We met up with RJF, JK and MK at Birling and covered virtually all the sites on the Head meeting up with RDME at Belle Tout who had covered the Birling and Belle Tout area including Cornish Farm track. An interesting day with a Yellow-browed Warbler roaming the Belle Tout area with a small party of birds, a fine adult male Dartford Warbler which was out 6th different individual of the Autumn, and a Ring-necked Parakeet which is our first record since 2002. 500+ Wood Pigeons moved SW over the Headland with small numbers of Meadow Pipits and Goldfinches moving W.
Roger and Liz had a Great Grey Shrike at Hodcombe today
Sparrowhawk 1-2
Kestrel 1
Peregrine 3
Curlew 1 off Birling
Stock Dove c35
Wood Pigeon 500+ SW Ring-necked Parakeet 1 over B/T wood (our first record since 2002).
Tawny Owl 2
Great-spotted Woodpecker 1 Great Grey Shrike 1 in Hodcombe.
Meadow Pipit 15 W
Alba Wagtail 4 W
Wren 10
Black Redstart 1
Stonechat 4
Ring Ouzel 3 N high over Cornish Farm Dartford Warbler 1 ad male (Our 6th individual this Autumn) Yellow-browed Warbler 1 B/T area with small flock of birds.
Chiffchaff 5
Goldcrest 5
Raven 3
Starling 200
Goldfinch 70 W
Reed Bunting 2 W
Corn Bunting 1 singing
Painted Lady 1
(taken by David Cooper)
Yellow-browed Warbler at Belle Tout
Weasel at Birling
Our three birding friends-JK, RJF and MK (who is over from
RDME again went ringing in Whitbread Hollow and also birded Belle Tout wood area. Again generally quiet with just a small passage of Woodpigeons west and another Firecrest was trapped in the Hollow.
RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow and also visited Belle Tout wood. Generally very quiet with the highlight being a Firecrest ringed in Whitbread Hollow. Nick Paul had 3 Black Redstarts at Birling (per SOS web-site).
Birds ringed are shown in brackets:
Brent Geese 30 W over top of the Hollow.
Tawny Owl 1
Black Redstart 3
Song Thrush 1
Blackcap 1
Chiffchaff 6 (4)
Goldcrest 2 (1)
Firecrest 1 (1)
Jay 3
Bullfinch 2
Corn Buntings 18 near Belle Tout wood.
RDME covered The Old Trapping Area, Shooters Bottom, Belle Tout Wood and Cornish Farm track, meeting up with SL who covered Birling Lane area, then Belle Tout wood to The Old Trapping Area via Shooters Bottom .LP also covered several sites on the Headland. Generally very few migrants were seen but the Red-breasted Flycatcher was still performing and and ME had a Little Bunting briefly at 11.15 and then departed W calling.
Common Buzzard 2
Sparrowhawk 2
Peregrine 1
Tawny Owl 1
Golden Plover 20
Woodpigeon 100
Stock Dove 20
Swallow 2
Black Redstart 1 Red-breasted Flycatcher ad. male.
Dartford Warbler 2
Goldcrest 2
Linnet 100 (in fields up Cornish track)
Goldfinch 150 E Little Bunting 1 briefly in the Old Trapping Area before departing W. calling. (Just our second record).
Corn Bunting 1
(taken by Laurence Pitcher)
Dartford Warbler in Shooters Bottom
(Photo by Bob Edgar and Sarah McKenzie
Ring Ouzel trapped in Whitbread Hollow on the 26th Oct.
ARK visited the Headland and birded most of the usual sites. Just a few migrants seen including a Black Redstart at Birling, the long staying adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher again stole the show and still around 1,000 Stock Doves present in the Cornish Farm area. John Marchant was also birding the Headland including above Cow Gap and has kindly provided details of his sightings which are included in the combined totals:
Common Buzzard 2
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 2
Peregrine 2
Stock Dove c1,000 still north of Cornish Farm.
Swallow 9
Black Redstart 2
Ring Ouzel 2
Chiffchaff 1 Red-breasted Flycatcher still present in the Old Trapping Area.
Painted Lady 1
Clouded Yellow 1
(taken by Alan Kitson)
Red-breasted Flycatcher twitch
(taken by Alan Kitson)
Part of the flock of 1,000 Stock Doves Cornish Farm area.
A windy morning that had a wintry feel. Virtually no diurnal migration and very little in the area although perhaps surprisingly the male Red-breasted Flycatcher had remained in the Old Trapping Area. Bob, Sarah and Paul were again ringing in Whitbread Hollow and although not to many birds were trapped and an interesting selection including late Whinchat and Willow Warbler of the acredula race.
Combined totals with birds ringed in brackets.
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 3
Merlin 1
Peregrine 3
Stock Dove 1,000+ heading NE behind Cornish Farm with c200
dropping into stubble.
Swallow 11
We met up with RJF & JWK at Birling and covered the lane, the Belle Tout loop and the Old Trapping Area where we saw ASC and GB who had covered the Hotel Garden and Shooters Bottom. RDME was ringing in Whitbread Hollow. RJF visited Crowlink in the afternoon. A good diurnal passage was dominated by Goldfinches and a fair number of Skylarks, Bramblings and Reed Buntings moving west with a single calling Woodlark seen flying north over Belle Tout wood early in the afternoon. A total of four Dartford Warblers was a good count and Chiffchaff numbers chiefly in Whitbread Hollow remain strong for late October. The male Red-breasted Flycatcher remained performing well in the Old Trapping Area attracting twitchers from afar. Combined totals including birds trapped in brackets.
Common Buzzard 1 Merlin2
Kestrel 2
Tawny Owl 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Wood Pigeon 330 S (including a leucistic individual)
Stock Dove 150 S
Swallow 26
House Martin 1
Skylark 65 W Woodlark 1 N over Belle Tout at 2.15pm
Song Thrush 2
Blackbird 15 Ring Ouzel 2
Meadow Pipit 70 W
alba Wagtail 13 W Black Redstart 1 Crowlink
Starling 20 W Dartford Warbler 4
