PERDIX BIRDER

A quick break from fitting our new kitchen to go and have a look for a Snow Bunting that Mark K had seen up between Langdon and Fan bay. It didn’t take much looking for as it flew up from the tarmac track in front of someone jogging towards me and landed on the track to the farm, a nice male.

Both myself and the bird were being blown about by the 50 mph SSW gusts, but the typically tame snow bunting was easy enough to get ahead of and wait for it to move towards me. Even non-birding ‘passers by’ mentioned seeing it to me : ‘a little brown and white bird walking around by our feet’. I watched the bird from the relative shelter of lying on my belly, despite having had my fill of these kind of views on Scilly last week; this was a welcomed new bird for the me here on the patch.

Little else of note other than a Firecrest in the sheltered end of the Valley.

After 5 and a half weeks I finally got home last night. Scillies was quiet but there were some brilliant moments. Warm sunshine and light SSW winds greeted me on my walk up the cliff this am. A two Hour walk from Langdon Hole to South Foreland and back chalked up 25 Tree Sparrows, 13 over west (groups of 9 and 4) and 12 in the stubble fields up top, hopefully they’ll winter again.

2 Brambling, c20 Siskin, 4 Swallow and 3 House Martin also flew west, 2 Blackcap were in the valley as were about 5 Jays. 3 Reed Buntings were noted and a 2cy male Marsh Harrier flew south over the Port and out to sea.

Good to be back.

A very light Sw and a warm sunny day. Another good day for Chiffchaff numbers, A single Willow ,1 Common Redstart, 2 Black red, 1 Tree pipit over East, a few Yellow Wags , 4 Whinchat, Reed bunting, 2 Wheatear and the highlight was 6 Tree sparrow, (2 over west at the lighthouse and 4 together dropped into bushes on lighthouse down 30 mins later)

A Green sandpiper (2nd of the autumn) flew over west y’day morning and was the only thing of note for me.

I am away with work for the next 12 days and following that I will be on St Agnes , Scilly for the following 3.5 weeks so no birding here till 26th Oct… Bit worried about what i’ll miss!

Light Easterlies, a clear blue sky first thing and a similar situation to yesterday although less birds. A lone Crossbill (my first since June) flew west over Foxhill down calling as did 2 Grey Wagtails and 3 Wheatears were present in the harbour field. The bushes in Langdon Hole were fairly empty beyond a few Lesser Whitethroat and Chiffies and today was my first day since early August not seeing a Whinchat. A lunch time skywatch produced 3 Golden Plovers, (2 landed in the ‘castle field’ and a single flew right over my head at Reach road.)

A Light WNW wind and a sunny start to the day, a noticeable increase in Chiffchaff with over 25 birds seen and only 1 Willow Warbler noted, A single Common Redstart, 6 juv Black Redstart, 3 Grey Wagtail, 4 Sparrowhawk, c100 Swallow and 25 House Martins West along with around 30 Meadow Pipits. 5 Whinchats were still around the farm and I counted 5 Wheatear and 15 Yellow wags across the patch. A call from Nigel J letting me know that a White stork was heading my way was appreciated although it seems the bird diverted west away from me. Later it seems the entire flock of Knepp birds decided to get up and fly around the Dungeness area, I was in place waiting for them to fly over but they never came.

This smart adult Hobby was my bird of the day, It had 3 unsuccessful attempts at the goldfinch flock on Foxhill down before continuing East in the afternoon light.

Light Easterlies tomorrow…

Despite some switches in the wind over the past few days the numbers of migrants have fallen considerably on the headland, probably been abit too dry and clear at night. A notable clear out on the night of the 7th, the following day all that remained was a single Common Redstart and single Pied Flycatcher at the top of the Valley.

Having said this things like Chiffchaff have begun to grow in numbers, outnumbering Willows this am. Grey Wagtails have been notable migrants most days this month, as have Sparrowhawks and Ive also had a singles and a group of 3 Snipe fly east yesterday.

Occasionally a group of House martins or Swallows will go through and this morning there were 2 Hobbys hunting near fan bay, the only other thing of note for me were 2 Willow warblers, 10 Yellow wagtail west and 4 Whinchat. Mark ringed a Grasshopper warbler on the farm. Lesser and Common Whitethroats are still the most numerous warblers I think.

Warm, light Easterly wind and bright sunshine today. A similar set of birds to the past week including 3 Common Redstart, 3 Black Redstart, 5 Willow, Single Reed and Sedge, Still good numbers of both Whitethroats, 30+ Yellow Wagtails, 6 Whinchats. Both Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, a Tree pipit on the deck was entertaining in the grass and bushes around the ‘pony Corrall’ at Langdon. Still no Wryneck!

From about 11.30 onwards I could see large numbers of small gulls feeding over the Western end of the patch,On approaching I noticed they were mainly Mediterranean Gulls , with some Black Headed too and perhaps 600-800 in number at times, all feeding on flying red ants. Quite the spectacle. The harbour was also rammed with Med gulls this evening as we went for our swim.

High pressure and a cloudless sky produced many Honey Buzzard sightings across the South East today, 11.50 am and minutes after receiving a text from Laurence P at Beachy Head declaring his finding of a nice male, I too was looking at a HB (female) cruising East over the Castle, continuing over the Radar Station and lost to sight . My third of the year.

Simon P tweeted a HB flying North over the Lighthouse 10 mins before my sighting 4km to the west, likely the same bird i guess.

I visited the headland 3 times today, early am, mid morning and early evening and counted 3 Common Redstart, 4 Willows, A single Pied Fly, plus 2 Hobbys and a few Swift among c300 Swallows East. A Green sandpiper (patch tick!)flew over calling first thing and there are many Yellow wags in with the cattle still.Glad to have the sun back.

The wind remains fairly strong and from the North east. Unbelievably there have been 5 Wrynecks (or up to 5 different birds) between South foreland valley and Langdon hole in the past week, none of which have I found or seen even!

Nevertheless, Ive been seeing migrants out and about each morning with fairly stable numbers although this morning seemed abit birdier with the first bird I put my bins on being a juv Black Redstart on the cliff above my house as I walked up.

Today’s totals for me – Up to 4 Pied Flycatchers between Langdon and the valley, (2 at each end), Spot fly, Grasshopper Warbler (my first and only of the autumn!), 2 Tree Pipit East, 6 Yellow Wag, 4 Common Redstart, 2 Black Red, 5 Whinchat, 4 Wheatear, only 3 Willow warblers, many lesser and c’mon whitethroat, Grey Partridge, 1cy YLG east.

The above Gropper was flushed from grass on the farm today and waited patiently while I watched it. as I moved away it went back to the same spot, nice birds and not often I get to look at them.

Steve C & Julian R were out and about and could add Firecrest and Garden Warbler to the tally, as was Colin J who had Pied and spot flycatchers at Top wood.

I spent a couple hours skywatching y’day and had Hobby and 2 Swift plus Local Buzzards but nothing else. Waiting for the promising weather of next week before it goes SW…

The past 4 days have been fairly similar to one another, with the exception of the 23rd where some strong NE winds heeded some wader movement it seems – Greenshank, Ringed plover, Dunlin and Golden Plover were all heard and or seen flying over the headland.

Since then too an arrival of Whinchats has been noted, A single Spotted Flycatcher has been in a similar place near the radar station for a couple of visits, One or two Wheatears around, the juvenile Black Redstart party of 8 has been frequenting the lower cliff path at Langdon, Im bumping into 2/3 Common Redstarts (including the below bird just near my house) most visits Yellow wagtails are moving in all directions in small groups and Willow Warbler numbers seem pretty high; 15 – 20 ish.

Today I joined Rich B around lunch time, on my way up the cliff path I had a Cuckoo fly west, heading into cover near the castle.

Rich had seen a Pied Flycatcher, Tree pipit 6 Whinchats et al and we bumped into two Pied Flys during our walk together, likely the same plus another.

A Wryneck was seen in Fan bay on the 25th, I regretfully chose the farm over fan bay that morning!

Good numbers of common and lesser Whitethroats, singles of Reed, sedge and Garden warblers also noted.