PERDIX BIRDER

A quieter couple of days for me here but the addition of Willow Warblers (5) and Sand martin on the 15th was later than expected but still nice. common Whitethroats seemed in to have arrived in numbers throughout the patch now and the local Swallows appear to be back in business.

Single Yellow wagtails are being seen flying in off the sea as too are the occasional White Wagtail, however a flock of 4 of the latter kindly alighted on the recently ploughed field just east of Langdon hole for me on the 15th.

Phil S kindly let me know the whereabouts of 2 flowering Early Spider Orchids which I went to have a look for and eventually came across 3 of them. fantastic things.

I spent much of today working out in the garden and the gulls kindly let me know when any Buzzards passed too low for their liking including this pale bird that I’ve not seen locally before. The Peregrines went absolutely ballistic and almost killed it before it moved on.

Another morning of light southerlies, and a sea mist had rolled in and covered the entire channel by the time I was climbing the cliff path.

I cursed it for having formed slightly too late to drop many migrants in, but as I walked through Langdon I heard my first Common Whitethroats of the year followed by 4 Wheatears and 5 Swallows between Foxhill down and the recently ploughed fields up top.

Another first of the year in the form of a female Common Redstart, in the old light house garden but the star of the morning was found 500 metres East, on the path in front of me as I walked over Lighthouse down: A Hoopoe!

It was in the worst spot for phone signal and had to leave it whilst trying to put out the news, but within 30 minutes or so a few birders arrived and eventually everyone saw it. Nice to see all the locals today!

I went back for seconds in the afternoon and saw it several times feeding in the same spot I’d found it in earlier.

Other firsts for the year were a Yellow Wagtail in off and over light house down and a House martin over the top wood.

Below: Russ Blackman’s Pic of the Hoops flying infront of the old light house.

Back home and keen to get up the cliffs, today’s warm southerly wind promised more than it delivered but I was very happy to see my first sub-saharan migrants in the form of 2 Wheatears sat on a feed trough in fields off Reach road.

3 Swallows were also counted whilst out including one joyously singing high over Langdon hole flying west.

6 Chiffchaff, 12 Blackcap (also my first heard singing this year) and numbers of other breeders like Linnet, Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer seem up to last years numbers.

A Black Redstart was heard singing and a female was noted elsewhere whilst a male Brambling and 6 Siskin flew over the valley. I Look forward to striking other common migrants off the year list this week hopefully.

The past couple of days have seen good numbers of Black Redstart coming through with a high count on friday of 11 for me (13 for others out on the headland) Thursday was also good for the species with 8/9 Birds seen including 4 males, 2 of which were locked in combat at one point.

Still no trans Saharan migrants for me! and all too late to see one in march as I make my way up to the highlands of Scotland on Sunday for 10 or so days surveying.

A light SSE breeze met me as I climbed the cliff path first thing and my walk Eastwards was punctuated by 3 Black Redstart and a Woodcock in Langdon Hole.

2 White Wagtails flew along the cliffs east of Fan bay but the highlight of the day was a singing Serin in the old light house garden just after 9am.

Unfortunately it was into the light and hard to pin down but it was a joy to hear fully singing initially alongside Goldfinches and then solo. A few of its distinctive calls were heard as it moved further away to the limit of my hearing, where it gave a final few bursts of its high pitched squeezed-out song, I didnt hear it again after that. Bizarrely it was 150 metres from where the other 2 Serin I have seen on the headland have been.

Further searching for the Serin led me along lighthouse down where a Woodlark flew over Colin J and I calling at Height and to the North East , my second of the spring. Up to 4 Brambling including a nice male calling from a corn bunting style perch (one of last yea’s umbellifers) in the middle of a field. Also 4 Red Kites came south over the valley, these were seen again over the farm half an hour later, then another 2 came in low above the cliffs as I traipsed back home.

I keep forgetting to mention I had 2 Bottle–nosed dolphins from the headland last week, the only other Cetaceans Ive seen here being harbour porpoise.

A light NE wind, bright sunshine and a great morning for Chaffinch movement locally.

3,470 ENE from the top of Harbour field, Langdon cliffs area. Plus 18 Brambling, 250 Siskin, single Crossbill + Greenfinch+ White Wagtail. Whilst 3 Red Kites, 2 Black Redstart and a single Firecrest were noted during the morning.

The previous day was another bright warm day with winds from my usual favourite direction here (NW) but little migration was noted although siskin and chaffinch were heard high up throughout the morning. I spent some time looking at common birds in nice light. The below Jay was one of 5 on lighthouse down where a singing Firecrest and female Black Redstart remained.

An eerie glow in the air today with the Saharan Dust cloud having an effect on visibility but it didn’t stop some 900 Chaffinches, 260 Siskin, 9 Brambling and up to 300 Redwing moving. From first thing till around 9am all finch and thrush movement was in a steady NE direction, some higher than usual. After this point birds were coming in high off the sea and circling, some flocks in off and straight west , others due North, they were all over the place which made counting harder.

A Red Kite flew West over Reach road, a single Black Redstart was on Lighthouse down, where a Grey Wagtail flew west. 3 Firecrests were vocal in Langdon hole, c200 Brent Geese in 3 flocks were fairly close in flying North East and a flock of 15 Greylags flew West as I walked East from Fan Bay and a smart first winter Caspian Gull flew towards the port as I walked back.

On the 15th of March 1969 an Alpine Swift was found over Dover town. This is my number one top of my list ‘Bird to find’ here this spring but unfortunately it wasn’t to be repeated today…

The highlight of the mild and still morning was a Woodlark that fluted its way East near the Radar station first thing. Best of my poor pics below.

A conservative count of 870 Chaffinches flew North East between 06.45 and about 9am. Much higher and about 200m further in land than last weeks larger numbers, c150 Siskin also took a similar line though a flock of 25 of these charming little finches came through at head height and flew right past me which was nice.

2 Brambling (one of which was perched up calling in Langdon hole early on) 2 Black Redstart (including a killer male) and 2 White wagtails (along the cliff tops at eye level) 2 Firecrest and 2 Red Kite were also noted , as was a Kettle of 11 Common Buzzards including the pale bird which ive seen a couple times recently. The lonely Treecreeper was still singing in middle wood.

Sea watching on windier days (yesterday and sunday) produced a number of Brent Geese at slightly closer range with the Easterly element to the wind. 5 Drake Eider and a 1st Winter Caspian Gull were nice and a handful of Common scoter plus 20+ Red throated Divers.

The southerly wind continues with varying strengths over the past 3 days. The 10th was a calm warm morning with 2 Marsh Harriers and 3 Red Kites the highlights of my walk around the patch. All 3 Kites and one of the Marsh Harriers headed South and out to sea bizarrely. I wish I understood why!

3 Brimstones, a Comma,3 Peacocks and a few Whites were also taking advantage of the mild and still weather as were the local Wall Lizard population.

3 White Wagtails along the cliffs, c50 Siskin a single Greenfinch, c100 Chaffinch, single Brambling and a Black Redstart were noted on the 11th aswell as a jump in Stonechat numbers (7) and some continental looking males while this morning’s efforts were aimed at the Sea where c750 Brent Geese were counted between 7am and 9ish. flying East some at great distance and others abit closer. 26 Red–throated divers also East.

One of the closer flocks contained a lone Pale–Bellied Brent bringing up the rear. A bird was reported from Reculver later in the day. I wonder if it could be the same bird?

The winds dropped mid afternoon and I broke from working on the house to check the headland quickly for a Wheatear. Alas it was not to be but 2 Firecrests on Foxhill down and a pocket of 3 ChiffChaffs along the fence on Reach Road were welcomed migrants to look at.

A strong SSE breeze met me as I climbed the cliff path early doors and as I reached Langdon cliffs I realised a semi-shift in the seasons had occurred : the headland was full of birdsong. Yellowhammers were dotted about singing away (after not seeing one for over a month!) As were up to 10 Corn Buntings. Linnets seemed to have arrived overnight and were muttering to each other in flocks aswell as fully singing in a couple of places. Meadow Pipits song flighting along the cliffs, joining the already enthusiastic Skylarks, It sounded great.

A Snow bunting was heard overhead as I walked along Reach road which appeared a few minutes later on the fenceline near the old Airstrip so presumably the wintering bird which I havent seen for a while.

A Brambling flew over Langdon Hole in circles calling but other than 2 Redpoll East there was little other Finch movement. The herd of cattle on the cliffs near the lighthouse did exactly what I had hoped for in attracting migrant insectivores in the form of 2 White Wagtails. Hopefully more of that kind of thing as spring progresses.

A single Chiffchaff was noted in top wood and in lower wood a Eurasian Treecreeper was singing. 3 Firecrest and a Coal tit were also counted here.

Whislt chatting to Lucy L near her home we picked up a Red kite low over the old windmill garden, then another 2 very high with a Common Buzzard heading Northish. A quick scan of the sea got me a nice flock of 50 or so Brent Geese east aswell as many Great crested Grebes and 2 Red throated Divers on the water near Fan Bay.

A trip to the timber merchants in Deal was interrupted by a Text from Gerald S letting me know of a juv Glaucous Gull he had found on deal beach a few minutes away from where i was standing so I raced over and we watched it for a while before it was chased away by the local Herring gulls. Fantastic bird; my first and only White winged Gull of the winter.