PERDIX BIRDER

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!

I’ve just returned from a 4 day Tarifa trip, I couldnt resist the HB’s. Some incredible moments, with over 2,000 during our first 2 days followed by counts in the hundreds thereafter, not much more to say about it than that really, here are some images.

Ventusky was forecasting light rain pre-dawn for this morning, I woke at 5am and looked outside; dry as a bone but the rain did start with the dawn. This band of rain came in from the North West and met the coast with very light WNW wind and resulted in the first ‘decent’ day for grounded migrants so far this spring here, whilst other sites in Kent also did well.

21 Willow Warblers counted between the end of my street and Light house Down. 3 Singing Lesser Whitethroats, excellent numbers of Common Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps while c40 Swallows, 4 House Martins and a Sand Martin moved North, 12 Yellow Wagtails, 3 White Wagtails were counted, 3 Red Kites, 8 Med Gulls and the bird of the day was a female Pied Flycatcher at the North end of Top wood, my first in spring here.

During the walk back home I’d noticed the winds switching to the SSE despite the forecast of light NW and spent an hour looking South from my ‘Raptors in off’ spot over the Harbour and before long I picked up 3 White Storks powering in at 13.30.

Most likely introduction birds but seeing them arrive is abit of a buzz.

Back home after a week away. Spring has marched forward in that little time and the flowering Blackthorn is starting to go over in places. Moderate Southerlies with cloud and a patch first for me as I climbed the cliff – a singing Cetti’s warbler where the A2 crosses the cliff path, which could be heard even from the western end of Foxhill down. Little else between there and Light house down where a Water pipit flew up channel.

Single figures of Yellow Wagtails over and just shy of 20 Swallows but the (unexpected) highlight of the morning was a 2nd calander year Goshawk which I picked up over the Lighthouse and Top wood.

In active flight almost entirely at first, it showed some interest in chasing corvids but carried on generally North and was lost to view.

My second here after an adult male last March. Im disappointed not to have seen where it appeared from – following the coast or indeed in off the sea but there you go. 2 Marsh Harriers Flew out to Sea in a NE direction during the morning.

Before going away (on the 10th) I had a Little–ringed Plover fly down channel (barely annual here) and a Short eared Owl flew in over the cliffs at the lighthouse, the same or another flew out to sea and disappeared shortly after.

Several stark omissions to the list of birds I’ve seen up here so far this spring, hopefully that will change in the coming week as I will be birding most days till mid june now.

Light Southeasterlies early April, I was hoping for a little more than was delivered but a pleasant morning still.

2 Willow Warblers were singing in Langdon, a trickle of Swallows throughout the morning probably 25 Birds, all seemingly in off the sea, 9 Sand Martins also, my first of the year.

Finally some Wheatears, with 2 along the tarmac path, another 2 just inland on the dung heap and a single bird at the old airstrip, 4 White wagtails all in off the sea and 2 hours looking out to sea for raptors produced a Common buzzard that arrived over the harbour around midday.

Working in London this week sadly, just as things seem to have begun.

Back from Hong Kong on the 1st and keen to get up to speed with spring here Ive put in a little more effort than the first days of April warrant perhaps and have little to show for it beyond my first Willow warblers of the year (one on the 1st and one on the 3rd). A passage of 530 Chaffinches on the 2nd contained at least 10 Bramblings, heard mostly but a few seen among the groups. More Siskins moving now too. A singing Black Redstart on the 2nd was my first in song this year but still no Wheatear for me.

An afternoon slog up the cliffs on the 2nd was fruitless for me but visiting birder Kevin R picked out a Hooded Crow, among corvids in the recently ploughed field next to Sherley’s farm. He and David T watched it until it appeared to fly off late pm. Today It flew over my head as I crossed the top fields late morning and settled in the ploughed field again.

Nice bird. Squally weather with 40mph Sw’erlies. Not my usual ‘dash up the cliffs’ weather but nice to give it a go.