30/9/01 Filsham 7.00am - 10.00am. Pett Level 10.30 - 11.30am. Dungeness 12.30pm to 3.00pm. Calm but overcast from dawn becoming wet and windy

Greylag c.30 Scotney
Water Rail h several Filsham
Lapwing c.75
Sociable Plover 1 juv. Pett Level. Excellent views. Dark crown encircled by pale supercilium which met at rear. Streaking on breast and scaled upperparts. White belly. Black of primaries noticeable at rest with tertials appearing quite bleached. In flight white secondaries and black primaries and black tail band across white tail very eye-catching.
Wheatear 2 Dungeness
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Dusky Warbler 1 Dungeness moat. Very poor glimpses as exceptionally skulking in brambles. Brownish appearance in flight with hard ‘teck’ call heard several times.
Bearded Tit h several at Filsham with 1 glimpsed in flight along a channel.
Red-backed Shrike 1 juv. Filsham. Quite distinct dark mask. Tali rufous being quite orange on uppertail coverts. Scaly flanks. Brown upperparts though too distant to discern much scaling. Appeared to show white outer tail feathers.
Isabelline Shrike 1 juv. Dungeness. Very pallid appearance with rufous tail. A pronounced dark mask and lores. Largely grey bill with blacker tip. Crown noticeably rufous and scaled. Greyer on nape and mantle. Quite distinct scaling on underparts not just restricted to the flanks. Almost showed a dark throat at some angles. Coverts edged grey. Secondaries fringed grey. Quite short-winged. Lacked any pale at base of the primaries. Rump and tail orange. Superb.
Brambling 1
Reed Bunting c.8

29/9/01 Beachy 10.00am - 4.15pm. Early rain had cleared south. Calm and humid being warm southerly influence

Hobby 1 adult
Peregrine c.2
Merlin 1
Swallow c.30
House Martin c.50
Meadow Pipit c.50
Redstart c.2
Whinchat c.2
Ring Ouzel 1
Blackcap c.2
Whitethroat 2
Reed Warbler 1 ‘tchak’ call note
Willow Warbler 2
Chiffchaff c.5
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Pied Flycatcher 2

25th September 2001 Messingham Sand Quarries, Lincs 7am - 9.30am. Huttoft 11am - 1pm, Anderby 1.30pm - 4pm. Clear with mist at first and then fine and calm on the coast

AMERICAN GREEN HERON 1 juv.  flew into a small pool after an hours wait. On landing raised its shaggy crest and appeared very long-necked almost recalling Rufescent Tiger-Heron! Bill almost blue across upper surface with remainder yellow. Yellow iris with dark centre. Bare greenish loral skin. Dark greyish-black crown. Rufescent ear coverts and sides of neck. Breast rufescent with broad white streaks. White malar. Belly greyish. Mantle a dark greyish-green. Wings greenish with coverts fringed and tipped white. Strong greenish legs. Tail constantly flicked adding to overall character. Spots under tail. Seen to catch both toads/frogs and small fish. Very alert. In flight appeared very dark and small with neck outstretched. Ex. UK473.

Heron 1
Shoveler 1
Teal c.30 Huttoft Pit
Tufted Duck c.10 Huttoft Pit
Sparrowhawk 1
Coot c.30
Golden Plover c.750 Anderby
Lapwing c.50 Anderby
Dunlin 3 Huttoft Pit
Wren c.5
Robin c.8
Redstart c.10 including a male with a pale panel on its secondaries perhaps suggesting samamisicus. Also a neat white breast band dividing its black throat from its orange breast and belly.
Wheatear c.2
Song Thrush c.20
Garden Warbler c.3
Blackcap c.20
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Willow Warbler 1
Goldcrest c.15
Brambling 1 Anderby
Snow Bunting 1 Huttoft

In captivity near Huttoft Pit virtually in someone’s back garden:

Red-breasted Goose 2
Pintail 1
Smew c.2
Hooded Merganser c.4
Bufflehead pair

23rd September 2001 Beachy 7am - 11.30am. Blakeney Point, Norfolk 3.30pm - 6.30pm. Calm but overcast. Sunny in the evening

Marsh Harrier 1 south over Birling appeared almost wholly black

Snipe 1
Short-eared Owl 1 black tips to undersides of primaries seen. Pale belly.
Pied Wagtail c.20
Yellow Wagtail 1
Whinchat 1
PALLAS’S GRASSHOPPER WARBLER 1 1w. ex. Blakeney Point in sueda. Flushed on several occasions but also seen creeping around on or close to the ground with some prolonged views late in the afternoon. In flight appeared dark with rump almost appearing olive and contrasting with a very dark diamond-shaped tail which was often spread before diving into cover revealing a broad grey band across its tips. Upper mandible dark with lower yellow more prominently so at the base. Crown with neat dark streaks. Yellowish supercilium rising over eye which was also surrounded beneath by a pale crescent. Greyish shawl across nape. Mantle rufous streaked darker. Wings dark with pale fringes to the inner webs of the tertials seen on several occasions. Rump rufous with broad black streaking. Tail dark being noticeably rounded. Throat white and clean with neat narrow dark malar. Yellowish was across breast with neat gorget of dark inverted arrowheads. Belly yellowish as were undertail coverts becoming slightly buffy but completely unmarked. Legs strong and pink with good hind claw. Amazing views of a superb bird. UK472.
Chiffchaff c.10
Goldcrest c.2
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Reed Bunting c.3
Yellowhammer c.3

Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler at Blakeney Point (Alan Tate http://www.aabirdpix.com/ )

All seemed lost when news broke too late for us to make Blakeney Point the day before and it seemed very unlikely to overnight there especially in light of previous unsuccessful trips to Cleveland and Portland. We therefore went to Beachy and initially it was no surprise that there was no sign of the bird at Blakeney. With improving weather that changed however and time was again then against us but we made our way with JK & RJF and the bird gave amazing views! 



22nd September 2001 Beachy 7am - 12.30pm. Calm and sunny

Golden Plover h

Turtle Dove 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Wryneck 1ex. Gully perched atop bushes a fair way up the slope - found by JFC a few days earlier.
Sand Martin c.30
Swallow c.25
House Martin c.500
Meadow Pipit c.30
Yellow wagtail c.5
Redstart c.10
Reed Warbler c.3
Chiffchaff c.15
Pied Flycatcher 1

15th September 2001 Girdleness, Aberdeen 7am - 9am. Fine morning and calm after a clear night

the Thick-billed Warbler had unfortunately departed the Out Skerries our intended destination

Pink-footed Goose c.20 flew south
Eider c.100
Sandwich Tern c.5
Guillemot 1

9th September 2001 Beachy Head 6.45am - 1.20pm. Northwesterly wind and cold. Dry

Gannet 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Kestrel c.2
Peregrine 1 juv. Upperparts appeared quite brown. Upper surface of tail appeared pale and contrasted with remainder of upperparts. White tips to the tail. Pale buff band across nape. Hit a Pigeon sp. on three occasions but failed to take it.
Merlin 1
Sand Martin c.30
Swallow c.50
House Martin c.500
Meadow Pipit c.20
Tree Pipit 3
Yellow Wagtail c.30
Grey Wagtail 2
Redstart c.5
Wheatear c.2
Whinchat c.5
Blackcap c.5
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Whitethroat c.15
Sedge Warbler 1
Willow Warbler c.10
Chiffchaff c.5
Goldcrest 1
Spotted Flycatcher 3
Red-backed Shrike 1 juv. Bill dark with pale base. Crown brown barred darker. Pale supercilium. Rufous-brown ear coverts. Greyish cast to nape. Mantle reddish being boldly barred. Coverts boldly patterned. Pale edgings to secondaries and pale tips to primaries. Tail rufous-brown. Underparts greyish-white with dark chevrons to flanks. Would catch airborne insects whilst remaining perched.

2nd September 2001 Beachy 6.30am - 10.30am. Wet at first with fair SW wind

Diver sp. 1W probable Great Northern in w/p
Gannet c.10
Shag 1W
Little Egret 1 Cuckmere
Marsh Harrier 1
Kestrel 2
Peregrine c.4
Arctic Skua 1W
Tern sp. c.10W
Wheatear 1
Whitethroat c.5
Willow warbler c.2
Spotted Flycatcher 1

1st September 2001 Beachy 6.30am - 11.00am. Cold with north-westerly wind. Overcast

Sparrowhawk 2
Kestrel c.2
Hobby 1 adult
Merlin 1 female/imm.
Snipe 1
Green Woodpecker 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Skylark c.5
Sand Martin c.10
Swallow c.20
House Martin c.35
Meadow Pipit c.10
Tree Pipit h
Yellow Wagtail c.15
Grey Wagtail h
Wheatear c.5
Whinchat c.5
Stonechat c.5
Blackcap 1 male
Whitethroat c.10
Willow Warbler c.5
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Jay 2