Thursday 30 September 2004

30th September 2004 St. Martins, Isles of Scilly 9.45am – 2.30pm, St. Mary’s 2.45pm – 6.30pm. Sunny warm and clear


Diver sp. 1 in flight off St. Martins
Shag c.5 including sinle immature recalling desmarestii being extremely pale on the foreneck, breast and belly.
Little Egret c.3
Wood Duck c.5 pinioned Porthloo Duck Pond
Fulvous Whistling Duck 1 Porthloo Duck Pond
CREAM-COLOURED COURSER 1 UK485 first-winter plumage with some chevrons on wing-coverts and developing head pattern. Bill short and decurved primarily black with pale base, White supercilium with some darker streaks. Black primaries and underwings. Subterminal black tail band. Legs pale ivory and scaly somewhat reptilian with some red veins visible running down from top of legs. Many scales on swollen knees. Would run around sheep field pausing to take Daddy Longlegs and leatherjackets. Showed down to a matter of feet. Superb.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper 3 juv’s walking to within feet of us on St. Mary’s Golf Course. All had juvenile scaly upperparts with dark feather centers. Pale eye-ring setting-off dark eye. Short straight dark bills. Rich yellow legs. No obvious wingbar in flight and whitish underwings. Superb.
Yellow-legged Gull 1 adult on rocks off St. Martins. Dark bluish upperwings and mantle, bright yellow legs.
Sandwich Tern c.4
Swallow c.5
House Martin 1
Wheatear 1
Chiffchaff 2

Wednesday 29 September 2004

29th September 2004 St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly 10.30am – 4.30pm. Calm but overcast

No sign of Cream-coloured Courser until on the flight back to Lands End so walked straight into the terminal and booked another day trip for the following day!

Shag c.200
Collared Dove c.10
Swallow c.5
Wheatear 1
Chiffchaff 1

Sunday 26 September 2004

26th September 2004 Beachy 6.40am – 1.15pm. Calm. Clear at first becoming cloudy late morning


Gannet c.8W
Sparrowhawk c2
Kestrel 1
Hobby 1 near Drusillas catching insects on the wing
Peregrine 1
Merlin 1 fem/juv.
Curlew 1
Bonxie 1W high above horizon past Birling
Sandwich Tern 4W
Commic Tern 2E
Short-eared Owl 1 high over Old Trapping at dawn for a prolonged period. Black smudgy tips to primaries easily visible with three discrete concentric black bands crossing the inner primaries.
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Skylark 15
Sand Martin 1
Swallow c.50
House Martin c.75
Meadow Pipit c.100
Alba Wagtail 10
Yellow Wagtail 11
Wheatear 8
Whinchat 1
Song Thrush 2
Mistle Thrush 2 flying over gully opposite Beachy Head Hotel
Blackbird c.5
Blackcap 9
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Whitethroat 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Reed Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 25
Goldcrest 1
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Reed Bunting 2
Goldfinch 20
Linnet c.100 including a partially albino individual with wholly white wings and tail and body plumage paler than normal.

Saturday 25 September 2004

25th September 2004 Beachy 6.40am – 1.15pm. SW 3 becoming SW 4. Clear and first but with front arriving with heavy cloud


Little Egret 1 flew east past Birling
Geese sp. 2E distant off Cow Gap – possibly Pinkfeet?
Sparrowhawk c.2
Peregrine 2
Kittiwake 1 1st-w off Birling
Short-eared Owl 1 Chat Vale
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Skylark 4
Sand Martin 5
Swallow c.105
House Martin c.80
Meadow Pipit c.70
Alba Wagtail 4
Yellow Wagtail 2
Wheatear 1
Whinchat 1
Blackcap 23
Lesser Whitethroat 2
Whitethroat 1
Grasshopper Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 22
Goldcrest 7
Spotted Flycatcher 2
Goldfinch 20
Linnet 50

Sunday 19 September 2004

19th September 2004 Beachy 6.40am – 1.15pm. SW3. Clear at first becoming overcast SW4


Sparrowhawk c.7
Kestrel 1
Peregrine 5
Oystercatcher 1
Sandwich Tern h
Turtle Dove 1 Hollow
Skylark 3
Sand Martin 5
Swallow 65
House Martin 240
Meadow Pipit 80
Tree Pipit 1
Pied Wagtail 3
Robin 4
Redstart 1
Wheatear 4
Whinchat 2
Song Thrush 1
Garden Warbler 2
Blackcap 6
Whitethroat 5
Reed Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 33
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Long-tailed Tit 2
Goldfinch 20
Raven 2

Sunday 5 September 2004

5th September 2004 Beachy 6.15am – 1.00pm. East 3


Peregrine 3
Sandwich Tern 4
Swift 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Swallow 30
House Martin 10
Yellow Wagtail 19
Grey Wagtail 1
Redstart 1
Wheatear 3
Whinchat 2
Blackcap 2
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Whitethroat 15
Sedge Warbler 1
Reed Warbler 1
Willow Warbler 3
Chiffchaff 4
Spotted Flycatcher 1
Pied Flycatcher 1
Raven 2

Saturday 4 September 2004

4th September 2004 Beachy 6.00am – 1.00pm. Calm


Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 3
Peregrine 1
Golden Plover 1
Swift 5
Sand Martin 3
Swallow 10
House Martin 50
Tree Pipit 1
Yellow Wagtail 20
Wheatear 4
Whinchat 1
Garden Warbler 1
Blackcap 4
Lesser Whitethroat 8
Whitethroat 24
Grasshopper Warbler 3
Reed Warbler 1
Willow Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 5
Spotted Flycatcher 6

Friday 3 September 2004

3rd September 2004 Ditchling Beacon

Swallow 1
Yellow Wagtail 2
Wheatear 7
Whinchat 1
Linnet 10
Goldfinch 40

Thursday 2 September 2004

2nd September 2004 Ditchling Beacon 6.15am – 7.15am. Sunny with light southerly


Red-legged Partridge c.15
Stock Dove 2
Sand Martin 5
Swallow c.10
House Martin c.20
Meadow Pipit c.30
Wheatear 4
Whinchat 1
Linnet c.20