Author: Jamie Partridge

A quiet week on the patch, despite daily coverage, very little seen beyond Ring Ouzels (5 on the 19th), at least one Brambling per morning, Chaffinches, Siskins and Redpoll moving and varying numbers of hirundines with c300 today mostly Swallow but a few House martin mixed in.

A Short eared Owl flushed from Foxhill down early on the 23rd, Chris C had a Hen Harrier on the 22nd and Ive had 2 Woodcock explode out of Top wood recently.

Goldcrest numbers seem to be up and high count of 7 Firecrest today. A lone Lapwing flew SW and Stonechat numbers are down plus no sign of the Dartford.

A change is due.

Back from 2 and a half weeks on st Agnes, Ilses of Scilly. With no real American Weather during my stay it didn’t really happen but some great birds seen and found and incredible moments so a brief post on that should follow.

In my absence I missed a few Yellow-Browed Warblers (RB, PM) and a really gripping Red-breasted Flycatcher found by Colin and Kevin Johnson in Top wood on the 5th October, a bird I’ve really wanted to see here and seems so hard to find in Kent! Photos by Nige Jarman below.

Straight up the cliffs this morning, to a warm and very light SW breeze. 3 Ring Ouzels between Foxhill down and Langdon Hole, 10 Chiff, 8 Reed bunting, 4 Firecrest, 20+ Goldcrest, 6 Siskins and 1 Redpoll over N, 8 Swallows flew SW, a Woodcock flushed out of Top wood. Stonechats are in good numbers with perhaps 19 around the lighthouse and with them was a showy Dartford Warbler, which was first seen last sunday by MH.

Happy to be home, lots to look for and lots of time to do so.

Since the Barred warbler on Monday each day this week has been a similar story; Moderate NE winds with Hirundines and Chiffchaffs dominating numbers, notable numbers of Meadow pipits and smaller still numbers of Wagtails (yellow, grey and alba) Crests and Whinchats etc. Ive noticed more Song thrushes, seen my first Redwing breifly and noticed a some very grey Robins.

Today – a little spike in activity with a slight change in Wind direction from NE to straight Easterly, which doesnt always work here. However it was the best day for hirundines yet this autumn with over 5,000, mostly Swallow North until midday or so when birds began flying South West – so hard to count! House martins around a third of the number and probably sub 100 Sand martin.

c500 Meadow Pipit, 6 Tree pipit, 10 Yellow Wag, my first Brambling and Siskins of the autumn, 5 Whinchat, 11 Wheatear, 2 Spotted Flycatcher in the wood, 3 Firecrest c90 Chiffchaff 2 Whitethroat, single lesser whitethroat a Reed warbler and 6 Reed Buntings plus a juv Cuckoo and juv Hobby.

Waders heard include Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher and Dunlin.

A wet day tomorrow and Yellow-broweds in Kent already, I’ll be out for certain!

The first day of light Northerlies after two days of SW airflow and the best day of the autumn so far for hirundines with c3500 along the cliffs early on. Very difficult to count as 100’s were out over the channel too so a conservative count of mostly House martin but 100’s of Sand matin and Swallow mixed in. In addition to a common Swift, Firecrest, 2 Tree pipits, 3 whinchat, a juv Cuckoo and the first Reed Bunting of the autumn over Fan bay.

The bird of the day however was found with a stroke of luck as I walked home along a path I very rarely use. Just above the harbour at the western end of Langdon cliffs I noticed some activity in a flowering Ivy, a Lesser whitethroat and Reed warbler were catching insects when I saw the back end of larger pale bird with marked under-tail coverts disappearing into the Ivy and Hawthorn cover. It clumsily moved about and sat just obscured but I could see well enough that it was a Barred warbler! Not an easy find on the mainland.

A moment later it was chasing/being chased by a Blackcap and suddenly hopped out onto the front of the bush and gave exellent views.

After this I saw it once again briefly but it didnt show again. Ive found a few on Shetland previously and seen a few down south but very happy to find one on the patch, another decent day here on light North winds.

Back from 10 days working in South Korea to a September chill in the air and a moderate NW wind. Yesterday’s walk up the cliff was fairly unremarkable beyond a Juv Cuckoo, Hobby, Yellow Wag & Tree pipit, a handful of willow warblers and c20 Chiffchiff the best thing however was over 1,000 House martins moving SW along the cliffs. Numbers of House Martin today were higher and an estimate of 1900 moved again SW with over 400 feeding along the undercliff a Langdon, with 2 Sand martin and perhaps 50 Swallow aswell as a common swift.

2 Spotted Flycathers between Langdon and Fan bay 3 Whinchat in the fennel field and more willow warblers than the previous day but the morning’s highlight flew up onto the top of a hawthorn in the bottom of fan bay – a Wryneck.

It flew to some of the isolated bushes on the eastern slope of Fan bay before diving into the grass – there are many anthills hidden in the long grass between Fan bay and the lighthouse.

A few locals came and connected with it which is unusual for anything I come across here!

Warm SE winds but a disapointing start in the bushes which seemed relativly quiet. I eventually came across a pocket of activity in the enclousure, South Foreland: 2 Pied Flycatchers, 5 Spotted Flyctchers a handful of Willow Warbler.

Yellow Wagtails and hirundines were moving as were the first numbers of Swifts Ive seen for a week or two. Green Sandpiper and Ringed Plover also heard overhead but there seemed a distanct lack of Raptors. A kettle of Common Buzzards moved West just inland of Fan Bay but the highlight of the day was picked up over the water just off langdon hole as I walked home.

A pale juvenile Honey Buzzard was arriving at Langdon hole as HBs do in the spring and summer. The bird circled a few times over the cliffs and moved West inland as they all do when arriving on this line.

Thrilling! but doesnt qite compete with LP’s 8 East over Beachy head today. Presumably either a continental bird or a bird heading south turning back and coming back in.

Another Pied Flycatcher was in the dead ash tree on Foxhill down en route home.

While driving home from a fruitless Gull session I made an emergency stop as a flock of White Storks flew over the road between st Margarets and Swingate.

32 of them to be exact. Likely Knepp introduced birds but nethertheless I really enjoyed them. Tarifa eat yer heart out.

Yesterdays birding was highlighted by single Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Whinchat, c20 Willow Warblers, 3 Wheatear, 2 Tree pipit and a small group of 5 or so Yellow Wagtails in with the cattle.

Finally some Gull action. Its been reasonably quiet along the coast for Yellow–legged and Caspian Gulls so far this autumn although Gerald S saw a juv Casp at Deal beach on the 22nd, my reglar attempts have held one or two YLG at best until today.

Heres the first of 2 juvs today, a Dutch ringed bird from Lelystad in the Netherlands which is the colony where good old Mars Muusse is the co-ordinator (and generous host to me on 2 visits.)

Here he is as a pullus, ringed by Mars and the team at the colony in Lelystad, NL.

The second Casp arrived from the horizon as I threw my last piece of bread, less advanced, less clean and silvery but a nicer shaped bird to my eye.

At last some action in the bushes. A text from Steve R that he had a Pied flycatcher in Fan bay encouraged me out of my late start/hang over situation and up the cliffs, where 3 Pied flys were flitting around in the dead Ash at Langdon, along with a Spotted Flycatcher.

Not much else to report other than an interesting high count of 10 Ravens appearing to arrive high in off the sea, another 3 did the same thing half an hour later.

Light SW, overcast but warm – A quick dash around Fox hill down (in the hope of a Pied fly) on the afternoon of the 14th took a nice turn when the gulls alerted me to a female Honey Buzzard, powering in over the eastern docks and heading for the Castle (15.35)

Continuing West after abit of circling and lost to view. This bird followed the same line as many I have seen arriving at Langdon , though of course more likely at this time of year could be following the coast rather than ‘in off the sea…(?) The same scenario happened on the 10th August last year in light SE winds.

Im yet to beat my (conservative) high count of 40 Willow warblers on the 11th and also yet to see anything more excting in the bushes but I’m still half in ‘Inland HB mode’ so not firing on full cylinders at the coast currently, if thats an excuse!