Sunday 26 October 2014

26th October 2014 Beachy Head W4 Overcast

alba Wagtail 6
Firecrest 1
Chiffchaff 1
Red-breasted Flycatcher 1 male
Linnet 80
Goldfinch 100

Adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area

Saturday 25 October 2014

25th October 2014 Beachy W1 Overcast

Buzzard 1
Merlin 1 - 3
Kestrel 2
Tawny Owl 2
Wood Pigeon 330 S (including a leucistic individual)
Stock Dove 150 S
Swallow 25
House Martin 1
Skylark 65 W
Woodlark 1 N over Belle Tout at 2.15pm
Ring Ouzel 1
Meadow Pipit 70 W
alba Wagtail 13 W
Starling 20 W
Dartford Warbler 3
Chiffchaff 7
Goldcrest 3
Firecrest 1
Red-breasted Flycatcher 1 male
Wren 9
Jay 11 W
Siskin h
Goldfinch 1,170 W
Greenfinch 6
Brambling 6
Bullfinch 1
Reed Bunting 12 W

Old Trapping Area twitch

Dartford Warbler at Belle Tout
 
 
 
Adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area


Friday 24 October 2014

24th October 2014 Beachy Low Cloud but calm!

Red-breasted Flycatcher 1 adult male
Raven h


Adult male red-breasted Flycatcher in the Old Trapping Area (JFC)
the first adult male I have seen in the UK 


Sunday 19 October 2014

19th October 2014 Rodmell

Brent Goose 1 juvenile
Ruff 1
Swallow 3
Ring Ouzel 1+ in berry-laden hedgerows

Juvenile Dark-bellied Brent Goose at Rodmell


Saturday 18 October 2014

18th October 2014 Beachy S5 Clear

Swallow c.75
House Martin 1
Song Thrush 1
Ring Ouzel 26+
Skylark 30 over
Pied Wagtail 12 over
Chiffchaff 2
Goldfinch 160 over
Linnet 100 over, c.400 top fields
Jay 4

Tuesday 14 October 2014

11th October 2014 Out Skerries & Scalloway


Heron 5
Jack Snipe 1
Swallow 1
Skylark 18
Wheatear 2
Whinchat 2
Robin 2
Wren 1
Song Thrush 1
Redwing 1
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 2
Yellow-browed Warbler 1
Goldcrest 4
Great Grey Shrike 1
Little Bunting 2
Reed Bunting 3

Scalloway
EASTERN BONELLI'S WARBLER 1 BOURC/IRBC 524
Chiffchaff 2

 










 
 


Eastern Bonelli's Warbler at Scalloway
Despite spending four hours in close proximity to this bird sadly I never heard it call


Friday 10 October 2014

10th October 2014 Out Skerries NW2 Overcast

Early morning drizzle soon subsided leaving a grey and overcast day. A tour of the East Isle failed to produce anything new although a fair few Thrushes remained. Onto West Isle the iris beds still played host to the Reed Warbler and there were two Little Buntings also present there. We walked the long wall and onto Mioness but apart from Song Thrushes and Redwings migrants were in short supply although a subtly Blue Fulmar was seen sat on the sea. A final tour of East Isle produced a few migrants feeding along the seaweed line at dusk as insects hatched in the now calm conditions.

Pink-footed Goose 30
Tufted Duck 1
Grey Heron 6
Ringed Plover 6
Golden Plover 50
Lapwing 1
Dunlin 5
Snipe 3
Woodcock 1
Turnstone 12
Goldcrest 8
Skylark 12
Swallow 2
Reed Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 4
Blackcap 5
Blyth's Lesser Whitethroat 1
Wren 3
Blackbird 8
Song Thrush 50
Redwing 30
Robin 8
Whinchat 1
Stonechat 1
Wheatear 10
Dunnock 2
Meadow Pipit 30
Chaffinch 2
Brambling 45
Siskin 2
Little Bunting 2
 
Reed Warbler in the iris beds

Blue Fulmar off Mioness


Blyth's Lesser Whitethroat on Out Skerries

one of the best airstrips in the British Isles

Mioness

Thursday 9 October 2014

9th October 2014 Out Skerries NE4 Overcast

After a largely clear night a gloomy dawn with a northeasterly wind that freshened during the day. Heavy cloud cover by late afternoon so it got dark early this evening so it felt a short day. A few early Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests were promising but an initially skulking Acrocephalus in the iris beds proving to be a Reed Warbler was disappointing. The Great Grey Shrike was still present with another larder at the house beyond the church and a Little Bunting showed briefly at the top of the iris beds. Despite more birds having remained on the island than we had expected it soon became hard work as the weather and light all too quickly deteriorated.
 
Pink-footed Goose 20
Grey Heron 5
Ringed Plover 5
Golden Plover 25
Lapwing 2
Dunlin 1
Jack Snipe 1
Snipe 6
Woodcock 1
Turnstone 10
Wood Pigeon 6
Great Grey Shrike 1
Goldcrest 12
Skylark 12
Swallow 1
Chiffchaff 5
Blackcap 5
Reed Warbler 1
Blackbird 10
Song Thrush 25
Redwing 25
Robin 10
Redstart 1
Whinchat 2
Wheatear 10
Dunnock 2
Grey Wagtail 1
Meadow Pipit 25
Brambling 30
Siskin 2
Little Bunting 1
Reed Bunting 6
 
A gloomy morning on Out Skerries
 
Woodcock, Chris and Mike on Out Skerries

 Woodcock on Out Skerries
 

Reed Warbler in the iris beds




First-winter female Common Redstart on Out Skerries
A rather dark sooty Common Redstart with a greyish cast that almost resembled Black Redstart at times. Although its buff fringes to its tertials and secondaries form a distinct pale wing panel there is no sign of any expansion of white at their bases as described for Ehrenberg's Redstart here:



Great Grey Shrike on Out Skerries

8th October 2014 Out Skerries NE 2 Clear

A nice dawn with a light northeasterly breeze that dropped to calm by the evening. Most birds had remained on the island although with a noticeable drop in numbers of Thrushes present. The light overhead passage of Skylarks had resumed and there were some small grounded parties present. Likewise the numbers of Woodcock, Wood Pigeons, Goldcrests and Robins had increased. A male Greenfinch seen bathing at Rocklea was the first we've seen, another Grey-headed Wagtail was seen in the sheep fields near the marsh, a drake Scoter was sat on the sea off the beach at the end of the marsh but the best was saved for the last 20 minutes of evening light when Chris and Mike located a Great Grey Shrike and its larder in a tiny enclosed back garden of one of the top houses on West Isle. Towards dusk it was calm and eerily quiet with most passerines seen feeding frenetically so we anticipate an overnight clear out of migrants. Spent an enjoyable evening with Davey & Kathleen.
 
Pink-footed Goose 17
Greylag Goose 1
Teal 1
Tufted Duck 1
Scaup 1
Scoter 1 drake
Grey Heron 6
Kestrel 1+
Ringed Plover 6
Golden Plover 40
Lapwing 2
Purple Sandpiper 3
Dunlin 7
Jack Snipe 4
Snipe 9
Woodcock 3
Turnstone 12
Wood Pigeon 8
Great Grey Shrike 1
Goldcrest 9
Skylark 40
Swallow 3+
Chiffchaff 1
Willow Warbler 1
Blackcap 6
Blyth's Lesser Whitethroat 1
Wren 3
Ring Ouzel 1 male
Blackbird 11
Fieldfare 1
Song Thrush 85+
Redwing 50+
Robin 12
Whinchat 1
Stonechat 1
Wheatear 18
Dunnock 2
Grey-headed Wagtail 1
Meadow Pipit 50
Chaffinch 5
Brambling 35
Greenfinch 1
Siskin 2
Yellowhammer 3
Reed Bunting 10


Wren on Out Skerries

Brambling on Out Skerries

Greenfinch on Out Skerries


Male Ring Ouzel on Out Skerries

Robin on Out Skerries




Grey-headed Wagtail on Out Skerries




Jack Snipe on Out Skerries

Woodcock on Out Skerries

Scaup on Out Skerries

Blyth's Lesser Whitethroat on Out Skerries

Great Grey Shrike on Out Skerries

Dusk on Out Skerries