Author: Jamie Partridge

A brief post with mainly photos of a few highlights in a fairly quiet year on st Agnes. With no Americans during our October stay is wasn’t a ‘vintage’ year but I did find Olive backed pipit on the 10th,which something Ive been trying to do there for a while.

It later transpired that there were 2 birds together which both showed fantastically well in the long grass near the Bulb dump for a few days.

With it being a quiet year across the islands they were popular! Below is one of Lee Amery’s excellent photos.

Laurence and I found this Richard’s pipit together on Gugh on the 11th –

Other finds from our house included a Red Breasted flycatcher, Multiple Dotterel, including single flyovers and 2 grounded birds, Wrynecks, a Quail flushed from the edge of Wingletang, a Barred Warbler that Jack and I had in Barnaby cottage garden and Laurence found a male Bluethroat on Gugh.

A Scilly Pelagics trip was too much to resist with unparalelled views of 100’s of large Shearwaters still in the area during these dates, plus nice views of euro stormies. Seawatching from horse point too was great.

Back with a bump from my annual work trip to Miami, trading 15 species of American Warbler, Black Skimmers, Royal Terns and Frigatebirds for the grey skies of Dover. Sadly I found this dead little Auk in the Harbour after 30 mins of looking for a live one which has been released earlier that day after turning up at the door of the Curiosity shop on Snargate steet. Perhaps (and hopefully) not the same individual as the released bird seemed healthy apparently.

A walk around the valley this morning was highlighted by a flyover Hawfinch, several Firecrests 2 Chiffchaff and a Blackcap also noted.

Looping back around the headland and walking the cliff path I picked up an incoming Snowbunting which flew NE along the cliff tops at height and calling.

The afternoon involved a check of the harbour where a single 1st Winter Caspian Gull was in the marina and an adult male Black Redstart in a spot I know.

Gulls and seawatching from now on for a while I should think.

50 mph SSW winds and a disappointing seawatch was abandoned after 2 hours. During the drive home I noticed a large day roost of gulls in an unusual spot on on the castle field, just behind the radar station. Pulling over for a quick scan I noted many argentatus Herring Gulls and this smart adult Caspian Gull at the front of the flock.

A morning spent throwing bread with BR & JC in st Margaret’s bay on the 26th was highlighed by a 1st winter Caspian Gull (below) and 2 Yellow–legged gulls (1st and 2nd winters)

Storm Bert brought strong winds to the Channel and a decent seawatch for us in the bay on the 23rd. Brent Geese and Common Scoter moving down Channel close in.

Notables included 2 Avocets, an adult little Gull, 7 Red–breasted Mergansers but the highlights were 3 Sooty shearwaters, all down channel and middle to close distance, pics from Gerlad S below.

a couple of checks of the harbour produced a 1st winter Caspian Gull and later on 6 Avocets among the Black headed, Kittiwakes and Med gulls on the water – not the first time ive seen them do this!

A cold front and a brisk NW wind delivered (perhaps predictably) a Snow Bunting this morning.

Found under almost the exact same circumstances as a bird I had this time last year – Picked it up flying over the highest point in the cliffs (above) and then later on in the day, during my walk home, found it feeding on the ground in almost the same spot (below) A feamle, and typically tame.

Moments before picking this bird up I heard what i thought to be a single ‘choo’ call of Lapland bunting, which upon finding this Snow bunting I took to be a mishearing of that, however Bockhill had a Lapland bunting fly north a few minutes after that which would tally well with my half hearing of a bird so perhaps thats what happened there. Little else of note bar 3 Brambling and 2 Firecrest.

Flying to India this evening for 5 days work in Jaipur, should be great.

A still, calm and bright start to the day with a light Westerly – very birdable weather. Despite a few birds on the cliff path bushes heading up the cliff – Black Redstart, Chiffchaff , Firecrest this was the only pocket of birds untill I reached the far end of South Foreland valley with almost nothing moving overhead.

A scan of a small party of Gulls at the base of the cliff beneath the lighthouse from the clifftop produced this smart subadult Caspian Gull.

Nothing to mention untill I reached the bottom of the valley where a large titflock were going through and amoung them a suprise Yellow–browed warbler. Very nice to see and my latest here.

A quick look at the gulls in the old marina and a first winter Yellow–legged Gull (first image below) plus the same aged Argentatus Herring Gull were all of note.

The first strong winds for a couple of weeks with Ventusky reporting 48 mph gusts led me to begin the day sea watching from the bay: 122 Brent geese, 21 Common Scoter, 30 Wigeon, 10 Teal, 33 Shelduck, 18 Guillemot, 5 Red–throated diver, 116 Dunlin, 25 Kittiwake and a Grey Pover all north along with over 1,000 Gannets.

A squally morning and during periods of awful visibility I enticed the Gulls with some bread and managed up to 3 x 1st winter Caspian Gulls. 2 of which stayed distant but one came in and showed brilliantly. Several Argentatus Herrings were also present.

A ringed bird from Germany – XA2L, ringed this year as a chick in the famous Gabendorfer See colony:

More to come from the gulls over winter I’m sure.

This weekend has been 2 more very still days with barely a suggestion of NW breeze but enough to bring a drop in temperature and decent passage over head early on both days.

Saturday was highlighted by 2 Hawfinch which flew out of the windmill garden calling and continued SW, other notables include Short-eared Owl which I saw over the Channel being harassed by Peregrines until it dropped below the cliffs, a very brief and skulking Lesser Whitethroat which I just couldnt get a good look at, Ring Ouzel, Black Redstart, Golden plover, 55 Lapwing, 26 Fieldfare 100+ Redwing, ocasional Redpolls and siskins and a least 15 Brambling calls (below).

Sunday promised brighter skies though started off overcast with the first notable Wood pigeon movememnt for me here with c2,000 was nice, probably 100 Stock doves within that, 3 flocks of Fieldfare totalling 120 birds moved SW, a Woodlark North, 10 Golden Plover,2 Snipe, Red Kite, at least another 10 Bramblings, 3 Chiffchaff and 5 Firecrest, 11 Swallow, 2 House martin and the highlight was this superb adult male Hen Harrier that dropped in hunting over the top fields around midday.

There are 2 Firecrests in the garden at the moment.

Ive been running ragged all over the place since getting back from Scilly hoping to bump into a Yellow–browed Warbler or two with no such joy untill this morning.

Just before the coast guard cottages on the cliff path up to Langdon I heard that perfect autumn sound, a YBW calling from just beyond the big Buddelia at the bottom of the private steps. I was able to entice some goldcrests in and it came with them showing closely but briefly at first, images are at 6400 ISO but views were great.

Its all abit too close quarters in that spot and I moved down onto the castle track where it opens up and the bird came into a sycamore and showed nicely.

It seemed to be associating with crests and a titflock and rather hastily I assumed there would be more to be seen along the rest of the patch so continued upwards leaving the bird in situ. This was not really the case although I did count probably 30 odd Goldcrest, 8-10 Firecrest and 3 Chiffchaff. A woodcock burst out of the corale area and a Ring Ouzel flew over Foxhill down.

Last Sunday the Bockhill guys had a juv Rosy Starling among a flock of European Starlings from the Monument. 5 days later and it was found in someone’s garden. Phil and I had a nice low Hawfinch whilst looking for it deep in the village. Brendan and Jack joined us and we eventually saw the Starling perched high up in a tree in the early gloom. I didn’t see it again until this afternoon when it flew on to one of the roof tops and showed nicely in better light.

Really great birds and I realised it’s the first juvenile Ive seen away from Scilly and Cornwall.

In between my two sightings of this bird I walked from the pines gardens to Langdon Hole and back and had my best day for finches and thrushes yet this autumn with c1800 Goldfinch, 350 Siskin, c50 Redpoll, 10 Brambling, 300 Redwing , 2 Ring ouzel, 15 Reed Bunting a single Swallow and 12 Stonechat. Other noatble birds were this handsome male Black Redstart a Northern Wheatear and 2 Great Egrets that flew north over the channel early on.

Little to report from previous days despite regular coverage by both myself, Rich B, the Johnsons and Steve R -3 Ring Ouzel on the 31st, a Woodlark over Foxhill down on the 27th, Goldcrest and Firecrests well represented and small numbers of migrant finches.

Despite another day of very light SE being forecast, I detected a faint Northerly as I reached the top of the cliff path this morning and things seemed as they had been for the past few days although finch passage was more notable with small parties of Brambling (6,2,4) c60 Siskin and some invisble Redpolls. Best of them though were 4 Hawfinch south West over the valley, the first ive seen this year and perhaps part of a wider movement of this species across the country at the moment?

A new Dartford warbler in Fan bay with a pair of Stonechat, a male and much more elusive than the first year bird from last week.

The highlight for me this morning though was another Short eared Owl, a different bird to earlier in the week (which was in primary moult) and appeared from out over the sea just after the rain started. It landed in one of the fields so will hopefully be around for abit.

Still no YBW or Pallas’s here despite my checking tit flocks and an increase in crests noted, Keep looking.