28th October 2012 Beachy NW1 Overcast

Sparrowhawk 2
Kestrel 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine 1
Stock Dove 40
Woodpigeon c.1,500
Collared Dove 3
Skylark 70
Swallow 5
House Martin 12+
Robin 10
Blackbird 20
Redwing 4
Mistle Thrush 3+
Song Thrush 6
Chiffchaff 1
Goldcrest 8
Raven 2
Brambling 2
Goldfinch 30
Siskin 4
Linnet 100
Redpoll 5
Corn Bunting 9

27th October 2012 Beachy N5 Cold and clear

Red-throated Diver 1 on sea off Birling
Goosander 4S (3 drakes) ex.
Sparrowhawk 3
Kestrel 1
Merlin 1 chasing Linnets in the rough field
Golden Plover 1h
Stock Dove c.30S moving with Woodpigeons
Woodpigeon c.3,500S
Skylark 8E
Swallow 23
House Martin 14
Pied Wagtail 15E
Black Redstart 1
Stonechat 4
Fieldfare 5
Mistle Thrush 3
Song Thrush 8
Chiffchaff 2
Goldcrest 12
Jay 3
Jackdaw 200E
Starling c.2,000
Chaffinch 52E
Brambling 10
Goldfinch 130E
Siskin 3
Redpoll 6

Woodpigeons over Belle Tout

My car broke down on the way to Beachy this morning and my camera might not be far behind!

Woodpigeons over Birling

With the 'arctic blast' this morning adding Ptarmigan to the County list really shouldn't have been such a surprise!



21st October 2012 Beachy Head NE4 light rain

Little Egret 1
Grey Heron 1N over fields north of Belle Tout
Kestrel 1
Stock Dove 4E
Woodpigeon c.400E
Short-eared Owl 1
Swallow 120E
House Martin 160E
Meadow Pipit 50E
Grey Wagtail 4E
Pied Wagtail 84E
Black Redstart 1
Siberian Stonechat 1
Wheatear 2
Ring Ouzel 1
Redwing 3N
Chiffchaff 6
Goldcrest c.12
Chaffinch 40E
Goldfinch 1,700E
Linnet 480E, 200 in field
Redpoll 3W
Reed Bunting 1

Short-eared Owl arriving in off the sea at Birling Gap

Siberian Stonechat twitch



20th October 2012 Beachy Calm & Overcast

Stonechat 3
Siberian Stonechat 1 first-winter/female ex.
Chiffchaff 1
Corn Bunting 11

It frequently reminded me of a late Autumn 'rare' Wheatear with its peachy-blushed rump contrasting with its black tail being very Desert'esque!

Note the long primary projection virtually matching the length of the exposed tertials

Flanks uniform with underparts lacking any diffuse dark patterning. Also a strong contrast between its dark upperparts and very pale underparts.



Viewed head-on its supercilium was at its most prominent as was its whitish throat.

Note the unmarked peachy-coloured rump and uppertail-coverts

In flight it revealed a conspicuous white patch on its inner greater coverts

In flight it frequently offered glimpses of its dark underwing coverts and black axillaries contrasting with its whitish undersides of its flight feathers

 

First-winter/female Siberian Stonechat at Birling
We timed our return to the County well thanks to RJF finding this beauty and thinking to phone JFC to find out if we were home as DC hadn't yet charged his mobile!

18th October 2012 Hachicho-jima

All day aboard the Hachicho-jima Ferry along the Izu Islands. Unfortunately it was windy with heavy rain ann often foggy conditions making birding difficult.

Albatross sp. 1 distant
Streaked Shearwater c.10,000
Providence Petrel 2 ex.
Brown Booby 3
Intermediate Egret 1 Hachicho
Black-eared Kite 2
Pomarine Skua 3
Rufous Turtle Dove 1
Swallow 25
Brown-eared Bulbul 6
Blue Rock Thrush 3
Bull-headed Shrike 1
Large-billed Crow 8
Siskin 100

17th October 2012 Wajima Overcast with rain

Overcast skies but a calm dawn. We walked up the river valley just east of Wajima seeing most of the hoped-for species including Japanese Wagtain, Brown Dipper and Meadow Bunting. We then tried the Harbour but relatively quiet for Gulls. Flew from Noto to Haneda in the afternoon arriving in torrential rain. Took the monorail and caught the overnight ferry to Hachicho-jima.

Grey Heron 6
Spot-billed Duck 2
Black-eared Kite 50
Black-headed Gull 5
Black-tailed Gull 100
Slaty-backed Gull 5
Rufous Turtle Dove 2
Skylark 5
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 1
Grey Wagtail 1
Black-backed Wagtail 2
Japanese Wagtail 8 ex.
Brown-eared Bulbul 10
Daurian Redstart 2
Blue Rock Thrush 2
Jay 1 +1h
Large-billed Crow 15
Tree Sparrow 30
Hawfinch 2
Meadow Bunting 15

Meadow Buntings at Wajima

Japanese Wagtails at Wajima

Siberian Black-headed Gulls at Wajima

First-winter Black-tailed Gulls at Wajima

16th October 2012 Hegura-jima E3 Overcast

Dawn was accompanied by a E3 wind that strengthened as the morning progressed. Our early morning was memorable with a White's Thrush on the Central Track that we watched for 5 minutes before it melted away. JFC flushed a Japanese Quail at the Water Treatment Works that we all saw as it gained height and away. We then tried Tsukasa finding a Richard's Pipit there. We then relocated the Taiga Flycatcher near the earth field before trying the Central Track where a vocal Radde's Warbler performed well and another Taiga Flycatcher was seen briefly. We then tried Tsukasa again finding 2 Richard's Pipits now present. We reluctantly departed Hegura-jima on the 3pm ferry. A choppy crossing with only a few Streaked Shearwaters.

Streaked Shearwater 50
Greater Cormorant 1
Japanese Cormorant 1
Great Egret 1
Grey Heron 4
Mandarin Duck 2
Teal 2
Mallard 3
Pochard 2
Black-eared Kite 1, c.70 at Wajima
Sparrowhawk 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine 1
Japanese Quail 1 ex.
Coot 1
Woodcock 1
Common Snipe 1
Black-headed Gull 2, 1 Wajima
Black-tailed Gull 100
Slaty-backed Gull 1, 3 Wajima
Wryneck 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Skylark 2
Richard's Pipit 2
Olive-backed Pipit 1
Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit 1
Black-backed Wagtail 6
Brown-eared Bulbul 6
Red-flanked Bluetail 3
Daurian Redstart 15
Stejneger's Stonechat 2
Blue Rock Thrush 2
White's Thrush 1 ex.
Pale Thrush 2
Dusky Thrush 80
Japanese Bush Warbler 4
Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler 2
Black-browed Reed Warbler 1
Arctic Warbler 2
Radde's Warbler 1 ex.
Goldcrest 15
Taiga Flycatcher 2
Japanese White-eye 15
Large-billed Crow 2
Brambling 30
Oriental Greenfinch 12
Siskin 50
Hawfinch 50
Masked Bunting 4
Grey Bunting 2
Pine Bunting 1
Elegant Bunting 20
Tristram's Bunting 1
Rustic Bunting 6
Reed Bunting 5



Watercolour in the Minshuku

Merlin along the west shore

Eastern Reed Bunting at the Water Treatment Works

Richard's Pipit at Tsukasa

The Central Track

 

Radde's Warbler along the Central Track

15th October 2012 Hegura-jima NW4 Overcast

Awoke to a NW4 wind and overcast conditions that soon cleared although the wind persisted all day. A quiet early morning walk although a Carrion Crow was new for the trip! The morning produced a Pochard, Long-eared Owl and a first-winter male Chinese Grosbeak but the wind made birding difficult especially at Tsukasa. The afternoon was largely uneventful although a Common Snipe feeding out in the open on the grass at the Harbour Park was good value as were good numbers of Daurian Redstarts and Elegant Buntings.

Streaked Shearwater 10
Greater Cormorant 1
Japanese Cormorant 2
Grey Heron 4
Teal 1
Pochard 2
Black-eared Kite 1
Eastern Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Peregrine 1
Common Snipe 1
Black-headed Gull 2
Black-tailed Gull 150
Vega Gull 2
Slaty-backed Gull 6
Rufous Turtle Dove 2
Long-eared Owl 1 ex.
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Skylark 2
Olive-backed Pipit 2
Black-backed Wagtail 8
Brown-eared Bulbul 6
Red-flanked Bluetail 2
Daurian Redstart 60
Stejneger's Stonechat 6
Blue Rock Thrush 5
Japanese Grey Thrush 1 male
Pale Thrush 5
Dusky Thrush 50
Naumann's Thrush 1
Japanese Bush Warbler 4
Black-browed Reed Warbler 1
Arctic Warbler 8
Yellow-browed Warbler 3
Goldcrest 30
Eastern Great Tit 1
Japanese White-eye 20
Carrion Crow 1
Large-billed Crow 2
Brambling 50
Oriental Greenfinch 15
Siskin 60
Chinese Grosbeak 1 first-winter male
Hawfinch 50
Masked Bunting 6
Grey Bunting 1
Pine Bunting 2
Elegant Bunting 50
Tristram's Bunting 2
Rustic Bunting 15
Little Bunting 1
Reed Bunting 1

Long-eared Owl over the East Shore

First-winter male Chinese Grosbeak

JFC at Tsukasa Fields

Yellow-browed Warbler at the Tree Shrine

 

Male Daurian Redstart near the School Field

Pale Thrush at the Drinking Pool

Naumann's Thrush at the Earth Field

Common Snipe at the Harbour Park

Blue Rock Thrush with damaged bill at Tsukasa

Rustic Bunting at Tsukasa