PERDIX BIRDER

Met office and Ventusky had different ideas about today but the actual weather was a light South Easterly. At first I thought perhaps too light but I was wrong.

Another 2 Honey Buzzards arrived off the sea over the Eastern docks. The first a male at around midday.

The bird came right over head and continued inland towards the castle. Circling over broadlees bottom and giving lovely views.

Buoyed by this and knowing that if theres one there can be more – I was busy scanning for the next 20 minutes and picked up a HB coming in from way beyond the harbour break water. I absolutely love viewing them like this, over the channel, entering harbour airspace and gaining height before giving a fly past.

A pale female, flew straight for the castle and got buzzed by one of the Peregrines, it turned back and gave nice views whilst circling over the A2. Then carried on North as they often do.

That puts me on 6 for the year, slightly behind last years total by now . The reason for this is the lack of suitable days with Southerly winds, hoping for more! Colin also had a Honey Buzzard fly NW at South Foreland.

Other notables recently have been the odd Yellow Wagtail, small numbers of Sand Martins departing and a Cuckoo.

The morning’s forecast was not one that I had pegged to spend looking out to sea for Raptors but by mid morning it was apparent that the forecasted light Sw winds here in Dover were in fact coming from the South East and the yellow haze of fumes hung between here and the continent suggesting they were the same winds across the channel plus pretty good visability – ‘HB weather’.

I’d been busy first thing but was up the cliffs by 11.30 looking out South over the Eastern docks and at 12.55 picked up a Honey buzzard fairly low coming over the Eastern arm of the harbour directly towards me.

A direct hit; it flew right above where I stood and gave great views as it continued NW towards the castle and beyond. A typical line of arrival here. The harsh back lighting can sometimes make sexing tricky and I took the bird to be a female at the time however the photos suggest a male with dipped in ink primary tips, grey face and clean secondaries.

17 minutes later and an dark obvious female HB came in on a similar line, only a little higher.

I remained in place till 15.30 with no other raptor arrivals. Ive earmarked tomorrow and Tuesday as potential days for more of the same. lets see!

A light Northerly turning Westerly mid morning. Phil Chantler texted me at 5.55 am letting me know he’d found a Zitting Cisticola neat the monument at Bockhill, with the bird I found two years ago being a brief encounter I was keen to see it so made my way to the other side of the bay (thanks to a bit of help from Phil). Before long I heard and saw it well alongside Tony Morris, Jack Chantler and Nigel Jarman.

It went missing and we could not re locate it before leaving and as I type this hasnt been seen again. Whilst we were standing there I picked up a couple of Bee eater calls from an unseen bird. Nige heard the last of these too but none of us could locate it.

So that concludes spring for me. I travel to Switzerland this afternoon for 2 weeks work and will be back after summer solstice, hoping for southerly weather and HBs arriving.

Corn buntings seem to have taken a bit of a hit this year, hopefully not too hard.

Despite the forecast, the early morning was relatively birdable; the South Westerlies were fairly light and a sunny day unfolded as I walked up the cliff path from home. My journey to the South Foreland was cut short but a stroke of luck when raising my bins to look at movement in an isolated hawthorn at Langdon hole. I was confronted with great views of a Greenish warbler, feeding busily lowdown in the bush.

After a few seconds, the bird flitted to the opposite side of the cover and I moved round quickly to see it nicely in good light, often partially hidden but unhindered by my presence.

I had to leave it twice in order to get signal to put out the news, but upon returning it was still in the same spot.

It called only once during this time, after catching an insect, a standard Greenish type ‘tiz-lik’ and didn’t sing at all. Not really how I’ve imagined finding one in spring here. Viewing the bird was really quite easy going and I was sure people would connect, Ian Searle arrived and promptly saw the bird but it became elusive for the next arrivals. I saw it again 25 minutes later in it’s original Hawthorn, but lost it whilst putting that news out and despite a good few people looking it wasn’t seen until Phil C and I returned early evening and had it in the original spot again.

A text from Shane Vale letting me know he’d had a Black Kite over Dover Castle had me cursing the position I’d taken up over looking the South Foreland valley at the other end of the patch that morning. I, however, had a hunch that the bird would fly into the NE wind and therefore I had a good chance of seeing it. Nearly 40 minutes later, after a few Red Kites came my way the Black Kite appeared over Top wood and flew across the horizon towards Bockhill.

Never very close but almost constantly on show for about an hour as it moved NE then came back my way, then out to sea and back NE again, only to appear with Red kites over the valley (above). Lots of birders connected with it from locations across SE Kent which is nice.

The following day Kites continued to bottleneck in East kent with high counts of around 130 Red kites (from other observers, but no Black Kites seen)

The week ahead looks like a dull, wet and blustery SW situation, not what we want early June.

Baking hot days at the end of May, very light winds and a high pressure over the close continent and most of the UK. An almost undetectable Easterly on the 25th and seemingly quiet at first, a handful of Swallows, a Swift, an out of place singing Reed warbler but then a familiar call over the harbour field and Rich and I picked up a Red–rumped Swallow, fairly high and moving quite slowly for this species here at the coast. It was the wrong side of the light for great views but Rich managed the below record shot, my camera was packed away in my bag. My fourth here and equally as brief as the others.

After this we looked for in coming raptors which amounted to 2 Marsh Harriers and a Hobby.

Today (the 26th) A similarly hot day with few migrants but saved by a singing Quail just above Fan Bay, It sang only twice whilst Rich and I stood there for 15 minutes or so. Jason M had a purring Turtle dove in the valley.

I was away for Saturday and Sunday this weekend and missed a singing Golden Oriole in Top wood (RB) on Sat whilst next door had another Bee eater the same day and Russ had a male Honey Buzzard over the valley on the Sunday.. Its a great time of year!

Perfect and long awaited light South Easterly winds today. Very little moving over head bar some light Finch movement first thing.

At 09.15 I picked up at Honey Buzzard over the sea coming in towards the Eastern docks, I stood at the West end of Langdon on the tramway and did my usual trick of legging it to where I think it will arrive which did some good but views were still fairly distant.

A fairly standard arrival here without the close views or chasing from gulls that make them more memorable. Peter Erdmans also had a nice male HB arrive at Langdon and one came in at Abbots cliff too, so a good day for channel crossing as expected. I’m away over the bank holiday weekend, I may live to regret it, but good luck to all who get out!

Not the first time these two species have featured together in a day here before nor is the first time that the 21st of May has delivered a good day here. a 5am start for Light to moderate SSW winds with a fog mid channel first thing that cleared by 10am.

Nige Jarman rang me to let me know he’d just had a Bee eater low down heading SW from Bockhill, I waited on light house down for a few minutes for the imminent calls but nothing…30 minutes later I heard 10 or so Bee eater calls over the valley from a bird, by the sound of it moving west but just couldn’t get on it, it sounded quite high at this point. A Hobby flew in off at the light house at point blank, c100 hirundines and 20+ Swift also in off and straight inland rather than along the coast and 2 singing Reed warblers were noted.

I aimed to be watching for raptors over the harbour by 10 am and just before 11’o clock I picked up a Honey Buzzard over the water out to the SE of the harbour, it took a few minutes to come in high and fast due to the moderate carrying wind. Its trajectory was slightly too far NE for a direct hit and came in over Langdon hole, circled over the Coast guard and headed inland.

Other notables since my last post are a Turtle dove over the valley on the 19th, 3 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Arctic Skuas and a Shag from the Bay on the 20th.

Daily coverage but still nothing to write home about. Cool Northerly winds dominate and it generally feels like early spring rather than mid May. Notable birds since last posting have been a Common Crane on the 11th, picked up by Nige Jarman coming in over the cliffs at the monument, I saw it fly over st Maragrets and continue West. The same day I had 3 Willow Warblers in Langdon hole, A Hobby and a Marsh Harrier flew in off the sea on the 12th, a Merlin did the same at dawn today (16th) and was briefly chased by a Peregrine.

A large number of Gulls were on Shakey beach midweek, seemingly feeding on sprats/mackerel and loafing on the beach. Amoung them was this beautiful Razorbill which hauled out onto the shingle and allowed some close views, its not every day you see an auk’s iris in south east Kent. A Grey Plover also joined the gulls on the beach and a 2cy Shag was fishing under Shakey Cliff.

Some promise at the end of next week in the form of warm continental air, fingers crossed.

A brief update since my last local blog post – Due to persitent NE winds, clear skies and very little rain highlights have been few and far between despite almost daily coverage: A Red–necked Grebe flew close in from the bay on the 28th of April, briefly alighting on the sea before continuing down channel. 4 Bonxies, 3 Arctic and a Pomarine Skua are my best from multiple sea watches from the Bay plus 2 Poms from Folkestone Harbour arm, a Great White Egret flew down the valley on the 27th a Single Hobby on the 22nd, a Ring Ouzel on the 25th and the odd Willow Warbler and Wheatear are perhaps the only notable grounded passerines I can think of.

The lightest North Easterly wind that Ive been in up here in weeks but still a chilly brisk wind. Very little to look at in the bushes bar a Whinchat mid afternoon near the lighthouse, a scarce bird in Spring here.

c50 swallows, 2 House Martin and 4 Swift moved NE overhead, as did 2 Red Kites. Noteable butterflies so far this spring have been lots of Dingy Skippers and 2 Green Hairstreaks today.

Tomorrow looks like my first South Easterly winds of the spring so i’ll be out all day, lets see what good that does me!