Dark Green Fritillary on my walk up the path to the cliffs, possibly the one I saw in my garden a couple of days ago and apparently a good record in this part of Kent.

Things have been quiet lately and I’ve been busy working on the house but a circuit of the headland first thing today resulted in me being at almost the right place at the right time when a Honey Buzzard flew East over reach road just before 11 am.

Viewed from the track just west of the farm i got these distant and heat hazey shots but clear enough to enjoy through the bins, I lost a little time by sprinting to try and get ahead of it but it changed course and headed inland. An unpaired adult roaming around? or failed breeder heading off early? who knows but if I’d have been stood at the pull-in on reach road at that time you’d be looking at face melting photos of it thats for sure!

Other birds of note have been one or two Juv Yellow–Legged Gulls that have joined the masses at the eastern entrance of the port. Ive seen more than one each time I’ve looked there but unfortunately Ive not been able to coax any in to my gull spot yet so views remain distant so heres a nice Juv YLG that Laurence P and I had on the 4th of July near him at West-rise in Sussex. Their arrival is a much anticipated event for some of us!

Non-avian highlights recently have been local Glow worms, a few moths and butterflies in the garden including Dark Green Fritillary, Humming Hawk and Privet Hawk aswell as many Marbled whites and the ubiquitous Wall lizards!

The winds have been predominantly in the North East for the past few days and today didn’t really look like a day to be rushing up onto the headland for 5am. A later start and a saunter took an exciting turn when a female Red-backed Shrike hopped up onto a hawthorn and perched in front of me as I walked East under the Radar station this am.

I enjoyed good views and watched/photographed it on and off over the period of an hour, during which time it disappeared regularly only to pop up near the place I originally found it. It endured some mobbing from a Chaffinch and local Whitethroats brielfy.

The last time I saw the bird it had begun to fly between the upper and lower level above Langdon hole and the under-cliff and I lost track of it.

Not much else bird-wise to remark upon: c18 Swallows moved East, the Stonechat family in Fan bay were notable and the Peregrine nest that Ive been watching has fledged 2 of the 3 chicks already. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth and a Slow worm were noted aswell as many Common Spotted, Fragrant and the below Bee Orchid

June continues to be good!